Polar Bear Pass

Mountain pass in Nunavut, Canada

Polar Bear Pass

Nanuit Itillinga/Kitturajaaq (Inuktitut)
Location| Bathurst Island, Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada
Coordinates| 75°43′N 98°40′W﻿ / ﻿75.717°N 98.667°W﻿ / 75.717; -98.667﻿ (Polar Bear Pass)
Topo map| NTS 68H11 Caledonian River

Location in Nunavut

Ramsar Wetland

Designated| 24 May 1982
Reference no.| 245[1]

Polar Bear Pass (Inuktitut: Nanuit Itillinga/Kitturajaaq),[2] is a 262,400 hectare wetland and mountain pass on Bathurst Island within the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. The pass is on federal Crown land.[3]

## Fauna and flora

[edit]

The wetland exists within a tundra desert in the high Arctic. It is a staging area for migratory birds, as well as a breeding area for numerous bird species. The large insect population is an ample food source for these birds.

Various water features are located throughout the site, including lakes, tundra ponds and meadows. Vegetation consists primarily of "grasses, sedges, mosses and lichens",[4] as well as a diversity of flowering plants.

An ecological research station is located on the site. Various studies have been conducted in the area, including those on the endangered Peary caribou by the Canadian Wildlife Service. Currently, the territorial government is funding studies on muskoxen and caribou in the region.

Other than the two endangered species that inhabit the pass, polar bears and the aforementioned Peary caribou, it also contains at least 54 bird species and 11 mammals. [5] Rock structures on the North side of the pass provide nesting and dens for wildlife. [6]

Its name is derived from the polar bears that migrate through the region between March and November each year.[4]

## Conservation

[edit]

Polar Bear Pass is an International Biological Program site. It was designated a Ramsar site on May 24, 1982.[3] Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area received its designation in 1985.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Polar Bear Pass". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
2. ^ "Inuit Heritage Trust maps traditional names before they're lost". Nunatsiaq News. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
3. ^ a b "Polar Bear Pass National Wildlife Area, Nunavut - Ramsar Site". Environment Canada. Archived from the original on 2008-05-04. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
4. ^ a b "The Annotated Ramsar List: Canada". The Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Ramsar Convention Bureau. Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
5. ^ Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2011-10-14). "Polar Bear Pass (Nanuit Itillinga) National Wildlife Area". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
6. ^ Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada. "Information archivée dans le Web" (PDF). publications.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
7. ^ "Polar Bear Pass". mpaglobal.org. Archived from the original on 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2009-09-10.

## External links

[edit]

* "Polar Bear Pass". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.

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Arctic Cordillera of Canada

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Mountain passes of Nunavut

Qikiqtaaluk Region|

* Akshayuk
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Ramsar sites in Canada

* Baie de l'Isle-Verte
* Beaverhill Lake
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* Polar Bear Pass
* Polar Bear Provincial Park
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* Whooping Crane Summer Range

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