Case Study in Sustainable Tourism

Develop? How? The Neyaashiinigmiing Alvars and Indian Reserve

The Neyaashiinigmiing Indian Reserve (known on the Ontario, Canada map as Cape Croker) is a
place of great natural beauty and unique native culture on the shores of Lake Huron. The area
includes four alvars, a rare and extremely fragile ecosystem of grasses and shrubs growing in
shallow topsoil. The Chippewas of Nawash are the indigenous First Nation people of
Neyaashiinigmiinga small community with significant economic challenges. Nawash Council
leaders envision the potential growth of ecocultural tourism to the area as a significant opportunity
to create new jobs and raise the living standard of their people. However, the council brings no
tourism development or management expertise and has limited resources to invest in such an
initiative. They are also unsure how to combine Nawash cultural traditions with
Neyaashiinigmiings unique natural environment to create a compelling tourism experience that
would attract more visitors.

Community Background
Neyaashiinigmiing (meaning point of land
surrounded on three sides by water) has a
distinct culture that makes this location an ideal
ecocultural tourism destination. The area offers
an opportunity for an authentic and fascinating
tourism experience by combining its unique
geology, botany, wildlife, and indigenous
culture. Cape Croker Park (the reserves
primary attraction) connects beautifully to the
Bruce Trail (a world-famous trail that travels for
hundreds of miles along the Niagara
Escarpment) and contains flora and fauna that
are unmistakably distinct and sometimes rare
(like the Pink Lady Slipper Orchid).

Neyaashiinigmiing/Cape Croker

The Chippewas of Nawash, an indigenous First Nations people native to this area, also display a
rich culture and heritage that are attractive to many visitors. The nation is named "Nawash" after a
chief Nawash who fought beside Chief Tecumseh in the war of 1812 against the United States. A
neighboring First Nation tribe is called the Saugeen, and together the Nawash and Saugeen are
referred to as Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territories which share traditional lands in southwestern
Ontario. It is widely recognized that the Saugeen Ojibway occupied
and utilized a land base of about 2 million acres before the arrival of
the British. A Royal Proclamation in 1763 was intended to protect
lands occupied by First Nations of North America, but despite this and
several subsequent federal legislative acts, European encroachment
over the following 100 years significantly diminished the lands
occupied by the Nawash and Saugeen nations. The total land base
for Neyaashiinigmiing Indian Reserve No. 27 is 6,253 hectares or
about 15,451 acres. The current population residing in the Chippewas
of Nawash reserve is approximately 700, with about 2,000 Nawash
members listed in the tribes database.1
The Nawash are an independent self-governed nation within Canada
managed by the Nawash Council comprised of tribal leaders. The
council and its Economic Development Department have the
responsibility to ensure that the resources of Nawash are planned,

managed and utilized in the best interest of the membership and in planning and promoting the
economic well-being of the community. The overall goal is to enhance and implement economic
opportunities within Nawash which will improve the economic growth, environmental sustainability
and social equity of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation community.1
Neyaashiinigmiing needs strong economic development, especially
among the Chippewa nation. The community has a high unemployment
rate because of its remote location and seasonal nature of the industries
that are present (tourism, fisheries, and forestry), and many community
youth leave to find work in cities. The Nawash unemployment rate
among those age 15 years and older is 11%, with males at 19% and
females at 8%. The Nawash also have relatively low education rates,
with 20% having a high school diploma (or equivalent), and only 4%
having graduated from college.2

Tourism in Neyaashiinigmiing
The primary strength of the tourism industry in Neyaashiinigmiing is its beautiful natural
environment combined with a flourishing cultural landscape that is distinct and authentic. This was
shown to be true when more than 90% of visitors cited the natural environment or the indigenous
culture of the community as the primary reason for coming to Neyaashiinigmiing.3 There is also an
annual Pow Wow, an indigenous peoples gathering which brings in between 3,000 and 5,000
visitors yearly and is one of the largest in Ontario. Cape Croker Park is also a strong attraction
with several paths that link to the Bruce Trail. Opened in 1967 and operated by the Chippewa of
Nawash nation, Cape Croker Park draws approximately 15,000 visitors annually into the
community with a population of about 700. The park was envisioned as a jobs creation venture
which now employs several seasonal and summer student workers. It covers 520 forested acres
on Georgian Bay and offers 315 campsites (http://www.capecrokerpark.com/index.php).
While the Bruce Trail is well-represented as a recommended activity on the websites of regional
(http://brucegreysimcoe.com/Home) and provincial (https://www.ontariotravel.net/en/home)
tourism agencies, there is virtually no inclusion of content about the First Nation history or
indigenous cultures of the region. The regional site includes a listing for Cape Croker Indian Park.
A Fragile Environment
Identified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and Biosphere
Program (UNESCO MAB) as part of the World Biosphere Reserve, the Neyaashiinigmiing Indian
Reserve boasts four alvars, a rare and extremely fragile ecosystem.
Alvars are natural communities of humid and sub-humid climates, centered around areas
of glaciated horizontal limestone/dolomite (dolostone) bedrock pavement with a
discontinuous thin soil mantle. These communities are characterized by distinctive flora
and fauna with less than 60% tree cover that is maintained by associated geologic,
hydrologic, and other landscape processes. Alvar communities occur in an ecological
matrix with similar bedrock and hydrologically influenced communities.4
Alvars cover only approximately 0.2% of the earth and contain some of the most globally rare flora
and fauna. They are also easily damaged. Given the small soil cover on the top of the bedrock,
these environments are extremely sensitive to soil
Grasses and lichens
erosion either caused by wind or inappropriate
5-10 cm of soil
human interaction. For instance, one vehicle driven
on the land could cause irreparable damage by
Limestone
spinning its tires, which would cause all of the soil on
the bedrock to be displaced.

In 1998, the Neyaashiinigmiing alvars were evaluated by the

Nature Conservancy.5 It found that all four alvars in
Neyaashiinigmiing were conservation Priority Rank 1 areas. This
means that all four alvars were: (1) found to contain rare or
endangered plant species; (2) in good to excellent condition at the
time of the evaluation; and (3) of a significant size to make
preservation efforts achievable.
The Neyaashiinigmiing sites also represent four varying types of
alvars: (1) a tufted hairgrass wet alvar grassland; (2) a little
bluestem alvar grassland; (3) juniper alvar shrubland; (4) a
creeping juniper-shrubby cinquefoil alvar pavement. The alvars
found on Neyaashiinigmiing are very sensitive and could easily
move from being relatively pristine to heavily damaged, if not
monitored and managed properly.

Development Dilemmas
Neyaashiinigmiing could be a significant attraction for eco-tourists and cultural/heritage visitors.
The challenge, however, is that if trails are developed in the alvars, soil erosion along the trail will
occur quickly. Thus, if public access to the alvars is promoted, a series of puncheons would need
to be built. A puncheon is a raised trail on wood planks where fragile soil exists. They are
expensive to build and require substantial maintenance and frequent replacement.
Other tourism infrastructure may be necessary to support
increased visitor numbers, and the growth plans must identify
those development needs and the sources of funding. Significant
grants would be available from the Canadian government, but this
may come with some sort of local matching funds condition that
requires the Nawash tribe to bring capital to the deal. Outside
private investmentand tourism/hospitality operating expertise
may also be needed in this mix to ensure success, but these firms
would need some assurance of a return on investment.
A few stakeholders question how much this development would enhance overall community
prosperity. Although some interpretive guides could be hired and a fee for the tours could be
charged, these jobs would be seasonal in nature because of the cold winter climate. A few
managerial jobs may be available, but most employees would be in direct customer service roles
for retailing, food service, and other hospitality operations. The spring-summer-fall period would
be high season, but some wonder if a winter season is feasible by creating snow-oriented
activities such as snowshoeing, ice fishing and cross-country
skiing. An additional unknown is the potential opportunity this
development may create for businesses in the neighboring
towns. Given the expense to develop the site with appropriate
trail protection, parking, signage, bathrooms, dining, and even
accommodations, investment recovery is not certain for a
community that needs all of the resources it currently has.
Another significant tourism planning and development issue is determining which public or private
organization should lead this effort and define the wide range of stakeholders who must be
involved. This breadth of stakeholder engagement is vital to ensure the principles of sustainable
tourism are applied in the process: the full involvement of all parties affected by any tourism plans,
and a concern for the resulting impact on the local economy, environment, social structure and

cultural traditions. This approach helps manage any identified risks and ensures the equitable
distribution of beneficial outcomes.
Considering all these opportunities, questions and complexities, the how and who of developing
the Neyaashiinigmiing alvars into an expanded ecocultural tourism experience may be as
important as the if of this matter.

Questions for Consideration

1. Are the Neyaashiinigmiing alvars a suitable place to develop an expanded ecotourism and
cultural/heritage tourism product? Why or why not?
2. If the Nawash Council leaders decided to expand tourism at the site, and you were
responsible for creating the tourism development plans for the Neyaashiinigmiing alvars,
what types of visitor infrastructure and experiences would you recommend? Be specific
and justify your proposal.
3. Who are the local, regional, national or international organizations you believe are the key
stakeholders that would be important to engage in the tourism planning and promotion
process? Explain why and briefly identify their role.
4. Which organization should take the lead in managing the tourism planning process and
how should this process be structured to ensure the application of sustainable tourism
principles?
5. What are your recommendations for bringing the necessary tourism industry expertise into
this project, and how would you develop the needed hospitality and service skills among
potential local employees?
6. How can your tourism development and management plans ensure a fair and equitable
distribution of the economic benefits derived from such growth? How should decisions be
made about the sharing of profits from this venture?
7. If the Neyaashiinigmiing alvars were to be developed for ecocultural tourism purposes,
what protections would need to be put in place to ensure the conservation of this fragile
environment? Be descriptive.
8. What role should the culture and traditions of the Chippewa play in this new visitor
attraction? How would you authentically integrate their arts, crafts, music, dance, history,
language, foods, and other heritage elements into the visitor experience?

______________________
Endnotes
1. Chippewas of Nawash official website, https://www.nawash.ca/
2. Statistics Canada, 2011 Census, https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dppd/aprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=BAND&Code1=630122&Data=Count&SearchText=Chip
pewas%20of%20Nawash%20First%20Nation&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All
&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=630122&TABID=1
3. W.W. Smith, Cape Croker Park Visitor Study (Neyaashiinigmiing, Ontario, 2002).
4. Carol Reschke, Ron Reid, Judith Jones, Tom Feeney, and Heather Potter, Conserving the Great
Lakes Alvars: Final Technical Report of the International Alvar Conservation Initiative (Chicago:
Nature Conservancy, March 1999), http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/ecopage/shore/alvars/
5. Reschke, Reid, Jones, Feeney, and Potter, Conserving the Great Lake Alvars.
Credit; Adapted by David Preece, Brigham Young University-Hawaii, from a case by Wayne Smith, College of Charleston