We arrived in Deline--a community of 600 mainly Dene people along the shores of Great Bear Lake--late yesterday afternoon after a 90 minute flight north from Yellowknife. For about an hour we flew over open spruce forests, bogs, and lakes where there were no roads, no towns, no development. As we got closer to Deline looking out my window toward the east I would of thought that I was over the ocean. Great Bear Lake stretched away as far as I could see--it still boggles my mind that this is the fourth largest lake in North America and the eighth largest in the world.

First bird on arrival at the Deline Airport? You guessed it--Common Raven. The ravens are so ubiquitous here, they are everywhere--perched on buildings throughout town and flying across the horizon at every scan. Overall birds seem a bit less diverse here than in Yellowknife. I found only 11 species before midnight yesterday. My favorite sighting was the flock of breeding plumaged Pacific Loons feeding just offshore from the town.

Yesterday evening around ten, we attended a drum dance in a community hall. At some points there were probably over a hundred people shuffling to the beat in large circles, the floor bouncing to the rhythm from the collective weight. I left around midnight but I found out this morning that it had continued until 2:30 in the morning.

Today I went out early for a few hours of birding and found a few more birds--also the day was a bit less windy and warmer. Highlights included a cooperative Northern Shrike, more Pacific Loons, Common Loons, Surf Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Common Goldeneye, Least Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Bonaparte's Gulls, lots of Lincoln's Sparrows and White-crowned Sparrows, and Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

The Dene Nation Assembley convened in the late morning. Amazing that in just this part of the Boreal, four simultaneous translations are needed to make sure that everyone can understand each other. Nick and I sit on the side with our earphones on to understand when the speakers don't use English, though most do. As each chief or elder is introduced and speaks, we hear again and again, people speaking of their concern about the future of their communities, their children, and their way of life in the face of the seemingly impending pipeline project. How will an influx of outsiders coming to build a pipeline impact a small community like Deline? How will the pipeline and the various roads and infrastructure change the environment? It's clear that all of these leaders from throughout the a Mackenzie Valley understand that they are inching closer to a series of events that will change their communities and their lives forever. As one chief told us, "We don't want development but we tolerate it." The question they are struggling with is how to ensure the survival of their culture and the well-being of the Dene people into the future within the confines of the systems of business and economic interests and Canadian federal and provincial governments.

Jeff Wells
Boreal Songbird Initiative