Nueltin Lake
Provincial Park
Land Designation
Provincial Park
Landscape Description
Nueltin Lake Provincial Park, located in northwest Manitoba, encompasses
approximately 447,190 hectares of the Northern Transition Forest Natural Region. The
terrain changes noticeably between the west and east sides of Nueltin Lake, which is
typical of the transition zone between the boreal and tundra ecosystems. This change
makes the area home to diverse vegetation and wildlife species communities over a
small area. Permafrost and bog peatlands are widespread throughout the area. These
protected lands legally prohibit logging, mining, hydroelectric development, oil and gas
exploration or development, and any other activities that could harm the habitat.
Outstanding Features
As the largest water body in the area, Nueltin Lake is the centrepiece of the park. The
lake has an intricate, varied shoreline and is dotted by numerous small islands. Onethird of the lake is in Manitoba. The northern portion of the lake lies in Nunavut. The
Thlewiaza River system drains the majority of the Nueltin Lake area, flowing through
Nueltin Lake and into Hudson Bay through Nunavut. Lake trout, northern pike and the
provincially rare threespine stickleback are found in the lake. Arctic grayling can be
found in the Thlewiaza River.
Many eskers wind across the landscape of Nueltin Lake Provincial Park. Eskers —
linear ridges of sand and gravel formed by glaciers — rise to 50 metres or more above
the surrounding landscape. In the past, eskers were used as transportation routes.
Evidence of pre-contact peoples’ camps has been found on eskers throughout the
area. Today, eskers are still used as transportation routes and as sites for seasonal
camps. Eskers also provide important travel corridors for wildlife such as caribou and
prime denning habitat for wolf, arctic fox and red fox. The Robertson Esker, one of
the longest continuous eskers in Manitoba, crosses through the southeast portion of
Nueltin Lake Provincial Park.
The provincial park contains striking changes in vegetation moving from one side of
Nueltin Lake to the other. There are stands of low black spruce with understories of
dwarf birch, Labrador tea, lichens and mosses west of the lake. Stunted stands of
black spruce and tamarack can be found to the east. The park also has extensive
areas of low-shrub tundra vegetation uninterrupted by trees. The area supports a
number of provincially rare plant species including glacier sedge, spiked woodrush
and two species of reed grass.
The park protects a large area of important winter habitat for the Qamanirjuaq
barren-ground caribou herd. These migratory caribou are vulnerable to the effects of
hydroelectric and road development, mining and other development activities. The
area also provides habitat for the western population of wolverine, designated Special
Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Grizzly
bear, listed as Extirpated* under The Endangered Species Act of Manitoba and the
federal Species at Risk Act, have been seen in the area.
Nueltin Lake Provincial Park provides winter habitat for rock ptarmigan and breeding
habitat for many migratory birds including red-throated, Pacific and common loons,
osprey, bald eagles, American golden plovers, semi-palmated plovers, sandhill cranes
and a variety of waterfowl. It also provides important habitat for moose, black bear,
lynx, river otter, weasel and mink.
The park is within the traditional territory of Northlands Denesuline First Nation and
Sayisi Dene First Nation. The Dene and other Aboriginal people continue to use this
area for hunting, trapping and fishing, and will continue to exercise their Aboriginal and
treaty rights within the park.
As a wilderness park, Nueltin Lake Provincial Park protects representative or unique
natural landscapes in an undisturbed state and provides recreational opportunities that
depend on a pristine environment. The site is categorized as a World Conservation
Union (IUCN) protected area management category Ib — a protected area managed
mainly for wilderness protection.
* a species formerly indigenous to Manitoba that no longer exists in the wild in Manitoba, but exists elsewhere