The Making of Aulavik National Park

By David Haogak

aulavik n ational p ark is located on Banks Island, the most westerly island in Canada. The southern boundary of aulavik n ational p ark is over 200 miles north of the nearest community, s achs h arbour, n orthwest Territories. The park consists of a variety of landscapes from tundra polygons, broad river valleys, to rolling hills and the desert-like badlands. The Thomsen r iver is the heart of aulavik n ational p ark and is said to be the most northerly navigable river in the world. Thousands of muskox journey through the park year round, while over 150 species of birds come to lay nests and raise young during the park’s warmer season.

after years of negotiations between the community of s achs h arbour, the Inuvialuit regional Corporation, the Government of the n orthwest Territories and the Government of Canada, an agreement to establish aulavik n ational p ark was reached on July 16th, 1992. In 1970, peter u sher reported on the economy of the trappers of Banks Island. h is report stated that the locals voluntarily abstained from trapping from the starting of the Bernard r iver in the western side of Banks Island, to Jesse Bay to the east. In the 1970s, it was proposed that aulavik p ark be established on n orthern Banks Island. aulavik represents what the residents of s achs h arbour have always believed in, a place to protect the environment, where the wildlife could replenish itself without being harassed or destroyed.

With oil and gas exploration based at Johnson point on northern Banks Island in the 1970s, a national park on Banks Island did not seem possible then. It took until the Inuvialuit final a greement was signed, and Ivvavik n ational p ark was newly created in the n orth yukon, before the proposed aulavik park could be realized. s ince the Inuvialuit settled their land claim, the people of the Western a rctic have set aside thousands of kilometres of land, to be left pristine in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The people of Banks Island would finally see protection for the land they love.

a local s achs h arbour elder, Geddes Wolki named the national park on Banks Island “aulavik” in his native tongue Inuvialuktun. Its meaning symbolizes what he knew and could foresee: “the place where people travel”. for thousands of years the Inuvialuit and their ancestors have taken advantage of natural resources. h undreds of cultural sites along the Thomsen r iver tell of a time when families would move to northern Banks Island to sustain themselves and to gather what was needed for the on-coming season. The island is so remote and vast, so everything was passed on orally, and some families would not see each other till the next season or the season after. Today visitors come to aulavik to experience the wide-open tundra, where hiking possibilities are endless in any direction you look.

The people of the n orth have seen many degrees of change, whether political, climatic, or developmental. a n essential refuge for the delicate arctic ecosystem was needed to refrain all that threatened it. aulavik n ational p ark was created, by the community of s achs h arbour, the Inuvialuit and all Canadians, to be one of these refuges. “The place where people travel” is now a national treasure that will be enjoyed, appreciated and protected into the future.

Our Invitation to you:

In cooperation with the community of s achs h arbour and Inuvialuit organizations, the first and current aulavik n ational p ark Management plan was developed in 2002. p arks Canada is to conduct a review of the plan in 2009/2010, and you are invited to express your concerns and supports to aulavik n ational p ark. please watch out for the upcoming review events!

Why is a review needed?

a park management plan is a document that sets out strategic directions for the years ahead. It outlines the national park’s goals and the actions necessary to preserve the natural and cultural resources, offers quality visitor experience, and provides quality public education. Decisions related to land-use, visitor and operation activities, park facilities and services, and research are made based on the most recent management plan.

It is required by legislation that a management plan be reviewed every 5 years to take into consideration local, regional and national changes in the environment, community and economic development.

Cooking Up New Oppourtunities

february marked the beginning of the o lder Worker k itchen h elper program in Tuktoyaktuk, which was held at k itti h all. With the potential development of the pipeline, kitchen workers are foreseen to be in high demand. The program is designed to open up new opportunities for older workers. George Eastman, the course instructor and one of the chefs at E. Gruben’s Transport camp, is very pleased with the community’s reception to this course.

“ people have really gone to bat for this program,” said George, “We have 10 students now but we had 40 students who had really wanted to come to the course. There has been a lot of interest and it has been fantastic.”

The ten lucky students are between the ages of fifty to sixty-five, and out of the ten, only four had previous kitchen experience. “We are going to go through food safety and hygiene for the next 3 days. The food inspector is coming to do the food s afe course, as well,” said George. “We are going to teach everyone how to make soup, bread, pie dough… and then we will hold functions for the community so that the students will also learn how to serve. They are not going to walk out of here as chefs, but they will leave with a certificate that will help them get a job.” a nother aspect of the course is cooking with muskox. “We were bought a brand new a meat grinder and a mixer. We already have a really nice muskox from s achs h arbour that is waiting for us at stanton’s. It is going to be very educational for everyone.”

The course couldn’t have come at a better time in the h amlet of Tuktoyaktuk. “Its really good because there is not a lot of work in the hamlet right now, so it’s been a hurting couple of months. But now, we’ve started this and things are picking up!” said George. The students receive $100/per day and the course runs over a five-week period. “We’ve been provided with the fancy white coats and hats, it has been really good,” he said.

The future kitchen helpers were also looking to share their good fortune with the community. “We would really like to spread the wealth and involve as many people as possible because we were given quite a bit of money, and everyone should benefit,” said George. “We would like to do a pizza day for the school, and maybe a luncheon for the elders. I am going to do as little as possible, except to observe and help, because you learn by doing, and I want them to learn as much as possible.” a long with the basics, by the end of the course, the students will be able to identify differences between fresh produce and canned produce. They will know what food is good for them, and what is better for them. “I wish I had more time for this program. I only have five weeks, but I could easily run four of these courses back to back because of the interest,” said George, “The ten people that are here are the ten lucky ones because there are others that would love to be here.”

This was George Eastman’s first time teaching, but he said life at camp is similar to school. h e said, “Everyday you are teaching, so it is not that different. I am still excited to be here. We have a really good group of people, and I think the program will work really well.” George also has Martha Voudrach with him to assist. The pair both work at Gruben’s camp. Martha was similarly excited about this oppourtunity.