N.W.T.'s Scotty Creek research station rebuilt, now with its own fire-protection system

Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation is preparing for the grand reopening of the Scotty Creek Research Station in the N.W.T. later this month. The site was almost entirely gutted by wildfire two years ago, and now the First Nation has taken steps to keep that from happening again.

Peter Cazon, a land guardian for the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation (LKFN), has applied his more than two decades of experience in fighting forest fires to the task. He said he's built a 75-metre-wide firebreak around the camp, and has helped set up a sprinkler system.

If pilots flying in the area notice fire, Cazon said they'll call into the community's airport and soon after he'll be notified of the threat.

"On a drop of a dime I'm on the next plane or chopper out there to set up the sprinkler system," he explained. Once there, getting the system going would take about five minutes, he said. The hoses and the sprinklers are already set up. They've become a permanent fixture of the camp now in the summertime.

Bill Quinton, a hydrologist with Wilfrid Laurier University, founded the Scotty Creek Research Station in the '90s. He said fire has been a looming threat throughout the rebuilding process. (Liny Lamberink/CBC)

"It puts us in a position where we can react quickly," explained Bill Quinton, a hydrologist with Wilfrid Laurier University who founded the research station in the 1990s. He hopes the territory's forestry service would help them battle fires in the future too, but for the research station to have its own equipment brings him peace of mind.

Ever since fire tore through the station in October 2022 and caused an estimated $2 million in damages, Quinton said wildfire has been a distant but constant threat.

"Throughout the rebuilding exercise, there's been smoke on the horizon. We've always kept one ear on the radio and on the news … so that we can make a quick exit if we need to."

Even so, Quinton said building back has been exciting.

Rebuilding underway at the N.W.T.'s Scotty Creek Research Station in 2023. (Liny Lamberink/CBC)

An LKFN touch

Quinton handed LKFN the keys to the station months before the 2022 fire. He and the First Nation saw a silver lining in the destruction: it was an opportunity to incorporate more Dene culture into the rebuilt site.

One of the new features is an arbour.

LKFN saw the 2022 wildfire as an opportunity to incorporate Dene culture into the rebuilt site. One of the new features of the camp is an arbour, seen here under construction. (Mason Dominico)

Dieter Cazon, the resources manager for the First Nation, said the gathering place is a safe spot for things such as a feeding of the fire ceremony expected to take place during the reopening. The structure will have a chimney with a device called a spark arrestor, to protect the surrounding environment.

"It's a bit more personable, and we're putting a little LKFN touch on it," he said.

Quinton said they had just shy of $1 million to rebuild the camp, with money raised by the First Nation, contributions from the Woodwell Climate Research Centre, territorial and federal funding, and a fire insurance payout.

Dieter Cazon, the resources manager for the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation, said the First Nation has put its own touch on the Scotty Creek Research Station during the rebuild. (Liny Lamberink/CBC)

Excitement is now growing for the reopening, which is scheduled for August 22. Dieter Cazon said he's been avoiding looking at photos from the camp so that when he and other LKFN staff head there later in August, he'll be seeing the rebuild for the first time.

Though the LKFN has accommodated some research at the site over the past two years, he said the facility would be fully operational by 2025.