Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Dec 04/98) - Complete with funding from Parks Canada, Aurora College and the GNWT Department of Resources Wildlife and Economic Development, a team of input-seeking collaborators are working as a subcommittee of Western Arctic Trade and Tourism to help co-ordinator Scott Black produce a tourist guidebook.

"This will be the first time ever that this area has been comprehensively summarized and documented in as far as what it offers to the world," Black says of the book due out September 2000 at the latest.

The book-in-progress is frequently referred to as the Western Arctic Handbook and, true to form, it follows rough geographic boundaries north of the Arctic Circle divide.

Collaborator Alan Fehr describes the book as concentrating on the Beaufort Delta region even though a map showing the project includes parts of the High Arctic, tapping part of Victoria Island and then heading north to Prince Patrick Island.

Mackenzie King Island, which is parallel to Grise Fiord, is also included.

To the south, the area covers a geographic trunk which follows a route along the Dempster Highway to Klondike Corners.

"We've got a really good long list representing a diverse group of potential contributors," says Black, before stressing the group still needs lots of good photos from around the region.

"Gwich'in and Inuvialuit are going to be taking part as well as a whole whack of others."

The group plans to listen to elders, though no contributors are confirmed yet. Adult education students at Aurora College will likely write some sections.

A large part of the project will be "the natural resources of the area, the cultural history of all peoples here, the practical side of travelling up on the Dempster Highway and going into small communities," according to Fehr.

"It's not like we're collecting a whole bunch of anecdotes of the area, though some of them might fit in well."

Black says communities in the region will have the opportunity to sell or write their own sections and that is one way people will be able to have a lot of creativity and free reign.

As far as marketing goes, Black says the group will likely advertise in various Northern publications as well as promote its product to a southern audience and consider where the tourist pool could come from.

"There's a bit of a focus on Germany, but we'll also be thinking of the rest of Europe," he says.

"Basically, it's a book full of reasons why tourists should come to the Beaufort Delta region."