1. Melrakkasetur Íslands The Arctic Fox Centre Eyrardal - Súðavík
2010
The year of the Arctic Fox Centre

2. The aims of The Arctic Fox Centre
The Arctic Fox used to be valuable for it´s fur in the past - but it has been priceless for decades. On the other hand, hunting has been very costly for the small municipalities of Westfjords – many millions a year for a long time.
The aim of the Arctic Fox Centre is to turn this fact into the opposite and give the people in Westfjords an opportunity to benefit from this animal in a sustainable tourism
By, for example:
Collecting, in one place, all material, knowledge and objects related to the arctic fox, in past and precence
Setting up an exhibition with educating material in a living and visual way – about arctic foxes in nature, worldwide in time and space, fur breeding, trading and hunting
Participating in and promoting studies on arctic foxes in various fields
Enhancing academic and cultural projects on human-fox interactions in Iceland
Giving our guests an opportunity to experience something new and educating
Becoming leading in developing sustainable wildlife tourism in collaboration with other academic institutes and authorities
By giving lectures and education for guides and tour operators
By guiding tourists, photographers and film producers in arctic fox areas
Etc...

3. Pre-historical information
The Arctic Fox Centre is Prof. Páll Hersteinsson´s idea, introduced by Ester on a tourist conference in Isafjordur in April 2005
Nothing happens for a while, Ester keeps it behind the ear, who is going to do it? Looking for a proper house somewhere in Westfjords
Hears about the old farm Eyrardalur in Súðavík from her daughters elementary teacher in Garðabær 2006
Travels to westfjords with the family to take a look at the house during the summer 2006, fell for it – gentlements agreement with the mayer of Súðavík
Ester and family move to Norway for one year – no one hears from them for a while ...
Back in September 2007, already work on a plan, The Arctic Fox Centre is funded on a meeting in Súðavík - 42 share holders
Begin to work on the project according to the plan, 5 board members
Collecting money, applying for grants, funding ...
Collecting material, contacts and “people” open a web page
In 2009 we had enough money to hire a director – me 
The old farm Eyrardalur rebuilt
Súðavík municipality finances the project and offers the house
The Arctic Fox Centre opens in June 12th 2010: Exhibition, Café and Theather...

4. Before Grind ready 2006 Open house, October 2009 August 2010
Myndir: Þórður Sigurðsson (fyrir og eftir), Magnús Alfreðsson, Oddný Bergsdóttir
Open house, October 2009
August 2010

5. Before the opening The house still being prepared
Under supervision of Magnus Alfredsson, carpender
The webpage opened in June 2009
Logo- and handcraft/souvenir competition
Preparing the exhibition = Auður Alfífa (Fífa) a stuent in exhibition design => hunting story and foxhunters
Valdimar Gíslason a historican and a foxhunter
Guðmundur Jakobsson a foxhunter
The Arctic Fox Centre participates in
The Wild North
The recearch “Tourist effects on arctic foxes” begins 2008 = Borgný Katrínardóttir, a biology student
Guiding, three documentary films and several photographers
Tobias Mennle, Marie Heléne Baconnet, Cecilia Xavier
Introducing the project in all opportunities !
Dissections on carcasses from foxhunters, in collaboration with HÍ (Páll Hersteinsson) and NAVE
A collaboration with tour operators: Vesturferðir and Borea Adventures, academic institutes (Fræðasetur HÍ og Náttúrustofu Vestfjarða ) on developing sustainable wildlife tourism – “Villt dýr að féþúfu – The Wild North”
The Westfjords devlopemental growth grand supports the project

6. Summer 2010 The Arctic Fox Centre opens on June 12th
300 visitors on the opening weekend
The exhibition gets good introduction
Sir David Attenborough was invided, he send his greetings but was busy
Anders Angerbjörn, prof of zoology, Universtity of Stockholm came with a group of fox experts
The protector of The Arctic fox Centre is prof. Páll Hersteinsson
Ca 2000 guests visited the exhibition and the Café became a hit
Three types of guests: the house, the foxes and the hunters
Five people worked at the center – full job for the whole summer
Six volunteers assisted in field research
Guiding tours – photographers and wildlife
Theather on the behalf of the comedian theather
“Act Alone”
Wedding, concerts and soup meetings
Arctic fox cake and foxy rubarb jam (rebbabarasulta)
Icelandic beer and cosy atmosphere

7. The exhibition The exhibition can be divided into three:
The Arctic Fox, general information, biology, ecology, research studies, films, photos (Ester)
Hunting, law and regulations, traps, weapons, poisoning, fur, trading, handling, preparing (Fífa)
Foxhunters, stories, tales, interviews, radio programs, books, photos, articles, journals (Fífa/Valdi)
=> The Grand Commitee !

8. Material The arctic fox is the only native land mammal in Iceland
Considerable rare species, adapted to surviving the arctic winter
Research data on dissected animals for over 30 years: Páll Hersteinsson, a valuable knowledge on arctic fox biology
Interested scientists from all over give information and invite to conference
Published papers and books
Magnificent photos high quality photographers
Documentary films from professional producers
Objects from the Westfjords heritage museum
Stuffed arctic foxes (bought)
Fur prepared by a local foxhunter who learned from his grandfather
Tales, histories, objects, photos , books, private material..
Tobias Mennle, Eva Fuglei, Eli Geffen, Anders Angerbjörn, Hrefnu Láki, Theodór Gunnlaugsson, Ellen Magnúsdóttir...

9. Other projects Childrens guidance – began in fall 2010
Menningarráð Vestfjarða (The Westfjords cultural fund)
Population estimation of arctic foxes in Westfjords. Dissecting hunted animals - began 2009
NAVE, HÍ, UST, Municipalities
Den occupancy and socyal structure of the arctic foxes in Hornstrandir Nature Reserve - began 1998
NAVE
Tourist effects on arctic foxes in Hornstrandir Nature Reserve- began 2008
Villt dýr að féþúfu – The Wild North
Web camera – in our dreams...
Courses and education- began 2009
Fræðslumiðstöð Vestfjarða, HÍ
“Old foxes”, history, tales and poems - began 2009
Valdimar Gíslason, Auður Alfífa Ketilsdóttir
Comparing density and social structure in protected versus “shooting” areas – in prep
Recording stone traps in Westfjords – in prep 
The Westfjords archaeology office

10. The Wild North A nordic project, sponsored by NATA and NORA
Iceland, Greenland, Faroe islands, Norway. Consultant from Scotland
Deveoping sustainable wildlife tourism
Thereby ensure the trade’s foundations, the livelihood of its workers and the long term integrity of natural resources
Participants in Iceland:
Westfjords: The Arctic Fox Centre, The University of Iceland – NA researhc Centre, Westfjords Natural History Institute, Bolungarvik (NAVE), Hornstrandir Centre, Vesturferðir, Borea Adventures
North: The Seal Centre, The University of Iceland – NA researhc Centre, Skagaströnd municipality
Rudi Debruyne, Daníel Bergmann, Vilhelm Gunnarsson, Michel Detay, Norðursigling

11. Monitoring Summer 2010 Participants:
Abby Sullivan - Master’s student of Coastal and Marine Management
Alan Deverell – Master’s student of Coastal and Marine Management
Edwin Liebig - Master’s student of Coastal and Marine Management
Jean Larson - Artist
Julia Lüscher – Student of Natural Resource Management
Megan Veley - Master’s student of Coastal and Marine Management

12. Comments
“Sitting quietly observing foxes in one of the most magnificent landscapes was a great privilege and one I will never forget!” - Jean Larson “As a student in Coastal and Marine Management at the University Centre of the Westfjords, I was keen to participate in a project that, despite its focus on land-based mammals, has a direct connection to Iceland’s coastal environment. This is clearly the case with the Hornstrandir region of the Westfjords where the monitoring I participated in was carried out. My background is in education and management and while I have a deep interest in the natural world, I have had very little experience of wildlife observation and monitoring. This offered me a wonderful and inspiring opportunity to gain some insight into the work that is required to evaluate the natural heritage of an area, and the potential impact of any human presence on it. This work is vital. Clearly we cannot protect a natural resource unless we fully understand what it is that we are attempting to protect”. - Alan

13. Frosti – our little fox
Frosti is an arctic fox who was brought to The Arctic Fox Centre as a small pup (appr. 5 weeks of age) early summer 2010
Frosti was kept at private home of a former foxhunter who used to keep fox pups at home in the past (it was a tradition in the region)
Frosti sometimes came for a visit and in late July he got his own “den” at the backyard where he met a lot of visitors during the rest of the summer
Frosti became a friend with many visitors and many photos were taken of him
Now, Frosti is free somewhere nearby Heydalur – The adventure walley in Mjóifjörður
We hope that Frosti is still alive and enjoying the wild

14. Frosti with Mekkín

15. Frosti with Fjóla

16. Frosti with Fanney

17. Frosti & Hjörleifur / Frosti & Kjartan Geir

18. Frosti stækkaði hratt og fullorðnaðist
og fékk hvítan vetrarfeld
Frosti got older, bigger and whiter by time
Photos: Þórður Sigurðsson

19. Frosti fékk frelsið í nóvember / Frosti got his freedom in November – it was fun for us all !

20. Christmas advent All Sundays during the Advent we celebrated
Market at the luft
Cosy café with hot chocolate, pastry etc..
Christmas lights and songs
Concerts with little Skundi – a local trubador
Just cosy ...

21. We close for a while
The Arctic Fox Centre will be closed for a while due to construction work at the house
We will give information and news on the web page so cheer up
Happy new year !
Most of the photos are from Þórður Sigurðsson