Qausuittuq National Park

Qausuittuq National Park (proposed)
IUCN category II (national park)
Qausuittuq National Park (proposed)

Location of Qausuittuq in Canada

Location  Nunavut
 Canada
Nearest city Resolute
Coordinates 76°00′N 100°00′W / 76.000°N 100.000°WCoordinates: 76°00′N 100°00′W / 76.000°N 100.000°W
Area less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi)
Established Proposed
Governing body Parks Canada

Qausuittuq National Park (from Inuktitut, meaning place where the sun does not rise) is a proposed national park located on northwest Bathurst Island in the Western high arctic of Canada.[1][2]

This area was chosen to represent the Western High Arctic natural region; one of 39 natural regions identified by Parks Canada. This region encompasses most of the high Arctic Archipelago (the Queen Elizabeth Islands and the Grinnell Peninsula on Devon Island, but not Ellesmere Island or Axel Heiberg Island). The park would also protect important Peary caribou habitat. It is north of the existing Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area.

History

Archaeological studies in the Bathurst Island area indicate occasional human use over the past 4500 years by prehistoric as well as historic Dorset and Thule Inuit. Human presence fluctuated with changes in climate, ice cover and the corresponding availability of wildlife for subsistence. Human use was primarily in the southern and eastern part of Bathurst Island, rather than within the proposed park area itself.[3]

Subsequently the area was explored by British naval expeditions during the mid-nineteenth century, primarily those associated with the search for the lost Franklin expedition. Several cairns remain on the north coast.[3] Exploration of the area continued sporadically, including scientific and commercial studies beginning during the 1960s.

The community of Resolute, located on Cornwallis Island to the southeast of the proposed park, was established in 1953. Inuit from the community use the land and waters of the Bathurst Island area to hunt and fish.

A park feasibility study was initiated in 1994. The work included a Mineral and Energy Resources Assessment. This report was released in 1999 and the overall park feasibility study was concluded in 2000. The lands on northern Bathurst Island were first withdrawn for the purpose of establishing a national park in 1996. In 2009 Parks Canada entered into negotiations with the communities most closely connected to the proposed park with respect to establishing an Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement (IIBA) for the establishment of the park. As of 2012, Parks Canada indicated that the IIBA was substantially complete.[4]

Originally, the park was tentatively referred to as Tuktusiuqvialuk National Park.[5] The current name was selected through a contest in the local area.

Geology and climate

The park geology is composed primarily of sedimentary rocks such as limestone, sandstone and dolomite. The area was glaciated in the past as evidenced by landforms such as eskers, moraines and beach terraces. The area is generally rolling hills.[6]

Bathurst Island has a cold dry climate. The cool central Arctic climate pushes almost unimpeded into the low-lying islands of the northwest and north-central sector of the Queen Elizabeth islands; reaching to Bathurst Island.[7] Mean temperatures range from -35oC in January to +5oC in July. Annual precipitation is less than 130 mm.[6]

Flora and fauna

Peary caribou

The severe climate limits soil and nutrient development, which in turn limits vegetation. This region has low vascular plant diversity and is dominated by herbaceous species.[7] Plants include purple saxifrage, dwarf willow, sedges, grasses, lichens and mosses.[6]

Terrestrial wildlife species adapted to this environment include Peary caribou, muskox, polar bear, Arctic wolf, Arctic fox and bird species such as snowy owl, snow goose, king eider, jaeger as well as various gulls and shorebirds. Marine species in the area include ringed seal, bearded seal, walrus, bowhead whale, beluga whale and narwhal.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "National Park System Plan, 3rd Edition". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  2. ↑ "Qausuittuq National Park Proposal, Bathurst Island, Nunavut". Parks Canada. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Robert McGhee (31 January 1997). North Bathurst Island Archaeological Project: Final Report (Report). Parks Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  4. ↑ "New Nunavut National Park now in Final Stages". NunatsiaqOnline. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  5. ↑ "Nunavut park deal ready for signing". NunatsiaqOnline. 1998-07-16. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Learn More - The Place and the People". Parks Canada. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sylvia Edland; Bea Taylor Alt (March 1989). "Regional Congruence of Vegetation and Summer Climate Patterns in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Northwest Territories,Canada". Arctic 42 (1): 3–23. doi:10.14430/arctic1635.