Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 28/00) - The owner of a nearby lodge is hoping the night sky will show green this winter.

Mike Freeland of the Blachford Lake Lodge said he has linked up with Bill Tait's Raven Tours to offer accommodations for northern lights tours.

"They're (Raven Tours) getting repeat customers. The Japanese market is always looking for new products," Freeland said. Raven Tours brings around 5,000 Japanese to Yellowknife each winter for aurora viewing.

According to the deal, Raven Tours will do "exclusive marketing" for Blachford in Japan, Freeland said. The Blachford package has been dubbed the "Ultimate Aurora."

Lodge visitors will be able to do everything they do in Yellowknife except shop, he said.

"If they're lucky, they'll even get to see caribou," said Freeland, adding that thousands of caribou migrated near the lodge last winter.

Freeland said a big part of going after the Japanese tourist is the new lodge, which is located about 100 kilometres east of Yellowknife.

The new lodge, which Freeland said would have cost 30 per cent more if he built it in Yellowknife, has a hybrid (generator-battery bank) system as well as a dual grey-water system and composting toilets.

Blachford has a log lodge and nearby cabins - which can house a total of 35 guests - and all the amenities many tourists seek. In the future, Freeland plans to add solar- and wind-power generation. The lodge is open year-round except for fall freeze-up and during spring break-up.

Freeland said he expects from 200 to 300 Japanese this winter for aurora viewing.

The aurora tour is one way Freeland is putting his year-old lodge to work.

As well as adding Japanese visitors to the guest book, Freeland's clients are often corporate.

"Conferences are about 50 per cent of our business," he said. According to Freeland, corporate gatherings can be highly productive for participants and are competitively priced compared to Yellowknife.

Since opening the lodge, groups such as DuPont Canada, NWT Power Corp., BHP Diamonds, RWED, Ducks Unlimited, DIAND, and Pacific and Western Trust have visited.

He's also had about 40 school classes come out for educational trips. Yk families are another part of the business.

And there will always be the fishermen.

"The value of the asset would go down without fish in the lake."

Freeland requires his guests to go barbless. The only fish kept are for shore lunches he adds. In the near future, Blachford Lake will require guests to go 100 per cent catch and release.

One fisherman heading back to the U.S. after a trip to Blachford said, manage the resource right and the big fish will be back. Catch and release is a big part of getting those big fish back, he added.