Encana’s Burnt Lake N-16 well site.

In June of 2004, Bison Historical Services Ltd. and Axys Environmental Consulting Ltd. carried out a survey of heritage sites on northern Richards Island in the Mackenzie Delta on behalf of EnCana Corporation.  Known sites were re-visited to ensure that they had not been damaged by last winter’s Burnt Lake drilling program.  We also examined five potential well sites and related access routes to ensure that upcoming winter projects would avoid all known and newly identified heritage sites.

Fieldwork was based out of Tuktoyaktuk and carried out by helicopter and on foot.  We did not excavate any materials at any sites and no artifacts or other cultural materials were collected.

Three known heritage sites were re-visited to evaluate the success of avoidance during the 2003-2004 EnCana Burnt Lake N-16 exploratory drilling program. None of these sites had been damaged by last winter’s Burnt Lake N-16 drilling activities.

Umiak oars.

A new well site and access roads in the Burnt Lake area were also examined.  Three unrecorded sites were identified near possible access routes.  None of these sites will be impacted by the construction or use of the planned access routes.  No known heritage sites will be damaged by the proposed Burnt Lake N-05 drilling activities.

A potential drilling program in the Corral Bay area was also examined.  These investigations consisted of preliminary scouting of four possible well site locations and access north of Corral Bay.  Each well site, sump location and access route was examined in detail from the air and on the ground.

Five unrecorded ancient heritage sites and two relatively recent traditional land-use localities were identified during these investigations.  Where necessary, program elements were changed to ensure that no heritage sites would be impacted.  Subsequent to these field examinations, EnCana has determined not to proceed with the Corral Bay drilling program.  Consequently, no sites in the Corral Bay area will be impacted by proposed EnCana Corporation activities.