The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) has bought the historic Reindeer Station.
The IRC announced the purchase of the site from the Inuvik Community Corporation on Tuesday.
Reindeer Station in the Mackenzie Delta was first established by the federal government in 1932 to house a herd of more than 3,400 caribou. At its peak in the 1950s, the site was a community of 90 people, but the federal government sold the site in 1960.
Reindeer Station in 2020. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
Reindeer Station has been used for several years to house culture and wellness camps. In a statement, the IRC said the site will continue to be used for this purpose, as well as for research and sustainable tourism.
The site is currently the subject of a climate change impact assessment by the Aurora Research Institute. “The project will focus on monitoring permafrost thaw within the vicinity of Reindeer Station, as well as monitoring the drainage patterns in and around the Station,” according to the research institute’s website. The study began in 2020 and is underway until the end of the month.
CKLB has reached out to both the IRC and ICC for comment.
More details to follow.
