Anderson River Delta

<body background="../_themes/mbs/piebkgnd.jpg" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#996633" vlink="#999966" alink="#CC9966"><font face="Arial, Arial, Helvetica"> <p align="center"><font size="2">This page uses frames.  To view properly, download a browser which supports frames. </font></p> <a name="top"></a> <h1 align="center"><font face="Times New Roman, Times New Roman, Times" color="#996633"><font face="Georgia" color="#336600" size="6">Anderson River Delta Bird Sanctuary</font></font></h1> <p align="center"><img src="../_themes/mbs/apierule.gif" width="600" height="10"></p> <p align="center"><script language="JavaScript"></script><script language="JavaScript"></script><a href="../index.htm" language="JavaScript" onmouseover="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav1'].src=MSFPnav1h.src" onmouseout="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav1'].src=MSFPnav1n.src"><img src="../_derived/home_cmp_mbs010_hbtn.gif" width="140" height="60" border="0" alt="Canada" align="middle" name="MSFPnav1"></a> <script language="JavaScript"></script><a href="../alberta.htm" language="JavaScript" onmouseover="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav2'].src=MSFPnav2h.src" onmouseout="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav2'].src=MSFPnav2n.src"><img src="../_derived/alberta.htm_cmp_mbs010_hbtn.gif" width="140" height="60" border="0" alt="Alberta" align="middle" name="MSFPnav2"></a> <script language="JavaScript"></script><a href="../sask.htm" language="JavaScript" onmouseover="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav3'].src=MSFPnav3h.src" onmouseout="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav3'].src=MSFPnav3n.src"><img src="../_derived/sask.htm_cmp_mbs010_hbtn.gif" width="140" height="60" border="0" alt="Saskatchewan" align="middle" name="MSFPnav3"></a> <script language="JavaScript"></script><a href="../nwt.htm" language="JavaScript" onmouseover="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav4'].src=MSFPnav4h.src" onmouseout="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav4'].src=MSFPnav4n.src"><img src="../_derived/nwt.htm_cmp_mbs010_hbtn.gif" width="140" height="60" border="0" alt="NWT/Nunavut" align="middle" name="MSFPnav4"></a> <script language="JavaScript"></script><a href="../mbsa.htm" language="JavaScript" onmouseover="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav5'].src=MSFPnav5h.src" onmouseout="if(MSFPhover) document['MSFPnav5'].src=MSFPnav5n.src"><img src="../_derived/mbsa.htm_cmp_mbs010_hbtn.gif" width="140" height="60" border="0" alt="MBS Act" align="middle" name="MSFPnav5"></a> </p> <p align="center"><img src="../_themes/mbs/apierule.gif" width="600" height="10"></p> <p align="center"><i><font size="3">Go to the <a href="#bottom">bottom</a> to view the map</font></i></p> <p align="left"><font color="#800000" size="5">Introduction</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="2">  The Anderson River Migratory Bird Sanctuary was established to protect the nesting habitat of  many water bird species such as Lesser Snow Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Brant, and the Tundra Swan.</font></p> <p align="left"><font color="#800000" size="5">The Sanctuary</font></p> <p>    <font size="2">The sanctuary consists of 1083 km² of the Anderson River, a delta-estuary, and the adjoining portion of Wood Bay.  Immediately East of the sanctuary is Bathurst Peninsula while Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula is located 20 km away across Liverpool Bay.  The communities of Paulatuk and Tuktoyatuk are located approximately 200 km East to West.</font></p> <p><font size="2">    The land is diverse and ranges from coastal beaches and mud flats to tundra and open spruce forests.  Approximately 55 km inland, the river flows through a series of low rolling hills and a former flood plain.  Here willows, ground birch, and spruce trees are common.  Toward the coast, the flood plain widens into a delta containing many marshes containing patterned ground, small lakes, and ponds.  A tundra landscape if found on the drier and higher areas such as the area's hills and Nicholson Island.  Since there is diversity in the land, the area offers feeding grounds to a variety of waterfowl and shore birds. </font></p> <font FACE="Arial"> <p></font><font size="2">    The main channels flowing through the delta contain built-up banks covered with mats of grasses and willows. The outer delta is a series of islands and mud flats which are annually washed by storm tides.  The hummocks and depressions of the older, middle delta contain grasslands and marshes. The land of the inner delta is flat and dotted with shallow lakes and lush marshy meadows. Sand and gravel beaches extend along side the shallow waters of Wood Bay and continue up around the Southern shores of Nicholson Island.</font></p> <p><font size="2">    There are a total of 104 species, including 76 breeding species, which use the sanctuary for various seasonal activities.  The delta offers extensive feeding grounds to Sandpipers, Plovers, Phalaropes, and other shore birds during the summer months. In addition, the trees attract species such as Warblers, Thruches, swallows, and sparrows which exist at the northern limit of their range in North America. During the spring and fall, the shallow waters of Wood Bay offer shelter for several thousand staging Scaup, Oldsquaw, White-winged Scoters, Surf Scoters, and Red-breasted Mergansers.</font> </p> <p><img border="2" src="images/GreenTeal3.jpg" width="300" height="192" align="left" alt="Green-winged Teal"> </p> <p>  </p> <p><font size="2">The Green-winged Teal may also be found here.</font> </p> <p><font size="2">    </font></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>    <font size="2">The delta is used by large numbers of breeding and moulting waterfowl. Approximately 1,000 Brant nest in the outer delta.  In addition, 6,500 Lesser Snow Geese of the Western Arctic population nest on the islands of the middle delta.  The inner delta is used by approximately 150 breeding and 1,200 non-breeding Tundra Swans for nesting purposes.  In addition, up to 5,000 Greater White-fronted Geese nest on the inner delta.  A large number of Bluenose Caribou migrate through the sanctuary which is located in the area of their seasonal movements.  </font></p> <p><font size="2">    Up to 600 Inuit and Indians were living in the Anderson River area prior to European exploration. In 1826, Richardson explored the area as part of the second Franklin expedition. In 1857, the Beghula River was renamed the Anderson River by MacFarlane in honor of James Anderson, Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company at the time. MacFarlane, a Hudson's Bay Company Factor, collected wildlife specimens for the Smithsonian Institution in the early 1800's. Much of our current knowledge of the now endangered Eskimo Curlew is attributed to MacFarlane's detailed field notes, recorded in the Anderson River area.</font> </p> <p><font size="2">    The 1984 Western Arctic Land Claim Agreement identifies Anderson River Delta Bird Sanctuary as Inuvialuit land. Traditional Inuvialuit activities, including trapping and big game hunting, are recognized in accordance with the management of the sanctuary.</font></p> <a name="bottom"></a> <p align="center"><img border="2" src="images/AndersonRiverMap.gif" width="235" height="394" alt="Anderson River Delta Migratory Bird Sanctuary Map"></p> <p><center><a href="#top">Top</a></center></p> </font></body>