Use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is now a requirement of many environmental review panels. It was in the remit for investigation into uranium mining in northern Saskatchewan, but there was a mismatch between the narrow, often technical treatment of TEK and the broader, more cultural comments of the Dene Aboriginal intervenors. It is essential to recognize when a development proposal's planning needs and social issues exceed the scope of environmental assessment (EA). TEK can relate to EA on three levels; detailed information from local people on the environment and wildlife; gaining insight in to socio-cultural effects of a project; and changes to a landscape or a people's relationship with it that may threaten deep identification with their environment. The last may not be a part of an ordinary EA.