On behalf of the federal government, in 2008 a talented team of Land Surveyors and field experts provided a complete survey of Pukaskwa National Park located southwest of Marathon and west of Wawa, Ontario. Our tasks included the monumentation of 34 km of a hydro corridor crossing the park and the mapping of over 60 km of inaccessible Lake Superior Shoreline.  All fieldwork mapping was illustrated on two provincial crown lands reference plans and an official plan under the Canada lands survey system.

Using GPS technology in the field, we obtained NAD 83 CSRS coordinates to geo-reference the park boundaries.  We also geo-referenced digital aerial photography to map the shoreline and islands.  The hydro corridor survey work included setting survey monuments every 300 metres. The corridor was intersected by steep and inhospitable terrain including swamps, rivers and streams.  Our technicians camped on site during the project as vehicle access to Wawa was prohibitively time consuming.  Helicopters and float planes were utilized to move the field crews and their ATVs across waterways and to provide access to survey points along the shoreline of Lake Superior.

In addition to establishing exterior boundaries, the National Park has the benefit of geo-referenced aerial photographs of the shoreline to use in planning and building their own GIS system.