ALIAS

Location

Description:

Tuktoyaktuk means "resembling a caribou". Legend has it that when caribou were plentiful in the area, a woman looked on them as they waded into the water and the caribou petrified. Reefs resembling caribou have been seen at low tide. The community is commonly referred to as "Tuktuk" or "Tuk" in the North. It is located 1,130 air kilometers (702 miles) northwest of Yellowknife, in the Inuvik Region. Tuk is hemmed in by a small number of lakes and swampy areas, on flat gravel-covered, eroding coastal terrain, north of the treeline.
Tuk is one of the largest settlements on the Arctic coast with more than 900 inhabitants, the majority of whom are native. Prior to 1934, only a few families lived in the Tuk area; an estimated 1000 people lived to the west at Whitefish Station and at Kittigazuit, about 1900. The Hudson Bay Company opened in Tuk in 1937, and in the same year, Anglican and Roman Catholic missions were founded. PCSP established its base beside the Tuktoyaktuk airstrip in 1968.

Phonetic pronunciation:

tuck-toy-ack-tuck

Country:

Canada

State/Province/Region:

Northwest Territories

Altitude in feet:

59

Altitude in meters:

18

Latitude (Decimal, Degreesºmm'ss") :

69.26000º N
69º15'36" N

Longitude (Decimal, Degreesºmm'ss") :

133.01583º W
133º00'57" W

Primary Logistics Provider

Organization:

Polar Continental Shelf Project

Name and title of contact person:

David Maloley, Manager, Logistics

Address:

615 Booth Street
Room 487
Ottawa, ON
Canada K1A 0E9

Telephone:

613-947-0636

Fax:

613-947-1611

E-mail:

dmaloley@NRCan.gc.ca

Contact person or agency web page:

Polar Continental Shelf Project

Availability and Cost

Availability:

Facility will only open if demand is sufficient to be economical. Please contact Polar Continental Shelf Project in advance to confirm.

User fee:

Fees are adjusted yearly so contact Contact David Maloley, Manager, Logistics dmaloley@NRCan.gc.ca for an updated fee schedule.

Advance arrangements:

Researchers must apply in the fall previous to their planned research.

Physical Access

Air service, Helicopter, Shipping freight, Airstrip, Road, Barge, Seaport

Air service description:

Charters from Inuvik by airplane or helicopter.

Airstrip description:

The airport is operated by Transport Canada. There is a licensed gravel 5000 ft x 150 (1524 m x 46 m) runway, taxiway and apron, Navaid (NDB, VOR/DME, VDF), and an air terminal building. Services include a Flight Service Station (FSS) which provides weather/communication/flight planning, and scheduled airfield maintenance.

Commercial air services:

-Aklak Air Box 1190, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0 (Tel.: Charter 867-777-3555, Scheduled 867-777-3777, Fax: 867-777-3388, E-mail: aklak@idc.inuvialuit.com , Web: http://inuit.pail.ca/aklak/air/ )
-Beaudel Air Ltd. Box 2040, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0 (Tel.: 867-777-2333, Fax: 867-777-3758, Email: BeauDel@permafrost.com , Web: http://www.beaudelair.com/ )
-Arctic Wings Box 1916, Inuvik, NT, X0E 0T0 (Tel.: Toll Free 877-55-WINGS or 867-777-2220, Fax: 867-777-3440, Email: arcticwings@iname.com , Web: http://www.yukonweb.com/tourism/airlink/ )

Road:

Winter access only. To reach Tuktoyaktuk you must drive on the Ice Road, which is the frozen Mackenzie River plowed to allow for vehicles to drive on it. The drive on this ice road from Inuvik is approximately 150 km and takes up to 3 hours. This road is subject to severe weather conditions and should not be driven without calling 800-661-0752 for information on road conditions.

Barge service:

Northern Transportation Company Limited provides barge services to Tuktoyaktuk. It is in operation from June to September.

Infrastructure

Roads, Running water, Electricity, Heat, Post office, Mail service

Electricity specifications:

Tuktoyaktuk base is serviced with electrical power from the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. It is nominally 110 volts, but if you have equipment that is sensitive to fluctuations in voltage and reliability, it is advisable to take precautions. If you need more specific information, contact Steven Kikoak, Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Box 180, Tuktoyaktuk X0E 1C0 (Phone: 867-977-2512, Fax: 867-977-2261)

Heating method:

The base uses forced air heating. Field camps will need to bring their own heating supplies.

Mail service:

Mail is delivered five times a week by The Northwest Co Inc as General Delivery.

Comments on infrastructure:

Water delivery services in the community of Tuktoyaktuk: Arctic Water Services, Box 325, Tuktoyaktuk, NT, Canada X0E 1C0 (Tel.: 867-977-2230, Fax: 867-977-2276, Web: http://inuit.pail.ca/arctic-water.htm )

Buildings

Lodging, Food service, Storage, Outdoor storage, Off season storage, Refrigerated storage, Sanitation, Freezer, Deep cold freezer, Indoor unheated storage

Buildings:

1. The main building houses the sleeping area for up to 36 persons, washing and restroom facilities, laundry and showers, library and reading room, TV room and recreation area, cafeteria style kitchen, staff quarters and office. Building has electricity plus forced air heating.
2. The garage with work areas and some storage. Main 2-bay garage, storage and work building located on airport apron. All have electricity plus forced air heating.
3. An 7 x 30 m (25 ft x 100 ft) eight-bay storage building. Although building has electricity, only 2 bays have electric heat. The bays can be locked.

Lodging:

Each sleeping room has two beds, a desk or table, and a clothes closet. The bed has a mattress and pillow with a pillow cover. You must bring your own sleeping bag; sheets and blankets are not provided. There is also lodging available at hotels in Tuk (see other Resources, Accommodation and Dining).

Seasonal lodging:

In general, PCSP's bases open in late March/April and close mid- to late-September. Overwinter accommodation is not available.

Food service:

A cook and assistant cook generally comprise the kitchen staff at the base. Mealtimes are 0700-0800 for breakfast, 1200-1300 for lunch and 1700-1800 for dinner. If you have legitimate reason to be late for a meal, please inform the Base Manager and appropriate arrangements will be made. All food for your field camp must be brought into base with your initial shipment, or at appropriate times during the field season, as determined by you. Food will not be issued from PCSP's kitchen except in an emergency.

Sanitation:

There are washers and dryers at Tuk base. The washing and showering facilities are complete, but bathtubs are not provided. Bring your own towel and washcloth and all your personal toiletries as they may not be available at the settlement.

Storage:

Equipment left at the bases over a number of seasons should be inventoried and a copy of the inventory list left with the Base Manager. If equipment has not been used and has been stored at a base for a number of seasons without prior approval of the Base Manager, it may be shipped back to the owner at his/her expense.

Indoor staging space :

Science Support Equipment

Science support equipment:

Various types of equipment can be made available when facility is open. The garages at Tuk are equipped for servicing such equipment as snowmobiles, ATVs, generators, vehicles, etc. There is a drill press.

Field gear available for checkout:

PCSP has generators of various outputs for use in the field. These may be issued if requested in your application for support to PCSP.

Vehicles available:

Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft can be made available. A forklift is available to load and unload aircraft at Tuk. Trucks, both 4-wheel- and 2-wheel-drive, are available at the bases for local use, at the discretion of the Base Manager. Snowmobiles and ATVs may be made available, in limited numbers, if requested at the time of application for PCSP support.

Supplies Available at or Near the Facility

Groceries, Fuel, Hardware

Groceries:

Town and Country Store, General Delivery, Tuktoyaktuk, NT, Canada X0E 1C0 (Tel.: 867-977-2424, Fax: 867-977-2365, Email: townandcountry@aol.com , Web: http://inuit.pail.ca/town-country-store.htm )

Fuel:

Both diesel and gasoline are available at pumps in the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. Propane not always available in Tuktoyaktuk; shipped in from Inuvik.

Hardware:

-Town and Country Store, General Delivery, Tuktoyaktuk, NT, Canada X0E 1C0 (Tel.: 867-977-2424, Fax: 867-977-2365, Email: townandcountry@aol.com , Web: http://inuit.pail.ca/town-country-store.htm )
-Saville Enterprises, Box 309, Tuktoyaktuk, NT, Canada X0E 1C0 (Tel.: 867-977-2456, Intl. Toll Free: 877-328-8181, Intl. Voice Mail: 518-862-6600 Ext. 9168, Fax: 867-977-2456, Email: savillent@juno.com, Web: http://savilleenterprises.netfirms.com/index.html )

Personal Safety

Personal gear list:

Check the a handbook for a gearlist.

Weapons training:

Weapons are allowed, but a permit is required (see Permits and Legal).

Weather Information and Statistics

Weather information source for the research area:

Environment Canada Weather Office has local 5 day forecasts for Canadian communities including Tuktoyaktuk.

Annual average temperature (*C):

-10.2

Annual average temperature (*F):

13.64

Annual average high temperature (*C):

10.9

Annual average high temperature (*F):

51.62

Annual average low temperature (*C):

-26.3

Annual average low temperature (*F):

-15.34

Annual precipitation in millimeters:

70.2

Annual precipitation in inches:

2.76

Current Projects and Research History

Research sources:

-[2002] The oriented lakes of Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Western Arctic Coast, Canada: a GIS-based analysis. Author : Cote, M.M.; and Burn, C.R. Publication : Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, Issue 13(1), pp 61-70 Date found/Web address: 1/23/2003, http://cgrg.geog.uvic.ca/abstracts/CoteTheThe.html
-[2001] Thermokarst sediments and sedimentary structures, Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western Arctic Canada. Author: Murton, J.B. Publication: Global and Planetary Change, 2001, Issue 28(1-4), pp 175-192 Abstract: Abrupt climate warming during glacial-interglacial transitions promotes regional thermokarst activity in areas of ice-rich permafrost. Date found/Web address: 1/23/2003, http://cgrg.geog.uvic.ca/abstracts/MurtonThermokarstAbrupt.html
-[1997] Developing a Management Framework for Establishing Marine Protected Areas in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region: A Case Study of Beluga. Contact: Fleur, Storace, Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba Location: Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, and Aklavik, Abstract: The purpose of the research is to evaluate marine protection mechanisms for beluga management in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR). Date found/Web address: 1/23/2003, http://www.taiga.net/wmac/researchplan/currentactivities.html
-[1996] Environmental Assessment of the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk Solid Waste Disposal Area, Saw Mill Bay and Cape Parry, and Cleanup of a Former DEW Line Site, BAR-3 Tuktoyaktuk Contact: Ken Reimer, Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario Location: Tuktoyaktuk, Sawmill Bay, Shingle Point, Cape Parry, and Tuktoyaktuk BAR-3 Abstract: Environmental investigations were carried out at DEW Line sites and other military bases in the NWT. Personnel collected soil, plant, water, paint chips, and insulating material for analysis of potential contaminants.