A land of understated beauty
The Northwest Territories barrenlands are not really barren at all. The land blooms with tiny plants that form a soft green and yellow carpet each spring and by autumn the colours change to rich dark reds. The predominant land features are called eskers, sand and gravel ridges that were deposited in neat lines by continental ice sheets during the ice age. Analysis of the movement of glacial deposits across the land led prospectors Chuck Fipke and Stuart Blusson to locate diamonds in the barrenlands in 1991. Camps in the barrenlands provide opportunities to view and photograph a variety of wildlife, including caribou and muskoxen. Barrenland hunts include black bear, grizzly, wolf, wolverine and small game.
With regards to caribou, studies conducted by the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Environment and Natural Resources conclude that barrenground caribou herds in the Northwest Territories have been declining and are at low numbers. To assist in the conservation and recovery of these herds, there is currently no outfitted hunting for barrenground caribou in the NWT.