Mont-Tremblant National Park

IUCN Category II - National Park

Rivière du Diable and croches Falls

The Parc national du Mont- Tremblant is a provincial park in the Canadian province of Québec.

It lies north of Mont- Tremblant, Saint -Donat and Saint -Côme in Lanaudière and Laurentides administrative regions. He is the oldest Parc national in Québec and 1510 km ², the largest in the province.

The park takes its name from Mont Tremblant. It is operated by the provincial government of Quebec and its authority Société des établissements de plein air du Québec ( SEPAQ ). Purpose of the park is the protection of a representative natural area in the south of the province.

Geography

The 1510.1 km ² large park is located north-east of Mont- Tremblant and extends just north of Saint -Côme in the east to and is bordered to the north by the Réserve faunique Rouge - Matawin and on the east by Zec Lavigne.

The park is divided into three main sectors: the valleys of the Rivière du Diable, the river Pimbina and the Rivière L'Assomption. The Secteur de la Diable is accessible via Autoroute 15 and Route 117 from Montreal, and on the route 323 from Ottawa. The Secteur de la Pimbina is accessible via Route 125 from Saint- Donat. The Secteur de L' Assomption in turn is accessible from Saint -Côme from. Further additions to the park are available from La Macaza, of Labelle, and of Saint- Michel-des -Saints.

Geology

The park is located in the Province de Grenville, the oldest region of the Canadian Shield. Gneiss and granites prevail. Like all Canadian parks, the latter is also strongly influenced by the last Ice Age. So you can find some great sand deposits along the rivers and lakes. Organic deposits, however, are thin and rare, such as the Lac des Cyprès.

Three river systems of the Rivière Rouge and Rivière L'Assomption and the Rivière Matawin. In addition to its Cyprès Lake another 400 lakes in the area of the park, with the majority located in the northern part.

History

The local Algonquian, the Weskarini, called the mountain Manitonga Soutana ( Mountain of Spirits (or the devil ) ). They got in the fighting between the French and British, Algonquian and Iroquois. They had their territory at the Rivière de la Petite Nation leave, but they were killed except one man at the Petit Lac Nominingue of Iroquois.

In the 1850s, the logging began. 1895 was a protected area due to plans for a vast sanatorium. The provincial government but has preferred to limited economical to use the park, which meant that by 1981 trees were felled. 1925, the reserve from 60 to 3108 km was extended. 1938 established the American Joe Ryan, a resort at Mont - Tremblant. In 1948, a research station, 1958, a first campsite on Lac chat. He was followed by further along the Rivière du Diable and north of Saint- Donat. In 1961, the park 's name Parc du Mont- Temblant.

With the Park Act of 1977, the Loi sur les Parcs industrial uses could be excluded. First, the park was designated Parc de récréation, or about recreation park. In 1990, the northern half became the Réserve faunique Rouge - Matawin. After long negotiations, the park was collected under light boundary changes in 2000 to the Parc de conservation, an area that is explicitly the conservation of the material found condition. This was only the Parc national du Mont- Tremblant in 2001, as the recovery no longer given priority, as was customary until then.

Flora and Fauna

In the park thrive yellow birch and sugar maple. Towards the north, on the hills and in the valley of Macaza the balsam fir predominates increasingly. The Carcan and the Tremblant exhibit with the height changing vegetation, in the less high regions of the red maple reaches its northernmost locations. In addition, there are paper birch, American beech and American Aspen Tree, American Red Spruce, Black and White Spruce, Canadian Hemlock and Basswood and red oak.

Nine of the known plant species in the park are considered endangered, most within the Lac Monroe. However, the last inventory dates from the 1970s.

The protected area home to 40 mammal species, including moose, white-tailed deer, timber wolf, red fox, American Black Bear, Snowshoe Hare, tree squirrels ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus ), Canadian beaver, muskrat, North American river otter, American mink. It is estimated the number of wolves on 35, they live in four or five packs. In the park they are protected from all hunting.

In the park, there are at least 194 species of birds, including ruffed grouse, thrushes, nuthatches, woodpeckers, the Great Horned Owl, here called Grand -duc d' Amérique, the Barred Owl and buzzards Buteo as platypterus. Added to hawk and osprey. Among the birds of prey, only the bald eagle is considered endangered.

At least 14 species of reptiles live in the park, including the bullfrog Ouaouaron says here, then Lithobates clamitans, the greenish water newt, American swimming snakes ( Nerodia sipedon ), whose stocks have fallen sharply, the forest pond turtle, which has also become rare, as well as the painted turtle.

Finally, 29 fish species are known, including the pike and brook trout.