The vast, unpredictable North is filled with possibilities for adventure. Natural challenges that once defeated explorers and eradicated adventurers are now the targets of those modern tourists who demand more for their vacation dollar than a sandy beach and a sunset.

Not surprisingly, the environment and inexperience often combine to confound these visitors.

A Gore-Tex outfit and the latest in high-tech camping gear don't guarantee a return to base camp.

People get lost up here all the time. They get lost canoeing rivers, fishing lakes, climbing mountains, hunting bears and collecting wildflowers.

Adventure travel is not recommended for the ill-prepared and the inexperienced.

Unfortunately, it is taxpayers that end up footing the bill for a rescue.

On the other hand, adventure tourism is a growth industry in the North. Nobody wants to discourage the revenue that tourists generate and the jobs that they create.

In order to defray the costs of rescue, some destinations, such as Mt. Everest, demand that tourists post bonds or subscribe to insurance policies. These can prohibitively expensive.

One way to reduce the costs of rescue operations would be to reduce the likelihood of people getting lost in the first place.

Insisting that people travel with local accredited guides would not only reduce rescue calls, it would create jobs. Who better to lead the way than the people who lived on the land for centuries?

People who come from the south to hunt polar bears can only do so in the company of a guide. There is no reason why the same precautions shouldn't be taken with other adventure tourists.

While we want to encourage tourists to visit, we also want to ensure they get home.

The North has had a long history of being studied for two reasons: To offer a superficial solution to a real problem or to gather information where none presently exists.

The latest study on the scene is the five-year West Kitikmeot Slave Study. The WKSS is designed to give us the "big picture" on the land and animals located in the rich barren lands from Wha Ti to Cambridge Bay.

The broad scope is similar to the well executed Northern Rivers Basins study which researched the effects of Southern industry on the Slave River Delta. Funding is coming from a cross section of groups - environmental, aboriginal, mining and government which also bodes well.

With its findings, Northerners will be able to make better judgements about the proper direction for our resource industries.