Download Regional Aerial Tour

MAGS Scaling Workshop
Yellowknife, June 14 – 16, 2001
Regional Aerial Tour
(Air Tindi Ltd. – Twin Otter)
Introduction
Welcome to your aerial tour of the Yellowknife and Great Slave region, we hope you
find it educational and enjoyable. On this tour you will get a bird’s eye view of the regional
landscape, wildlife, communities and industries.
We will be flying over two different physiographic zones, the Canadian Shield and
the Interior Plains. A wet autumn and a deep snow pack have resulted in high water levels.
New vegetation is emerging and the majority of the lakes are ice-free. Great Slave Lake,
however, still has some ice cover and will not be ice-free for another week or two. There is
a wide variety of wildlife in these regions, some of which may be visible on our trip,
including birds, moose and bison.
First Nations, such as the Dogrib, Dene and Chipewyan, inhabited this area long
before it was explored by Euro-Canadians. There are seven main communities in this
region where First Nations and non-aboriginals live. Three of these communities will be
seen from the air today, including Dettah, Rae-Edzo and the largest Yellowknife.
Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories and has a population of approximately
18000 residents. The Con and Giant gold mines are located within Yellowknife city limits
and their infrastructure will be visible.
Enjoy your trip and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!
Itinerary and Points of Interest (see Fig. 1)
1. Take off from Air Tindi, Yellowknife Bay
2. Dettah
3. Yellowknife Bay & Great Slave Lake
4. Interior plains topography
5. Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary (Falaise Lake)
6. Fire tower
7. Frank Channel (Rae-Edzo)
8. Shield topography
9. Burn sites
10. Bluefish Hydroelectric station (tour and lunch)
11. Gar Lake
12. Land at Air Tindi, YK Bay
Route
Figure 1. Map of the Yellowknife region (approximate route is marked in blue).
Dettah:
n Dettah is the Dogrib word
for “Burnt Point”
n located on the east side of
Yellowknife Bay; 6km by
water or ice from
Yellowknife or 27km by
road
n traditional seasonal fishing
camp for the Dogrib Dene
before Yellowknife was
established in the 1930s
n approx. 200 aboriginal
residents who speak
Dogrib, Chipewyan and
English
n the local economy is dominated by hunting, trapping and domestic fishing
n many residents also work in Yellowknife and in the nearby mines
Yellowknife Bay & Great Slave Lake:
n Great Slave Lake is the
2nd largest lake solely in
Canada
n Area ~ 28500 km2
n Max. Depth ~ 650 m in the
East Arm
n Hay and Slave Rivers are
Great Slave Lake’s main
tributaries
n drained by the Mackenzie
River
n Samuel Hearne (British fur
trader) explored the lake
in 1771
n gold discovered in the
1930s on the north shore of Great Slave Lake
n Yellowknife was established on the west shore of Yellowknife Bay as a mining centre
n many commercial fisheries operate on the lake today
Interior Plains:
n the Interior Plains is an area of low-lying valleys and plains centred on the Mackenzie
River and its tributaries
n approximately 90% of the
Plains is located in the
western Northwest Territories,
with small extensions into
northeastern British Columbia
and northern Alberta
n the region extends eastward
as far as Great Bear Lake
and Great Slave Lake,
westward to the foothills of the
Mackenzie Mountains,
northward to the Mackenzie
Delta and southward to the
spruce forest of the Boreal
Plains
n a mosaic of landcover types
and hydrologic features exists
in this ecozone
n meandering streams,
wetlands and shallow lakes
are abundant
n although this region appears
relatively flat there is actually
significant relief in many
areas
Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary:
n the Mackenzie
Bison Sanctuary is
located just east of
Fort Providence,
NT
n the goals of the
sanctuary are to
manage it in such
a way as to
maintain a healthy
wood bison
population, to use
the herd for
transplants to other
areas and to allow
the monitored
hunting of surplus animals by residents in the NT
n the Fort Providence herd is the largest and only free-roaming
herd in North America
n Falaise Lake (61.5 oN, 116 oW) is a favorite feeding area for
this herd
n the herd is very wary and sensitive to changes in their
environment
Fire Tower:
n fire towers, 25-30m in height are situated in the Mackenzie basin
n in optimal weather conditions,
visibility from the tower can extend
to 50km
n note the helicopter landing pad
Frank Channel:
n Frank Channel separates
the North Arm of Great
Slave Lake to the south,
from Lake Mariana to the
north
n Highway 3 bridges the
channel, and is the major
transportation artery to and
from Yellowknife
n The Frank Channel is
located near to the
neighbouring towns of Rae
and Edzo
Canadian Shield:
n The Canadian Shield is the
dominant ecozone in the
south eastern portion of the
Mackenzie River Basin
n The shield region is home
to the oldest rocks on the
planet
n Repeated glaciation of the shield has removed much of the topsoil exposing large
expanses of rock, as well as carved depressions in the landscape, creating lakes
n Soil has accumulated in the lower lying areas, and where coniferous as well as
deciduous trees have grown
Canadian Shield (con’t):
n The conifers are largely
spruce, and are typically
darker green in colour, while
the deciduous trees are
largely birch, and are typically
lighter green in colour
n The exposed rock will be
brown to gray in colour, and
may have a patchy growth of
lichen or moss on them
Regrowth Following a Recent Burn:
n Fire is a natural part of the
forest generation and
regeneration in the
Mackenzie basin
n This photo shows fireweed
regrowth two years after a
forest fire ravished the area
Bluefish Hydroelectric:
n Bluefish Hydroelectric
provides power for Miramar
Con and Giant Mines
n Located between
Prosperous and Bluefish
Lake along the Yellowknife
River
Gar Lake:
n
n
n
n
No photo available
One of four lakes used in the study of lake evaporation within MAGS
Note floating climate tower
Gar lake is characterized by shallow depths (> 1.5m) and small area (> 1 km2)