Arctic Kingdom is requesting access to the southern marine boundary of Bylot Island for the purposes of travel to the floe edge and potentially for setting up a base camp if ice and weather conditions determine this is the safest place to camp. We are requesting access to the sea ice and not the land. Arctic Kingdom is operating a tourism program in Eclipse Sound out of the community of Pond Inlet, next to Bylot Island. The goal for the visitors is to experience Canada's high Arctic in the spring to visit the floe edge, view wildlife & scenery, and photograph & film their surroundings. Each year, Arctic Kingdom sets up a temporary camp as a base from which to conduct trips to the floe edge and other activities. These activities may include hiking, snowshoeing, snorkelling, kayaking, and wildlife watching. The maximum number of guests in the camp will be 16. These guests are accompanied by experienced expedition staff and local guides. The 16 guests may travel as one group with 5-6 staff or split up into two groups with 2-3 staff with each group. Daily excursions are typically 4-8 hours in length. Each year, the location of our camps has been different and the decision on where to set up our camp depends on local ice conditions. Ice conditions also dictate the routes we use to travel from Pond Inlet to camp and to the floe edge. Traditional travel routes and camping locations are located within the marine boundary of Bylot Island MBS, but not on Bylot Island itself. We are requesting access to the southern boundary for potential travel by snowmobile and qamutiik and for a potential basecamp on the sea ice. In 2023, there were severe and lengthy windstorms in Eclipse Sound requiring camp evacuation. Our local guides suggested that it would have been beneficial for our camp to be closer to Bylot Island, which would provide shelter against the wind and a safer camp on the sea ice. See the recommended travel routes below by smartice.org, which were developed by members of the community of Pond Inlet. We are requesting access to this area of sea ice due to the advice of our local guides with the purpose of increasing the safety of our expeditions. •May 7-Jun 17, 2024•May 7-14 – Camp set up •May 15-Jun 14 – Tourism trips•Jun 15-17 – Camp breakdown