Queen Elizabeth Islands on the east, Parry Channel on the south and the Arctic Ocean to the north and west. Most are uninhabited although the Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Geoscience Program Earth Sciences Sector (ESS), has monitors on the islands. In 1969 Panarctic Oils, now part of Suncor began operating exploration oil wells in the Sverdrup and Franklinian basins and planned on establishing its resource base in the Queen Elizabeth Islands. It ceased production in the 1970s. At the 2013 GeoConvention the Arctic Islands region were called Canada's perpetual "last petroleum exploration frontier". Hogg and Enachescu argued that the development and implementation
Queen Elizabeth Country Park the park including Staunton Way, Hangers Way and the South Downs Way bridleway. On a clear day the Isle of Wight can be seen from the top of Butser Hill. The park also contains several well regarded, waymarked and graded mountain biking trails. These are designed, built and maintained by the dedicated volunteers of the QECP Trail Build Collective. The Queen Elizabeth Country Park Parkrun takes place within the park each Saturday. To the east of the forest, south of the village of Buriton lies the wooded hill of Head Down (205 m), which "is an area that caters for