Nirjutiqavvik (Coburg Island) - National Wildlife Area

Seabird cliff on Coburg Island; Photo: Grant Gilchrist, Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service

Coburg Island is part of the Davis Highlands and consists primarily of upland shield terrain with coastal lowlands in the northwest. Approximately 65% of the island is covered in glaciers and ice fields. The rest is largely rugged, mountainous highlands with peaks reaching over 800 m above sea level. The eastern and southern borders of the island are marked by cliffs and the western and northern sides by extensive coastal glaciation. Princess Charlotte Monument is similarly steep and rocky.

Photo of glacier on Coburg Island; Grant Gilchrist, Canadian Wildlife Service

Average daily temperatures on Coburg Island range from -28°C in February to +4°C in July. The winter climate is moderated by the North Water and related polynyas (recurring areas of open water) and temperatures are usually several degrees higher than areas of a similar latitude that are away from open water. Coburg Island receives relatively high amounts of precipitation because of its high coastal slopes, proximity to the North Water polynya, and frequent storms. Summer is characterized by cool, windy conditions. During the seabird breeding season (June to September), average daily temperatures range from -6°C to +4°C. Prevailing winds are westerly and northerly with an average speed of 20 km/hr; in exposed areas, gusts can exceed 90 km/hr. Ice breakup begins in June, and freezeup occurs in October.

Map showing location of polynya around Coburg Island

Nirjutiqavvik's steep (150 to 300 m) coastal cliffs offer ideal nesting habitat for large numbers of seabirds. Cliffs at Cambridge Point (on the southern end of the Coburg Island) and Princess Charlotte Monument host particularly dense colonies of breeding seabirds. The colonies extend for 6 km along the coast. Of equal importance to the breeding success of seabirds in Nirjutiqavvik NWA is the presence of a polynya off the southern coast of Coburg Island, in Lady Ann Strait. Open water persists here virtually year-round and provides seabirds with rich supplies of fish and crustaceans during the springtime pre-breeding period. Over 500,000 breeding seabirds use this marine area, but particularly Thick-billed Murres, Northern Fulmars, and Black-legged Kittiwakes. Marine mammals are also attracted to the Lady Ann Strait polynya and many summer in the area or migrate through it en route to summering grounds in Jones Sound or northern Baffin Bay.

Establishment of the Ecological Reserve

Photo of Marina Peninsula, Coburg Island; Vicky Johnston

Local residents have long valued Coburg Island and the surrounding marine area because of its importance for hunting. The scientific community recognized its importance from a biological perspective in 1975 when the area was designated as an International Biological Programme Site. Coburg Island was declared a Key Migratory Bird Habitat Site by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) in 1984. In 2002, the CWS also identified the waters around Coburg Island as a Key Marine Habitat Area for migratory birds.

Residents of Grise Fiord wished to see some form of protection for the area's seabird colonies, marine mammal populations and the surrounding waters. The 1989 Lancaster Sound Regional Land Use Plan recommended that CWS and Grise Fiord work together to find a way to protect the area. In 1990, after a public meeting in Grise Fiord, the local Hunters and Trappers Association recommended that Coburg Island and environs be protected as a National Wildlife Area. Since that time, support for the initiative came from regional and national Inuit associations, other government departments, and the private sector. Nirjutiqavvik National Wildlife Area was officially created on August 30, 1995.