Abstract

This paper is an overview of the Mackenzie River Delta Heritage Resource Survey undertaken by Inuvialuit Environmental & Geotechnical and Bison Historical Services in 2001. The main objective of the survey was to provide a greater understanding of known and potential heritage site distribution patterns on both Crown and Inuvialuit Private Lands within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in order to aid industry with planning and route selection. Traditional knowledge research from the communities of Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, and Aklavik was integrated with archival research to form the foundation for the field portion of the survey. The field portion of the survey consisted of a systematic aerial and ground reconnaissance of potentially sensitive terrain in areas where various natural gas exploration and development activities were planned for the winter 2001/2002 season. The Mackenzie River Delta Heritage Resource Survey resulted in the identification of 175 new sites, and the successful geo-location of 84 previously documented sites.