Arctic Red River (Feb 14/05) - It's the first thing people notice when arriving in Tsiigehtchic: a church with cracked windows and a leaky roof, sitting high atop a hill overlooking two rivers.

The distinctive yet modest Old Roman Catholic Church, built in 1920, is the oldest structure in this small, traditional Gwich'in fishing village.

"The church and church hill are a landmark for everyone that comes out of Mackenzie and Arctic Red River," said James Cardinal, the building's caretaker.

Travellers along the Dempster Highway and pilots also use the monument as a marker, he said. "It helps people find their way."

It's for this reason, and the preservation of the important role the church continues to play in the region's history, that the community's heritage committee decided earlier this month to seek territorial heritage designation for its beloved church. If successful, the Old Church would become only the third such site in the NWT.

The other two sites are the whalers' grave in Balaena Bay, east of Tuktoyaktuk, and the old Anglican church in Tulita.

"It (heritage designation) would mean a lot to the community," said Chief Peter Ross, who has pushed for the motion the last four years. "It would mean a lot to the elders."

With a recent national initiative to commemorate historic places and cultural landscapes across the country, known as the Historic Places Initiative, the community's timing could not be better. However, the process requires significant work without any guarantee.

Along with the permission of the owner, specific criteria exist for a site to be declared historically important by the GNWT.

"It must be in its original location, be a minimum of 50 years old and be important to the whole Northwest Territories," said Shona Barbour, project co-ordinator for the Tsiigehtchic community action plan.

A thoroughly researched proposal must then be submitted to the new Historic Places Program. If approved, the submission is then forwarded to the commissioner of the NWT for final endorsement.

Accepted sites are then advertised on a territorial list and the National Historic Places Registry, said Tom Andrew, territorial archaeologist for the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre.

"There are lots of people in the world who like to plan vacations around visits to heritage sites," he said.

Before beginning the research though, three committee members travelled to Yellowknife last month to attend the Cultural Places Workshop put on by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

Attendees learned what is required for historical research, how to document and represent it, how to investigate photo archives, and the use of oral traditions for research purposes.

"It's not just researching the building, it's the cultural landscape," said Barbour, who expects the booklet containing photos, stories and a timeline of the church and its surroundings to be available by summer.

"This is only the very beginning stages," she said. "Nomination is a very lengthy process."

Built by lay brothers and Gwich'in volunteers from Tsiigehtchic between 1920-21, the Old Church was an accompaniment to the original 1868 mission-chapel, which no longer exists. An adjacent chapel, where weekly mass takes place, was constructed in 1961.

The church is now primarily used for weddings and funerals during the warmer months and Christmas and Easter celebrations.

With few changes made over the years, the altar and much of the woodwork is original. Images of the Virgin Mary and angels hand-painted directly on the walls at the time of construction also remain, Ross said. But now, deteriorated cedar roof shingles threaten the interior with water damage. Foundation work is needed on the east side of the structure to keep it sound, he said.

The total cost for repairs is currently unknown, and heritage status is unlikely to help the community with funding for upkeep.

"These are largely honourific designations," Andrews said, adding that some support programs could be accessed.

The GNWT does not cover the maintenance and repair costs for heritage buildings.

The community does not plan to stop its quest to preserve its heritage with the Old Church.

A larger community heritage plan to recognize buildings, landscapes and trails in the community is also on the table.

"That can be done through local government on the community level," Barbour said.