View of access route employed in the winter of 2003-2004.

On July 12th and 13th of 2004, Bison Historical Services Ltd. carried out a brief archaeological survey of heritage sites in the vicinity of Summit Creek, some 60 kilometres south of Tulita, NWT.  These investigations were carried out at the request of Northern EnviroSearch Ltd. on behalf of Northrock Resources Ltd.  Fieldwork was based out of Tulita and carried out by helicopter over-flight and on foot.  Investigations were carried out by Don Hanna of Bison Historical Services Ltd. and accompanied by Wilfred Lennie of Tulita, who acted as guide, advisor and wildlife monitor.

In 2003 Northrock drilled an oil well at B-44 near Summit Creek on the southwest flanks of the Flint Stone Range.  This well was served by an access road extending 74 kilometres east to the Mackenzie River ice road.   Our job in 2003 was to identify any heritage sites that might be threatened by Northrock’s construction program, and help Northrock develop ways to avoid all sites.  In 2004 our role was to document successful avoidance of sites identified in 2003 and to examine new development areas that might contain heritage sites. Three known sites near Stewart Lake and within 100 metres of the Northrock access road were re-visited.  No impacts to any known heritage sites as a result of the Northrock 2003-2004 Summit Creek B-44 exploratory drilling program were identified.

Heritage sites at Stewart Lake.

Northrock also proposes to drill a new oil well at one of four possible locations near Summit Creek during the winter of 2004-2005.  Each of the possible well sites will require a short length of new access road connecting to the access road used last year.  Each well site and access route was examined from the air and on foot and exploratory shovel tests were excavated at each proposed well site and at the planned camp location.  No heritage sites were identified at any of these new locations.  The proposed 2004-2005 Northrock Resources Ltd. drilling program in the Summit Creek area will impact no known heritage sites.