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New Park Proposal for Northern Quebec: Tursujuq or the “Parc national des Lacs-Guillaume-Delisle-et-à-l’Eau-Claire”

by admin ~ May 8th, 2008

Located in the Richmond Gulf area on the eastern shores of Hudson Bay, a new park proposal for northern Quebec is soon to become Nunavik’s third provincial park. The region abounds in scenic hills called cuestas, and also contains numerous lakes and rivers, tidal waterways, and two circular impact craters that are among the largest lakes in Quebec (Lac-à-l’Eau-Claire, also known as Clearwater Lake or Lac Wiyashakimi). The provisional park plan reflects a collaborative agreement between representatives of the Kativik Regional Government (KRG), the Makivik Corporation, Le Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs, and the northern villages of Kuujjuarapik and Umiujaq and the Whapmagoostui Cree Nation.

The Parc national des Lacs-Guillaume-Delisle-et-à-l’Eau-Claire, and especially the Lac Guillaume-Delisle sector, was a meeting ground and place of trade, and the navigable waterways were used to link together the different trading posts. The prevalence of water throughout this territory fosters the development of nautical activities that facilitate travelling great distances, and which use the same routes as those used historically by the first explorers (1).

The park plan includes provisions for scientific research, backcountry travel and rustic huts along sea kayaking and canoe routes, ecotourism opportunities, visitor services, exhibits on natural and cultural heritage, and joint management of park with the Kativik Regional Government and local villages. Making regular use of the area for generations, the park will continue to provide protection for the traditional harvesting rights of the Inuit and Cree under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

Residents of Umiujaq and Kuujjuaraapik-Whapmagoostui will have a chance to provide input on the provisional park plan. Public hearings are scheduled for June 16-19, 2008. Letters on the park proposal can be sent to the Service des parcs du MDDEP by June 09. Further information on how to participate is available from the national parks of Québec website.

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1 Response to New Park Proposal for Northern Quebec: Tursujuq or the “Parc national des Lacs-Guillaume-Delisle-et-à-l’Eau-Claire”

  1. Will Québec “forget” a gem in its largest national park? First test for a “sustainable” Plan Nord | Arctos Canadensis

    […] Waterways: “New Park Proposal for Northern Quebec: Tursujuq or the ‘Parc national des Lacs-Guillaume-Delis…” (May 08, […]