The Lac au Goéland (English: Gull Lake) is a freshwater body of water crossed by the

Waswanipi River The Waswanipi River is a tributary of Matagami Lake. The Waswanipi River flows in the Municipality of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec, Canada. Geography The main hydrographic slopes adjacent t ...

and is located within Eeyou Istchee James Bay (municipality), within the administrative region of

Nord-du-Québec Nord-du-Québec (; en, Northern Quebec) is the largest, but the least populous, of the seventeen administrative regions of Quebec, Canada. With nearly of land area, and very extensive lakes and rivers, it covers much of the Labrador Peninsu ...

, in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The surface of "Lac au Goéland" extends into the cantons of Meulande, Dussieux, Bourbaux and Nignal. Forestry is the main economic activity of the sector. Recreational tourism activities come second. The hydrographic slope of "Lac au Goéland" is accessible via the James Bay road from the southwest (

Matagami Matagami (, ) is a small town in Quebec, Canada. It is located north of Amos, on Matagami Lake, at the northern terminus of Route 109 and the start of the James Bay Road (French: ''Route de la Baie James''). It is enclaved within the local m ...

), then branches northwards by cutting the

Canet River The Canet River is a tributary of Matagami Lake, flowing into the territory of Baie-James, Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipality), in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec, in Canada. The Canet River flows in forest and marsh z ...

, located at Northwest of Goéland Lake. Forest roads serve the southern part of the lake. The surface of Goéland Lake is usually frozen from early November to mid-May, however, safe ice movement is generally from mid-November to mid-April.

Geography

This lake has a length of , a maximum width of and an altitude of . "Goéland Lake" is part of a large watershed with lakes Maicasagi (Northeast),

Waswanipi Waswanipi may refer to: *Waswanipi, Quebec, a Cree village in Eeyou Istchee, Quebec, Canada *Waswanipi (Cree village municipality), a Cree Reserved Land located in Eeyou Istchee, Quebec, Canada *Waswanipi River, a tributary of Matagami Lake in Que ...

(Southeast) and Olga (West). Goéland Lake has several peninsulas and 31 islands. The main bays are Ramsay Bay in the southwest and Lawrence Bay in the west. The Waswanipi River (tributary of

Matagami Lake Lake Matagami is a lake in Jamésie, in Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec, in Canada. It is located just north-northeast of the town of Matagami. Geography Located in a marshy area of northern Quebec, the lake created by the meeting of the rivers A ...

) flows northwest to Goéland Lake. The Max Passage is the length of and connects the Lake Maicasagi, located to the Northeast. This last lake is in turn fed by the Chensagi River (coming from the North). The mouth of "Lac au Goéland" is located at the bottom of a bay Northwest of the lake at: * East of the mouth of Olga Lake (at the mouth of the

); * Southwest of the mouth of

Maicasagi Lake Lake Maicasagi is a body of freshwater located in the territory of Eeyou Istchee Baie-James (municipality), in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. The surface of lake Maicasagi extends mainly into ...

; * Northeast of the village center of

; * East of the mouth of

. The main hydrographic slopes near Lake Goéland are: * North side: Chensagi River, Lake Maicasagi; * East side:

, Waswanipi Lake; * South side: Iserhoff River, Iserhoff North River, Imbault Creek; * West side:

Olga Lake (Waswanipi River) Olga Lake is a freshwater body crossed by the Waswanipi River and located in the southern part of Eeyou Istchee James Bay (municipality), in administrative region of the Nord-du-Québec, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. Most of Olga Lake Ol ...

, Opaoca River.

Toponymy

This body of water was designated "Kiashk Lake" or "Kiask Lake" by the Cree Nation's Amerindians. Father Vaillancourt used the spelling Ch¯ - y¯asK, meaning "gull" because the islands served as refuges to several colonies of this bird swimmer and omnivore. In his Journal (1819), explorer James Clouston uses the name Cheaskquachiston Lake. Other explorers of the day will also use the Cheashquacheston Lake form. In his 1895-1896 exploration report, Robert Bell translates this name by Gull Lake. Henry O'Sullivan uses the same name in 1901. The 1946 map of the province of Quebec indicates "L. to the Gull. More recently, the designation "Heron Lake" has been raised. The term "Gull" is used in a good hundred other toponyms in Quebec, especially lakes. The toponym "Lac au Goéland" was formalized on December 5, 1968, by the Commission de toponymie du Québec, when it was created.Commission de toponymie du Québec - Place names bank - Toponym: "Lac au Goéland"
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Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goéland Lake Eeyou Istchee James Bay Lakes of Nord-du-Québec Nottaway River drainage basin

Geography

Toponymy

See also

Notes and references