Special Places

Contents:

• National Parks Reserve
• National Wildlife Areas
• Migratory Bird Sanctuaries
• Wildlife Sanctuaries
• Other Areas

National Parks Reserve

There are no National Parks in the area covered by the AESD but there are two National Park Reserves: Ellesmere Island and Auyuittuq (Baffin Island). These reserves are areas of land set aside for national parks pending completion of the planning and approval phases. Under the National Parks Act, no aircraft landings are permitted without the permission of the park superintendent. There are no restrictions, however, on aircraft overflights or on the passage of ships.

National Wildlife Areas

One National Wildlife Area is located in the area covered by AESD: Polar Bear Pass (Bathurst Island). Two more National Wildlife Areas are to be established: Nirjutiqavvik (Coburg Island) and Igalirtuuq (Isabella Bay, Baffin Island). Access to these areas is governed by the Wildlife Area Regulations under the Canadian Wildlife Act. Permits are required to undertake any activity in a Wildlife Area, including landing an aircraft. Under Transport Canada guidelines on sensitive areas, aircraft are required to maintain a vertical distance of 1000 feet. Ships are not permitted to enter Wildlife Areas except in emergencies.

Migratory Bird Sanctuaries

There are nine Migratory Bird Sanctuaries in the Lancaster Sound and Coronation Gulf areas:

Seymour Island
East Bay
Queen Maud Gulf
Harry Gibbons
Bylot Island
McConnell River
Dewey Soper Prince
Leopold Island
Cape Dorset

Access to these areas is governed by the Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. Beneficiaries of the Nunavut Final Agreement have free and unrestricted access. Other persons require a permit to undertake any activity, including landing an aircraft. Aircraft that fly close to the breeding cliffs should maintain a vertical distance of 1 km and horizontal distances of 1 km inland and 5 km seaward of the colony. Where there are no cliffs, Transport Canada guidelines require aircraft to maintain a vertical distance of 1000 feet. Ships are not permitted to enter Migratory Bird Sanctuaries except in emergencies.

In addition to those listed above, there are the following important sites:

Key Migratory Bird Terrestrial Habitat Sites: Lancaster Sound Coronation Gulf

Key Migratory Bird Marine Habitat Sites: Lancaster Sound Coronation Gulf

Wildlife Sanctuaries

There is one Wildlife Sanctuary in the area covered by the AESD: Bowman Bay (Baffin Island). This sanctuary is established by the Wildlife Sanctuaries Regulations under the Northwest Territories Wildlife Act. There are no restrictions on shipping or aircraft operations in Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Other Areas

In addition to the areas described above which have current legal status, there are a number of other areas which have been proposed for one of these designations or have been given other non-legal status because of their importance for wildlife. These areas are listed below.

• Proposed National Parks

North Baffin Wager Bay Bluenose/Tuktut Nogait Bathurst Island

• Canadian Heritage Rivers

Soper River Coppermine River (proposed)

• Key Migratory Bird Marine Habitat Sites

Cardigan Strait Creswell Bay, Somerset Is. Cumberland Sound East Hudson Strait East Lancaster Sound

Jones Sound Lambert Channel. Queen's Channel West Hudson Strait West Lancaster Sound

• Priority Sites for Designation as Protected Areas (Canadian Wildlife Service)

Creswell Bay, Somerset Is. Cape Searle, Baffin Is. Reid Bay, Baffin Is. Foxe Basin Islands

Rasmussen Lowlands Coats Island Digges Island Akpatok Island

• RAMSAR Sites (Wetlands of International Significance) (Canadian Wildlife Service)

Dewey Soper Migratory Bird Sanctuary McConnell River Migratory Bird Sanctuary Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary Rasmussen Lowlands

• Migration Bird Terrestrial Habitat Sites

Seymour Island Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Is. Cheyne Islands Browne Island Baillie-Hamilton Island North Kent Is. and Calf Is. Cape Vera, Devon Is. Skruis Point, Devon Is. Cape Liddon, Devon Is. Hobhouse Inlet, Devon Is. Coburg Is. (Nirjutiqavvik) Prince Leopold Island Batty Bay, Somerset Is. Creswell Bay, Somerset Is. Northwest Brodeur Peninsula Berlinguet Inlet, Brodeur Pen.

Baillarge Bay, Baffin Is. Cape Hay, Bylot Is. South Bylot Island Cape Graham Moore, Bylot Is. Buchan Gulf, Baffin Is. Scott Inlet, Baffin Is. Abbajalik and Ijuntuk Is., Baffin Is. Cape Searle, Baffin Is. Reid Bay, Baffin Is. North Spicer Island, Foxe Basin Foxe Basin Islands Great Plain of the Koukjuak, Baffin Is. Jenny Lind Island, Queen Maud Gulf Queen Maud Gulf MBS Lower Back River, Chanterey Inlet Rasmussen Lowlands,.Rasmussen Basin

McConnell River Turton Island, Foxe Basin Boas River East Bay, Southampton Is. Coats Island Cape Dorset Fraser Island, Foxe Channel Digges Sound Awrey Island, NE Hudson Bay Hantzsch Island Akpatok Island Eider Islands, Ungava Bay Plover and Payne Is., Ungava Bay Gyrfalcon Islands, Ungava Bay Northeast Ungava Bay Koktac River Archipelago E. Hudson Bay

• Wildlife Areas of Special Interest (Lancaster Sound and Coronation Gulf)

Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere, Is. Mokka Fiord, Axel Heiberg Is. Truelove Lowlands, Devon Is. Maxwell Bay, Devon Is. Bylot Island Home Bay, Baffin Is. Hoare Bay, Baffin Is. Dewar Lakes, Baffin Is.

Coppermine River Melville Sound Hadley Bay, Victoria Is. Gateshead Island, Larsen Sound Back Lowland, Queen Maud G. MBS Bellot Strait Wrottesley Inlet, Boothia Peninsula Ford Lake

Wager Bay Rankin Inlet NE Keewatin Caribou Calving Ground, Wager Bay Southampton Island Foxe Peninsula Meta Incognita Peninsula

• International Biological Program Sites (Lancaster Sound and Coronation Gulf)