Paul Smith - Arctic Conservation

Long-term Research Sites

Field work at long-term study sites in Nunavut is the backbone of our research program.  Here are some of the key sites that we have developed and maintained over the years.

East Bay Mainland in the  Qaqsauqtuuq Migratory Bird Sanctuary 

Qaqsauqtuuq means "two loons" Inuktitut, and refers to the good-quality loon nesting habitat within the Migratory Bird Sanctuary. We have operated this site for more than 25 years, making it one of the most valuable long-term monitoring sites in Arctic North America.

East Bay Mainland

Research at Qaqsauqtuuq began in 1998 and continues today with the goal of monitoring the ecology and reproductive success of Arctic shorebird populations. This site is among the most valuable long-term field stations in the North American Arctic.
Projects at East Bay Mainland include:
  • Shorebird productivity monitoring
  • Effects of overabundant geese
  • Climate effects on birds and arthropods
  • Tracking work to better understand the full annual cycle of shorebirds and other Arctic birds such as Arctic Terns, including their migration paths, using a variety of tracking technologies


Prince Charles Island

This low-lying island is rich with birds and other wildlife.  We developed this camp in 2016, after researchers conducted baseline studies here in late 1990s.

Prince Charles Island

With its flat topography, Prince Charles Island, Nunavut, has extensive low-lying tundra wetlands. It has a diverse and abundant avifauna in comparison to many mid-arctic sites, and has been a stronghold for caribou from the declining Baffin herd. We built this camp in 2016 and have operated it in most years since that time. Colleagues conducted work in this area in the 1990s. We have repeated their studies to determine how environmental conditions have changed, given drastic increases in the abundance of geese and the associated alterations to the landscape.
Projects at Prince Charles Island include:

  • Shorebird productivity monitoring

  • Effects of overabundant geese

  • Changes in habitat since the 1990s

  • Tracking shorebirds and other Arctic birds

Coats Island

Coats Island is the largest uninhabited island in the Northern Hemisphere, south of the Arctic circle. It was once the home of the Sadlermiut people, and it remains a favourite hunting destination for residents of Salliq.

Coats Island

The Coats Island shorebird field station was developed in 2004, and has operated off and on since that time.  It is 25km west of the seabird field station that has been running since 1981.  Coats Island has few breeding snow geese, and has offered a control site to evaluate the impacts of geese on tundra ecosystems.