Anderson River (Northwest Territories)
Encyclopedia
The Anderson River is in the Northwest Territories
in northern Canada
. It originates in lakes north of Great Bear Lake
; its headwaters are in the vicinity of the hamlet of Colville Lake
(although further east and south). It flows north and west in the area between the Mackenzie
and Coppermine River
s. Its mouth is on the Beaufort Sea
on the Arctic Ocean
near the eastern end of Liverpool Bay at about 70 degrees north
latitude. Its main tributary is the Carnwath River. The Anderson River is named after James Anderson of the Hudson's Bay Company
.
is a part of the Anderson Plain High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion, itself a subsection of the Northern Great Plains HS Ecoregion. The river encompasses wildly varied landscape. Canyons are common in the upper and middle sections, the largest of which is Falcon Canyon, at 6km long and 40m (approx) deep. The upper sections of the river are in taiga
, with black spruce
being the dominant tree. White spruce
and shrublands grow on the river's floodplain
and valley slopes. There are large deposits of alluvial terraces, along with cretaceous
shales
, Devonian
limestone
, and Devonian dolomite
. Closer to the ocean, the river pulls above treeline, and continues through rolling tundra
east of Inuvik.
Whitewater
is most intense in the middle section of the river (around Falcon Canyon and upstream). A couple of class III rapids, lots of class I and II, and no major falls make the Anderson a fun, but not overly demanding whitewater run for experienced paddlers.
herd, which calves further east near Bluenose Lake, migrates south down parts of the Anderson River valley in July. Musk ox
, moose
, and grizzly bear
s are also common along the river.
Bird life is also abundant and varied. However, the Canadian Wildlife Service
's 1999 to 2008 Field Project at the Anderson River Delta entitled "Impact of Increased Harvest on the Western Arctic Snow Goose Population" shows a decline in Snow Goose
.
On the delta
and on the Arctic ocean, Ringed Seal
s and Bearded Seal
s may be seen. On the ocean itself, pods of Beluga whales are not uncommon.
, most of whom died after exposure by Euro-Canadians to scarlet fever
in 1865. The Hudson's Bay Company had a trading post
at the river's mouth, now the location of the community of Stanton.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
in northern Canada
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
. It originates in lakes north of Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada , the third or fourth largest in North America, and the seventh or eighth largest in the world...
; its headwaters are in the vicinity of the hamlet of Colville Lake
Colville Lake, Northwest Territories
Colville Lake is a settlement corporation located in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located 50 km north of the Arctic Circle, on a lake of the same name, and is northeast of Norman Wells.Population is 126 according to the 2006 Census, of which the majority...
(although further east and south). It flows north and west in the area between the Mackenzie
Mackenzie River
The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
and Coppermine River
Coppermine River
The Coppermine River is a river in the North Slave and Kitikmeot regions of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada. It is long. It rises in Lac de Gras, a small lake near Great Slave Lake and flows generally north to Coronation Gulf, an arm of the Arctic Ocean...
s. Its mouth is on the Beaufort Sea
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort...
on the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
near the eastern end of Liverpool Bay at about 70 degrees north
70th parallel north
The 70th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 70 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, in the Arctic. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia and North America, and passes through some of the southern seas of the Arctic Ocean....
latitude. Its main tributary is the Carnwath River. The Anderson River is named after James Anderson of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
.
Geography
The Anderson River's northwestern sloping drainage basinDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
is a part of the Anderson Plain High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion, itself a subsection of the Northern Great Plains HS Ecoregion. The river encompasses wildly varied landscape. Canyons are common in the upper and middle sections, the largest of which is Falcon Canyon, at 6km long and 40m (approx) deep. The upper sections of the river are in taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
, with black spruce
Black Spruce
Picea mariana is a species of spruce native to northern North America, from Newfoundland west to Alaska, and south to northern New York, Minnesota and central British Columbia...
being the dominant tree. White spruce
White Spruce
Picea glauca is a species of spruce native to boreal forests in the north of North America, from central Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine; there is also an isolated population in the...
and shrublands grow on the river's floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
and valley slopes. There are large deposits of alluvial terraces, along with cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
shales
Shalës
Shalës is a municipality in the Elbasan District, Elbasan County, central Albania. The municipality consists of the villages Shalës, Licaj, Kurtalli, Xibrake, Xherie and Kodras....
, Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, and Devonian dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
. Closer to the ocean, the river pulls above treeline, and continues through rolling tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
east of Inuvik.
Whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
is most intense in the middle section of the river (around Falcon Canyon and upstream). A couple of class III rapids, lots of class I and II, and no major falls make the Anderson a fun, but not overly demanding whitewater run for experienced paddlers.
Wildlife
Wildlife is abundant on the Anderson. The Bluenose Barren-ground CaribouBarren-ground Caribou
Barren-ground Caribou is a subspecies of the caribou that is found mainly in the Canadian territories Nunavut and the Northwest Territories and western Greenland. It sometimes includes the similar porcupine caribou, in which case the barren-ground caribou also is found in Alaska...
herd, which calves further east near Bluenose Lake, migrates south down parts of the Anderson River valley in July. Musk ox
Musk Ox
The muskox is an Arctic mammal of the family Bovidae, noted for its thick coat and for the strong odor emitted by males, from which its name derives. This musky odor is used to attract females during mating season...
, moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, and grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
s are also common along the river.
Bird life is also abundant and varied. However, the Canadian Wildlife Service
Canadian Wildlife Service
The Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS is a branch of the Department of the Environment, also known as Environment Canada, a department of the Government of Canada....
's 1999 to 2008 Field Project at the Anderson River Delta entitled "Impact of Increased Harvest on the Western Arctic Snow Goose Population" shows a decline in Snow Goose
Snow Goose
The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...
.
On the delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
and on the Arctic ocean, Ringed Seal
Ringed Seal
The ringed seal , also known as the jar seal and as netsik or nattiq by the Inuit, is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions...
s and Bearded Seal
Bearded Seal
The bearded seal , also called the square flipper seal, is a medium-sized pinniped that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean. It gets its generic name from two Greek words that refer to its heavy jaw...
s may be seen. On the ocean itself, pods of Beluga whales are not uncommon.
History
The Anderson River area was the historic home of InuitInuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
, most of whom died after exposure by Euro-Canadians to scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
in 1865. The Hudson's Bay Company had a trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
at the river's mouth, now the location of the community of Stanton.