National Park Integrity Poster Write-Up by: Richie Shi

Quttinirpaaq is a national park that is situated on the northern part of

Ellesmere Island. It is part of the Hudson's Bay - Arctic Lowlands, as well as Innuitian
Mountains. This park is in a ecozone that consists of many mountains. As well, there
is a lot of snow in this area. What's interesting is that, because Quttinirpaaq is so far
north, it has 24 hour nights in winter, and 24 hour days in summer. In my poster, at
the top, it shows a transition from day on the left to night on the right. As well,
summer is on the left and winter is on the right to accompany the time of day. The
fact that this park is in a tundra, it has extremely low temperatures, going as low as
-27 degrees Celsius. The river running across the poster has parts of it frozen while
others not. In the middle of the lake where ice has formed would be when it is
winter, and the part that are liquid are in summer. During the night there are also
northern lights that light up the night (top-right) at night. In the arctic there is
usually only snow when it precipitates. The tundra climate also means that doesn't
precipitate often with the highest amount being about 70mm in August. The low
amount of annual precipitation in this park contributes to the lack of vegetation.
Most vegetation in this ecozone is stunted because it is above the tree line. There
are still plant life, but most grow close to the ground and take a very long amount of
time to grow a short amount. For example, on the summer side (left) of the poster,
there are arctic poppies, saxifrage and arctic willow. As if it wasn't hard enough for
the plants to grow, the majority of soil is permafrost that only defrosts about 10m in
summer. These harsh conditions and short growing period make all the vegetation
extremely fragile, yet vital to many herbivores in the arctic. Animals, such as
Muskoxen or Arctic Rabbits, rely on vegetation like Arctic Woody to survive. There
are multiple marine animals like the Arctic Char (Fish), Seals, Narwhals (left), and
Ducks. Many birds fly by and leave, while others like the Gyrfalcon that is near the
polar bear, stay. Predators like the arctic fox feed on herbivores like the rabbit.
There are many activities for humans when they visit Quttinirpaaq. Due to
the fact that this park is very remote, people need to fly in to Quttinirpaaq and must
always have a radio to contact one of the parks stations. When humans come, they
can hike the trails of the park. They might be able to see animals and spectacular
scenery, such as the Northern Lights, and photograph them. At the end of the day
you can camp at the park and enjoy a night away from the city. Quttinirpaaq is also

the home to many historic sites. One of the most famous ones would be Fort
Conger. It was a military fortification but can now be visited to see what it would be
like in the past.
My poster shows many parts of the park interaction with each other. For
example there are polar bears that are fishing for food, and herbivores eating
plants. It also demonstrates how the animals and plants have adapted to the
environment. The narwhals use their tooth, that looks similar to the horn on a
unicorn, to break ice when it gets in their way. On top of that, the vegetation has
grown very close to the ground to avoid the freezing winds the tundra has. The
rabbit on the right (winter) side of the poster is white because there is snow in the
winter. During summer, the hare would shed its fur and grow brown fur to help
camouflage into the environment. In the park, there are multiple ways humans have
come up with ways to protect the park. One of the biggest rules is to not disturb the
balance of the ecosystem. For example, feeding animals are not allowed and any
waste that is created must be picked up. Fires are not allowed as the environment is
extremely fragile. In the poster, there are two people taking photographs of
muskoxen and they are a distance away from the animals. This is to ensure the
animals don't get scared and potentially trample some plants. Many resources are
found in this ecozone but no one is allowed to tamper with the parks land because
of this easily altered ecosystem. One of the biggest defenses that the park itself is
so remote, most people don't bother going except to view its scenery. It is one of
the most remote places on earth and is definitely a scene you will remember.