Taku River Basin

About the Taku River Basin

Our home is this land. Our spirits, lives, and hearts have been shaped here, and we will care for our land just as our ancestors have instructed us. The 5 million acres of the Taku River Basin contain the lakes, streams and tributaries that feed into the mighty Taku River. This network of lakes and streams comprise the largest and most pristine watershed in North America, and one of the last healthy watersheds of this size in the world.

What’s unique about the Taku River basin is that the tributaries that feed the river span so much pristine land. It is rare that so many tributaries covering so much land would feed into one river system. It is important to keep all of the Taku River basin free from shortsighted harmful development that would pollute any part of the river, as the impact would affect the entire river system.

The Taku River basin encompasses five biogeoclimatic zones, ranging from high plateaus to lush coastal temperate rainforests and is rich with wildlife, including caribou, moose, bears, mountain goats, mountain sheep, a variety of migratory birds, and all five species of pacific salmon. In recent years, we have worked with Round River Conservation Studies to map out the patterns of wildlife throughout the territory, so that this information can be integrated into our land planning.

We catch salmon each summer, as they swim upriver to spawn. The TRTFN has its own Fisheries Department that works closely and cooperatively with both Canadian and Alaskan agencies and conservation organizations to ensure the viability of wild salmon stocks.

Due to this close collaboration the Taku River has been spared from the downturn in Sockeye and Coho stocks that is evident in many other watersheds throughout North America.