Leaf River (
French: ''Rivière aux Feuilles'';
Inuktitut
Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...
: ''Kuugaaluk''
the large river"or ''Itinniq''
where there are spring tides"ref name=guide>) is a river in northern
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 ...
, Canada, at the northern limit of the
tree line
The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...
. It flows from
Lake Minto
Lake Minto ( iu, Qasigialik, "where there are spotted seals") is a lake on western Ungava Peninsula, Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It has a total surface area of and a net area of .Natural Resources Canada, Atlas of Canada Lakes
It was named by Cana ...
northeast through the
Ungava Peninsula
The Ungava Peninsula of Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, is bounded by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, and Ungava Bay to the east. This peninsula is part of the Labrador Peninsula, and covers about . Its northernmost point is Cape W ...
into Leaf Bay off
Ungava Bay
Ungava Bay (french: baie d'Ungava, ; iu, ᐅᖓᕙ ᑲᖏᖅᓗᒃ/) is a bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik (far northern Quebec) from Baffin Island. Although not geographically apparent, it is considered to be a marginal sea of the ...
over a distance of .
At the head of Leaf Bay is the
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
community of
Tasiujaq
Tasiujaq ( iu, ᑕᓯᐅᔭᖅ, meaning: ''Which resembles a lake'') is a northern village (Inuit community) in Nunavik, in northern Quebec, Canada. Its population in the Canada 2021 Census was 420.
Geography
Tasiujaq was built on the sho ...
.
With caution, it is possible to paddle the entire Leaf River without
portaging
Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
, as it contains no impassable
waterfalls
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
or non-navigable
rapids
Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence.
Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...
.
The river's length, measured from Charpentier Bay to
Tasiujaq
Tasiujaq ( iu, ᑕᓯᐅᔭᖅ, meaning: ''Which resembles a lake'') is a northern village (Inuit community) in Nunavik, in northern Quebec, Canada. Its population in the Canada 2021 Census was 420.
Geography
Tasiujaq was built on the sho ...
, is ; if measured from first discernable current, it is .
The river is ice-free for about 60 days each year.
[
]
Tributaries
The significant tributaries of the Leaf River are:[
* Charpentier River][
* Nedlouc River
* Descareaux River
* Daunais River
* Goudalie River
* Vizien River][
* Brissard River
* Qijuttuuk River
* Cohade River
* Tuktu River
* Dufreboy Creek
* Viennaux River
* Papijjusaq River
* Peladeau River
* Fanfan River
]
History
Since at least the late 19th century, the river has been known by its English name, "Leaf River", which was probably derived from the Arctic willow
''Salix arctica'', the Arctic willow, is a tiny creeping willow (family Salicaceae). It is adapted to survive in Arctic conditions, specifically tundras.
Description
''S. arctica'' is typically a low shrub growing to only in height, rarely to ...
and birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...
trees that grow sparsely along its banks.[ The ]Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
fished there for salmon and porpoises, and opened a trading post at the mouth of the river around 1905. In the early 20th century, the French name ''Rivière des Feuilles'' was assigned, and standardized to its current form ''Rivière aux Feuilles'' in 1925.[
First known explorers:]
1898 - Albert Peter Low
Albert Peter Low (May 24, 1861 – October 9, 1942) was a Canadian geologist, explorer and athlete. His explorations of 1893–1895 were important in declaring Canada's sovereignty over the Arctic, and eventually defining the border between Quebec ...
1912 - Robert J. Flaherty
Robert Joseph Flaherty, (; February 16, 1884 – July 23, 1951) was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature-length documentary film, '' Nanook of the North'' (1922). The film made his reputati ...
1976 - Bob Davis
The Leaf River caribou herd
Caribou crossing Leaf River.jpg, Caribou crossing Leaf River
Caribou at the campsite (cropped).jpg, Leaf River and caribou
The Leaf River caribou herd (LRCH) is a migratory forest-tundra ecotype of the boreal population, a caribou subspecies of Rangifer tarandus caribou. Like the George River Herd
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
, it migrates between forest and tundra. Migratory caribou herds are often defined in terms of female natal philopatry
Philopatry is the tendency of an organism to stay in or habitually return to a particular area. The causes of philopatry are numerous, but natal philopatry, where animals return to their birthplace to breed, may be the most common. The term derives ...
or natal homing
Natal homing, or natal philopatry, is the homing process by which some adult animals return to their birthplace to reproduce. This process is primarily used by aquatic animals, such as sea turtles and Pacific salmon. Scientists believe that the m ...
, the tendency to return to natal calving areas—in this case, the Leaf River. The Leaf Herd in the west, near the coast of Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...
, increased from 270,000 in 1991 to 628,000 in 2001. According to the Quebec's Natural Resources and Wildlife survey, the Leaf River Herd (LRH) (Rivière-aux-Feuilles) had decreased to 430,000 caribou in 2011. According to an international study on caribou populations, the Leaf River herd could be threatened with extinction by 2080.
References
External links
Tides on Leaf Basin, Quebec
Leaf Bay 7 day tidal predictions, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
{{Authority control
Rivers of Nord-du-Québec
Hudson's Bay Company trading posts