Consultative Committee

Mary Stapleton is currently a Research Associate at the Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary, She is the Managing Director of the Arctic Circumpolar Route, sponsored by UNESCO. The ACR is designed to identify, coordinate, interpret and disseminate information on the cultural heritage linkages of northern indigenous peoples, along with the history of others whose travels and exploration have affected the Arctic Regions.

Mrs. Stapleton has been President of InterFacts Consulting Ltd. for over 25 years. InterFacts is a consultancy providing professional communications management, research and planning services to resource companies, regulated utilities, governments, and social agencies. Mary’s major areas of specialization include public consultation, economic and employment development, and land use planning. Professional assignments include participation on inter-disciplinary teams evaluating socio-economic/environmental impacts, and developing public involvement programs for hydroelectric and harbour developments.

Mrs. Stapleton holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Design and Architecture from the University of Calgary; and degrees in Art History and Teaching. She also studied art history and museum management at Harvard University School of Graduate Studies. She conducted research on collections of the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. She has lived in Alberta and British Columbia since 1964, and has consulted in the northern areas of both provinces as well as the Yukon and Northwest Territories. She has been involved in community service work throughout her career. She is co-founder of the Calgary French and International School, and speaks English and French.

Charles D. Arnold, Ph.D. Director, Culture, Heritage and Languages Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories Director, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre Yellowknife, NWT, Canada

Charles Arnold has been Director of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the territorial museum of the Northwest Territories, since 1971. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University, and a doctorate from the University of Calgary. Both degrees are in archaeology, with specialization in the Arctic. His principal research area has been the Beaufort Sea region. He has worked with local communities to document traditional knowledge of Inuvialuit Elders. He is currently collaborating with Inuvialuit organizations to publish materials and to develop exhibits related to his research.

Dr. Arnold also taught archaeology and anthropology at the University of Toronto. He was responsible for establishing the Archaeology Program for the Government of the Northwest Territories. He has worked on archaeological excavations ranging from Alaska to Baffin Island, and from Ellesmere Island to the treeline. Presently he is developing an Internet-based series describing pathways in the NWT. The program, Lessons from the Land, is multilingual, including aboriginal languages; and is interactive. Lessons from the Land is a partner in the Arctic Circumpolar Route.

Peter Schledermann, Ph.D. Adjunct Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America

Peter Schledermann grew up in Denmark and Norway and moved to the United States in 1958. Following four years in the advertising business in New York, he headed for Alaska where he homesteaded for two years near Fairbanks. In 1969 he received his Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Anthropology at the University of Alaska, followed by a Masters degree in Anthropology at Memorial University in Newfoundland. He received his Doctorate at the University of Calgary, specializing in prehistoric human ecology in the Arctic. Dr. Schledermann has spent more than twenty-five years carrying out pioneering field research in Alaska, High Arctic Canada, and Greenland. He is fluent in Danish and Norwegian.

Dr. Schledermann has taught human ecology, anthropology and archaeology in Alaska (Upward Bound Program) and Arctic Prehistory at the University of Calgary. He was executive director of the Arctic Institute of North America (later senior research associate of AINA) during the institute’s transitional years following the move from Montreal to Calgary. He has published extensively in both scientific and popular journals (National Geographic) and is the author of Crossroads to Greenland, The Viking Saga, Voices in Stone, and Late Thule Culture Developments in the Eastern High Arctic.

Kim Crockatt President, Kitikmeot Heritage Society Executive Director, Nunavut Literacy Council President, Cambridge Bay Foster Parent Association Chair, May Hangkongak Community Library Advisory Committee Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Kim Crockatt is an accomplished administrator and manager skilled at handling multiple projects within the fields of literacy, culture, and early childhood education. She is a nationally-recognized leader in literacy, with a specialization in community-based, aboriginal language literacy programming. She is also recognized as an expert in oral history and traditional knowledge research.

Mrs. Crockatt has managed budgeting, administration, conflict resolution, training, and program evaluation in community programming. She has worked extensively with adult literacy, workplace literacy, family literacy and cultural education. She has developed policy, organizational governance structures, strategic planning, business planning, and human resources development. She is accomplished in the use of information and communication technology.

Stephen Loring, Ph.D. 1991
Museum Anthropologist
Arctic Studies Center
Smithsonian Institution

Stephen Loring is responsible for cultural and archaeological research, exhibitions and educational programs. He has conducted archaeological and ethnohistorical research in Labrador, New England, Alaska and the western Aleutian Islands. He works closely with Inuit and Innu organizations to promote research opportunities for young people and to encourage access and use of the Smithsonian's extraordinary Arctic ethnology and archaeology collections. He received his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, U.S.A..

Fergus Maclaren, Cultural Resources Management Specialist, Tourism and Ecotourism Consultant, Ottawa, Ontario

Fergus Maclaren is a cultural resources management specialist with experience in natural area and historic district planning, preservation, and promotion in Canada and Asia. His specialization is in the cultural, eco- and sustainable tourism sectors. He has extensive experience in all aspects of tourism resource management and development, including training, site evaluation, needs assessment, strategic tourism marketing, program design and evalution. He holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Design (Planning) from the University of Calgary, and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Western Ontario.

Mr. Maclaren was Director of the International Year of Ecotourism for the International Ecotourism Society, Burlington, USA. Has has conducted research and training for the International Centre for Sustainable Cities, Vancouver; urban rehabilitation and community energy planning in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China; workshops for “Disappearing Asian Cities” project for Deakin University, Australia, for Manila, Phillipines; and the Lake Louise Transportation Study in the Rocky Mountains UNESCO World Heritage Site. He assisted in developing a national aboriginal cultural resources management training program with the Canadian Community Development and Research Consortium (CCDARC).

He is also a professional communicator, working with Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to enhance links between CIDA and non-governmental organizations and institutions. He has developed and marketed websites for communities, businesses, and First Nations administrations in Western Canada. He developed and maintained the initial International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Canada Cultural Tourism, as well as the ACR website. He is an internationally-published freelance travel writer.

Mr. Maclaren is a Board member of the International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Canada; and a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (United States); and the Asia and West Pacific Network for Urban Conservation. He speaks English and French, and resides in Chelsea, Québec.