NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: geology, active layer, permafrost, biology, vegetation, engineering, pipeline corridor, rare plants, terrestrial ecosystem

Project Description: The 2005 terrestrial studies in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) will include vegetation classification, rare plant surveys, and landform, soil and permafrost investigations. The studies will be conducted by three- or four-person crews supported by helicopter and based in Inuvik. A local assistant will be hired as part of each survey team. Air calls from a helicopter will be used to map vegetation. Sampling equipment will include hand-held items such as GPS units and cameras. At select sites, the researchers will describe vegetation, search for rare plant species, and record all species encountered. Rare plants that can be identified in the field will be documented. Where plants cannot be identified, a sample of the plant will be collected to be identified at a later time, if the population is sufficiently large enough to allow sampling. The soil will be examined at selected sites. A 15 cm x 15 cm soil pit will be excavated with a spade/auger to a depth of about 0.5 m, or to the top of permafrost. The exposed soil profile will be described and the soil pit will be backfilled with the excavated material and the sod replaced. At some locations, small soil samples will be collected for analysis. As necessary, the researchers will rent equipment locally. They will also retain elders and other knowledgeable people in the community for their advice and guidance. The researchers will provide information from the various surveys to the communities in the form of a non-technical summary and they will report regularly to the HTCs. When the final report is completed, a copy of the document will be provided to the communities. The study will be conducted within the anchor fields and the pipeline gathering system study corridor in the ISR from late June to September, 2005.