The site has been subject to continuous oil and natural gas extraction and exploration since the 1960s, and is surrounded by degraded landscape as a result.
[5] In an agreement between the Dene Tha' First Nation and oil production and exploration companies operating in the wetland complex, no new wells will be built from 2007 onward, and complete cessation of such activities will occur no later than 2017.
It is the only site in Alberta targeted for the re-introduction of Wood Bison,[5] which thrive on a winter forage of sedges and grasses indigenous to the area.
[8] The bison, however, have been following "roads opened up for them by oil and gas activity", straying toward the town of High Level, attracted by roadside grasses.
Concern about contact between this group and bison from Wood Buffalo National Park, which carry brucellosis or tuberculosis, has led to the granting of permits to Dene Tha' hunters to cull straying animals to prevent the spread of disease into the Hay-Zama herd.