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Coburg Island

Coburg Island and waters within a ten-kilometre radius were established as the Nirjutiqavvik National Wildlife Area, the second in the Northwest Territories, in August 1995. The area's biological diversity and ecological importance are well documented and long since recognized through its designation as an Ecological Site under the International Biological Programme (1964-74). Nirjutiqavvik is managed in accordance with the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and the Canadian Wildlife Act. A committee composed of representatives from Inuit agencies and the federal and territorial governments is currently developing a management plan and policies for the National Wildlife Area.

The Canadian Wildlife Service began its contribution toward this work with a field survey on Coburg Island for six days in July-August 1996. With the assistance of Margaret Bertulli of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, a preliminary assessment was made of the archaeological resources on the North Water Lowland. Unfortunately, weather largely restricted the field crew to the lowland north of Marina Peninsula. It proved impossible in the short season to have a helicopter brought in for aerial surveys. In our experience, Coburg Island has two kinds of weather at this time of year--completely fogbound or sunny with exceedingly high winds. The island is difficult if not infeasible to circumscribe by foot as the lowlands are bounded by impassable glaciers or scree slopes dropping into the sea. Thus, only a foot survey around parts of the lowland were completed.

The island's location at the western edge of the North Water polynya favour it as habitat for many seabirds and marine mammals. Five sites were located on the North Water Lowland, one Dorset site and three Thule sites, and a rock alignment whose function is not known. There are reports of others sites on the northern tip of the island, along the south shore, and at Cape Spencer.

This small, but "conspicuous and dramatic" island figures significantly in the annals of European, Canadian and American exploration in the High Arctic, having been visited or charted by William Baffin (1616); John Ross (1818); Augustus Inglefield (1852); Otto Sverdrup (1904) and J. E. Bernier (1906).

Bathurst Island

Robert McGhee (Canadian Museum of Civilization), with the assistance of Mark Amerualik (Resolute Bay), carried out a survey of the proposed North Bathurst Island National Park. Helicopter survey examined coastal areas within the proposed Park, as well as several interior valleys. A walking survey covered most of the eastern coast of the island between Polar Bear Park National Wildlife Area, and the Inuit Owned Lands to the north of Moses Robinson River

Approximately 20 previously unreported archaeological sites were recorded, but the majority of these lie in areas adjacent to the proposed Park, either in the Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area, or the Inuit Owned Lands along the eastern coast of the island. The sites within the proposed Park were limited to the northern shore of Bracebridge Inlet, and along the eastern coast to the south of the Inuit Owned Lands. These sites, all of which were extremely small, represent sporadic occupation of the area by early Palaeo-Eskimo, Late Dorset, and Thule culture groups.