Québec National Parks, one of the three magnificent Sépaq Networks

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	Conservation Mission

Mission Statement

A vast wooded territory, criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers, île d'Anticosti, which is surrounded by the cold waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, forms a natural region characterized by a wealth of ecological resources. Parc national d'Anticosti protects a 572 km2 area, combining shoreline and forest ecosystems that are home to a terrestrial wildlife population largely dominated by the white-tailed deer. In addition to this representative natural heritage, there are grandiose landscapes, rare plants and exceptional elements such as Vauréal canyon and falls, the canyon of Chicotte and Observation rivers, Grotte à la Patate and Baie de la Tour.

Natural Environment

Nature reigns absolutely throughout Parc national d'Anticosti. Park visitors cannot help but feel a sense of awe, wonder and curiosity. This is particularly true for the spectacular geological manifestations associated with karst, a phenomenon centering on the dissolution of limestone: steep-sided canyons, caves adorned with stalactites, variable-level lakes, rivers that suddenly disappear into the ground and others that appear out of nowhere.

The island is also one of the world's most complete and readily observable fossil sites: close to 600 species of fossils of the Devonian era have been surveyed on Anticosti. Hundreds can be examined simply by bending over and looking at the ground! "The king of sport fish" is a frequent visitor to Anticosti: each summer, the Atlantic salmon comes to spawn in the island's watercourses, including the famous Rivière Jupiter. Of the eighty species of mammals that inhabit Anticosti, only five are indigenous, all the others having been introduced last century.

This is the case of the white-tailed deer, the emblematic animal of Anticosti, whose population is estimated at more than 160,000 animals! Intensive browsing by this cervid, which is ever-present on the island, threatens the park's vegetation. The latter is characterized by a mixed conifer forest and the presence of peat bogs containing rare plants. The park is also home to eastern white pine stands, which are very unusual at this latitude. Beginning in the 1920s, Frère Marie-Victorin revealed the wealth of flower and plant species found on Anticosti. Indeed, he described the canyon of Rivière Vauréal as being a "remarkable sanctuary" for ferns. The park is also noteworthy from the standpoint of the abundance and variety of its avian wildlife: some 158 species of birds may be observed here, including approximately one hundred nesting species.

Among them, mention should be made of the impressive bald eagle and several marine birds that nest in the coastal cliffs or marshes. It is along the shoreline that visitors can observe the impressive spectacle of marine mammals: grey and harbour seals regularly congregate on the island's rocks, while whales go about their day-to-day activities off shore, mainly in spring.

Research

Having begun several years ago, research is continuing on the effects of browsing by white-tailed deer on the island's and the park's ecosystems. The white-tailed deer population, which numbered 220 when the deer were first introduced on the island in 1896 and 1897, is currently estimated at some 160,000 animals. The absence of natural predators on the island, together with this cervid's remarkable ability to adapt to this environment, explains the population explosion which even hunting, practiced outside the park's boundaries, is unable to contain. The ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec periodically draws up surveys of the deer population.

Other concerns have attracted the attention of researchers, including the erosion of limestone walls and the protection of the colonies of bald eagles that nest on the island.

Turning to botany, research is also continuing on rare plants that attach themselves to the walls of canyons, such as that of Rivière Vauréal. On this subject, it is important that visitors obey to the letter the regulations in effect in the park. Picking plants and removing fossils is strictly prohibited.