Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area
Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area | |
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Réserve nationale de faune du cap Tourmente | |
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location | Saint-Joachim, La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada |
Coordinates | 47°5′N 70°47′W / 47.083°N 70.783°W |
Area | 23.99 km2 (9.26 sq mi) |
Established | April 28, 1978 |
Governing body | Canadian Wildlife Service |
Official name | Cap Tourmente |
Designated | 15 January 1981 |
Reference no. | 214[1] |
The Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area is a
-
American tree sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)
Location
Cap Tourmente is 50 km from
History
A number of prehistoric
Within the wildlife refuge is a historic
The Canadian government acquired the area in 1969. It was later recognised as a National Wildlife Area in 1978 and as a wetland of significance per the Ramsar Convention in 1981.
Wildlife
The Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area has a wide range of
Plants
Intertidal marsh
The Cap Tourmente NWA was created mainly to protect the vast amount of intertidal marshes that are present in the NWA, especially the American bulrushes, which attracts tens of thousands of greater snow geese during the spring and fall migration period. These marshes occupy 2,500 hectares and include close to 60% of all the bulrush marshes in Québec.[9] Heavy tidal flooding by fresh waters on the coastal flats covers a large amount of intertidal marsh. The intertidal marshes in the NWA can be divided into three separate zones, including the upper, middle, and the lower zone. All three zones are predominantly dominated by American bulrushes. Southern wild rice (Zizania aquatica) and broad-leaved arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) are also present in the upper and the middle zone. According to a study conducted in the NWA, the American bulrush has decreased significantly in the intertidal marsh during the year 1977 and 2002, and is being replaced by southern wild rice. But the American bulrushes remain the dominant species in all three zones. The plants in the intertidal marsh are crucial in protecting the coastal area from coastal erosion, and can serve as food for the snow geese.[4] Other animals also feed on these bulrushes, such as American black duck, mallard, northern pintail, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, American wigeon, northern shoveler, and wood duck.[10]
Forested areas
The forested areas in the NWA covered around 40% of the total area. There are 21 types of forest stands found in the NWA, and sugar maple stands dominate the area.
Listed Plant Species under the
Animals
Birds
The Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area is one of the 325 Important Birds Area (IBA) in Canada, categorised under the A4 criteria.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the population of greater snow geese was dangerously low at only around 3,000 individuals. However, after conservation efforts like the establishment of the NWA, their population started to grow exponentially in the mid-1980s, and is now close to one million. During their biennial journey between the Atlantic coast and the Far North, greater snow geese stop in Cap Tourmente NWA where they feed on American bulrush rhizomes and also grain in the fields.[11] At 2021, up to 56,500 greater snow geese were counted at Cap Tourmente NWA.
In the spring, they gather at the Lac-Saint-Pierre and other sites, moving west to east along the St. Lawrence River, before they head north. In the fall, the birds disperse from the Quebec City area in late October and move a short distance southwest towards Lac-Saint-Pierre or northern Lake Champlain, where they feed in corn fields and where some remain well into November and December.[12] Cap Tourmente's location lies right next to their path of migration, which makes the NWA such an important part in the survival of this species.
At Cap Tourmente, bird species listed under the
Fish
The strong tides bring slightly salty water from the river to the coastal region. The herbaceous environment with shallow water makes an ideal environment for fish species to spawn there, such as yellow perch, the northern pike, and the three-spined stickleback.
Habitat loss and obstacles to migration area the main threats to the fish species in the region. Other potential threats includes oil spill from the upper part of the river and other source of water pollution from human activities.[10]
Management
Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service) is the management agency of the NWA.
Hunting
When the territory was acquired by the federal government in 1969, all hunting activities were suspended. Since 1972, the Canadian Wildlife Service began its controlled hunting program in order to regulate the great snow goose population. The hunting programme was introduced to control the goose population and prevent overuse of the bulrush marsh and fields in the NWA or adjacent fields. In the fall, a controlled greater snow goose hunt is authorised in eight hunting grounds grouped into four zones with a total area of approximately 53 hectares. Participants are selected through a draw to decide the maximum of 512 permits. During the annual Waterfowler hunting day, permits are issued to maximum 12 young hunters to practice their waterfowl hunting skills and learn about wildlife conservation during the regular hunting season.[4]
In 2009 and 2010, an experimental licence was issued to the Association des Amis du Cap Tourmente, but the licence was not renewed afterwards.
The 2022 Hunt Program for the greater snow goose is cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.[8]
Invasive species
Nine plants are considered
Park attractions
This park can be considered a nature attraction, where visitors are permitted to enter during set times with a small entry fee (up to $6 for adults) until a closing time at 5pm on most days of the week.
References
- ^ "Cap Tourmente". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- Environment Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Archived from the originalon December 5, 2010. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
In 1981, the Cap Tourmente NWA was declared North America's first Ramsar site, a site recognized as a wetland of international importance.
- ^ a b Canada, Environment and Climate Change (December 8, 2017). "Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area". www.canada.ca. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Canada, Environment and Climate Change (January 11, 2022). "Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area: management plan 2020". www.canada.ca. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "St Lawrence Iroquoians | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ Canada, Parks (March 27, 2018). "Government of Canada Announces 12 New National Historic Designations". www.canada.ca. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "Cap Tourmente | Ramsar Sites Information Service". rsis.ramsar.org. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Canada, Environment and Climate Change (December 8, 2017). "Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area". www.canada.ca. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ "BirdLife Data Zone". datazone.birdlife.org. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ a b "IBA Site Listing". www.ibacanada.ca. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ Canada, Environment and Climate Change (September 17, 2018). "Greater Snow Goose population monitoring at Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area". www.canada.ca. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "Hinterland Who's Who - Greater Snow Goose". www.hww.ca. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
External links
Media related to Réserve nationale de faune du Cap-Tourmente at Wikimedia Commons
- Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area at Environment Canada