Volume 20, 1970 - The Arctic Circle - Home

VOL. XX iq[). 3 Tilfi ARCTIO CrRO'LrLAfr.:'aDuring bhe ye;er, oil r/ias discovered in l,he Mackenzie llelbaarea i-rnd g:rs cieposits were founrl in fire Arctic IslatCs"Sclunding, drill*i-niq and surveying for oil continues e ano aban accelerabed pace, in view of t,he proven finrls on thenorbh slope of Alaska. To test bhe feasibility of'noving oiisoubhby year-round banker bra.nspo.rb, i4aniraffaJr conl,j-nued herresearch protlram on the ch;rracter arrl properbles of ice, bhisti:ne in bhe ltfilne Inlet Lancaster Souno aree oi' Baffin tsayand, while plans for more suitable tanlcers are being sbtxl.ied.ereseerrcil conbinues, especial\y at Inuvik, to debermj-ne bhefeasibllity:rnd requirements of the alLernate means of oiltransport - pipelines.Itiot only have 1,he evenfs o1" 1970 arouseci ent,husiasm ard selfassurancein bhe residenbs of Canada r s I'iorf h bub tirey have givena new awareness of the region bo bhe country as a whole. Albhoughthe discovery of oil has opened possibilibies for econonic developmenb,ib ]ras also aroused greaL concern in r,ran;7 quarters 1esb th-lsdevelopment result in the clesLruction of valued aspects of presenfnorLhern life and bring caLasbrophic chan5les to Lhe delicabeecological balancee f n orcler 1"o avoj-d repeating the ecologicaland sociological rnisbakes made during the opening up of southernCanadar oroblems already recognized as inherent in northerndevelo,rnent are belng s budj-ed by researchers in many and variedfielcisn t'-or, it is now cleally recognized that bhe requiredsoluiions make dernands beyond the linits of ary single oisciplineand requi-re a. concerted i nterdisci-plinary approach.?fre Aret ic Circle, corroerne,l with aII natters pert aininpl to Lhei'lor"fh, wiil follow wi-bh keen rnieresb the a.cLivi-bies resultingfrom the event s of L97O and bheir efiecb on Lhe envirorrneni ancibire people"