Saguenay Fjord National Park (french: parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay) is a
provincial park
Ischigualasto Provincial Park
A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to t ...
located in
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
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 ...
. In the regions of
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean,
Charlevoix
Charlevoix ( , ) is a cultural and natural region in Quebec, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River as well as in the Laurentian Mountains area of the Canadian Shield. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands ...
,
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord (, ; ; land area ) is the second-largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec. It covers much of the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River estuary and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence past Tadous ...
, and
Bas-Saint-Laurent
The Bas-Saint-Laurent (Lower Saint-Lawrence), is an administrative region of Quebec located along the south shore of the lower Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The river widens at this place, later becoming a bay that discharges into the Atlanti ...
, the park is situated along the eastern end of the
Saguenay River
__NOTOC__
The Saguenay River () is a major river of Quebec, Canada.
It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east; the city of Saguenay is located on the river. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River. ...
and adjoins the
Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park for over 100 km (60 mi.).
The park, originally named Saguenay National Park, was renamed on April 20, 2011.
[Le parc national du Saguenay devient le parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay]
Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
History
Aboriginals have inhabited the Saguenay Fjord area for thousands of years prior to the first Europeans arriving. The first European to visit the area was
Jacques Cartier, in 1535. Between 1628 and 1842, the Saguenay economy was heavily dependent on the
fur trade.
![Cap Trinite](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Cap_Trinite.png)
In 1838, settlers began moving into the Saguenay region. Between 1840 and 1920, the region had a sizable
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
industry. By the end of the 19th, much of the forests around the
Saguenay River
__NOTOC__
The Saguenay River () is a major river of Quebec, Canada.
It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east; the city of Saguenay is located on the river. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River. ...
were depleted. In addition to the depletion of the forests, difficult terrain and the decline of the lumber industry led to the Saguenay area remaining mostly undeveloped into the 20th century.
[Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay - History]
SEPAQ. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
Starting in 1970, the Quebec government began acquiring land around the fjord in hopes of protecting it. In 1982, the government held public on the park's design and boundaries. Saguenay National Park was officially created on June 8, 1983. In 1984, the park was
twinned with France's
Cévennes National Park.
[ In 1991, facilities were added to the Baie du Moulin-à-Baude section, while in 2000, facilities were added to the Baie-Sainte-Marguerite section. On April 20, 2011, the park changed its name from Saguenay National Park to Saguenay Fjord National Park in order to emphasize the ]fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
's distinctiveness of being one of the most southerly fjords in the Northern Hemisphere.[
]
Geography
Saguenay Fjord National Park lies along the shore of its namesake fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
. The Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park lies to the southeast of the park. The park has lands within the following regions of Quebec: Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Charlevoix
Charlevoix ( , ) is a cultural and natural region in Quebec, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River as well as in the Laurentian Mountains area of the Canadian Shield. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands ...
, Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord (, ; ; land area ) is the second-largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec. It covers much of the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River estuary and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence past Tadous ...
and Bas-Saint-Laurent
The Bas-Saint-Laurent (Lower Saint-Lawrence), is an administrative region of Quebec located along the south shore of the lower Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The river widens at this place, later becoming a bay that discharges into the Atlanti ...
. Saguenay Fjord National Park's Baie-Éternité visitor center is about from Saguenay, Quebec
Saguenay ( , , ) is a city in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City by overland route. It is about upriver and northwest of Tadoussac, located at the confluence with the S ...
.[Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay - Information]
SEPAQ. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
Saguenay Fjord, the park's namesake, has a length of and a width that varies between and . The fjord has an average depth of , with the deepest point being . The cliffs along the fjord have an average height of , reaching a maximum height of . Saguenay Fjord flows into the St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
; salt water
Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish wat ...
from the river flows under a layer of freshwater originating from Lac St. Jean. Salt water takes up 93% of the water volume inside the fjord.[Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay 2012-2013 Journal]
SEPAQ. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
The park contains the following three regions:[
*Baie-Éternité: This southwest region is reached through the village of Rivière-Éternité. The Saguenay Fjord Interpretation Centre is located here, and features exhibits about the formation of the ]fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
, its geology and wildlife.
*Baie-Sainte-Marguerite: The north region near Sacré-Cœur includes the Beluga Interpretation Centre. In the summer, beluga whales congregate in the bay.
*Baie du Moulin-à-Baude: Located around Tadoussac
Tadoussac () is a village in Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saguenay and Saint Lawrence rivers. The indigenous Innu call the place ''Totouskak'' (plural for ''totouswk'' or ''totochak'') meaning "bosom", probably in reference to the tw ...
, this is the eastern region of the park. The Maison des Dunes Interpretation Centre features exhibits about the park's sand dunes, wildlife, marine life and ecosystems, and offers naturalist and fall bird-watching programs in conjunction with the Observatoire d'oiseaux de Tadoussac.
Geology
The geological origins of Saguenay Fjord National Park can be traced to the Grenville orogeny
The Grenville orogeny was a long-lived Mesoproterozoic mountain-building event associated with the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. Its record is a prominent orogenic belt which spans a significant portion of the North American continent, f ...
during the Precambrian era. This event is considered to be the beginnings to the Laurentian mountains
The Laurentian Mountains (French: ''Laurentides'') are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of at Mont Raoul Blanchard, northeast of Quebec City in the Laurentid ...
. Around 200 million years ago, a rock basal complex between a north fault and a south fault collapsed, creating the Saguenay Graben
The Saguenay Graben is a rift valley or graben in the geological Grenville Province of southern Quebec, Canada. It is an elongated flat-bottomed basin long and wide, bounded by normal faults running parallel to its length.
Formation of the S ...
. The graben was long and wide. During the last glacial period, the region was covered by ice sheets two to three kilometers deep. The ice sheets cut deep into the Saguenay graben, gouging the fjord in the process. The weight of the ice sheets also caused the region to sink. When the glaciers melted around 10,000 years ago, the graben was flooded by seawater. The subsequent post-glacial rebound
Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound ...
lifted the terrain, shaping the fjord valleys in the process.[Saguenay River (Boreal shield)]
Canadian Geographic
''Canadian Geographic'' is a magazine published by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, (RCGS) based in Ottawa, Ontario.
History and profile
After the Society was founded in 1929, the magazine was established the next year in May 1930 unde ...
. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
Fauna
Animals that can be found in the park's forests include wolves, black bears, lynx, beavers
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...
, and moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
. Peregrine falcons can be found on the fjord's cliffs. Seals, brook trout, Atlantic salmon, as well as isolated populations of Greenland halibut
The Greenland halibut or Greenland turbot (''Reinhardtius hippoglossoides'') belongs to the family Pleuronectidae (the right-eye flounders), and is the only species of the genus ''Reinhardtius''. It is a predatory fish that mostly ranges at dept ...
and Arctic cod
''Arctogadus glacialis'', known also with ambiguous common names Arctic cod and polar cod, is an Arctic species of fish in the cod family Gadidae, related to the true cod (genus ''Gadus''). ''Arctogadus glacialis'' is found in icy water. They ...
can be found in the park's waters.[Parc national du Saguenay - Conservation Mission]
SEPAQ. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
The park's waters are also home to four species of whales: the blue whale
The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...
, the fin whale
The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as finback whale or common rorqual and formerly known as herring whale or razorback whale, is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of ce ...
, the minke whale
The minke whale (), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and the Antarctic (or southern) minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish na ...
and the beluga whale
The beluga whale () (''Delphinapterus leucas'') is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus ''Delphinapterus''. It is also known as the ...
. Due to pollution on the Saguenay river, the beluga whale population has significantly decreased in the region. This subpopulation is now considered to be endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
.[
]
Tourism
Saguenay Fjord National Park had 90,550 visitors in 2005, with 90% of those visitors coming from outside the region.[Québec investit plus de 5 M$ dans la région du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]
SEPAQ. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2012. Activities in the park include over of hiking trails, of skiing trails, camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...
, kayaking, sea kayak
A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trade off the man ...
ing, a Bateau Mouche tour of the fjord, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Accommodations at the park include cabins, huts and campgrounds.[Parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay - Home]
SEPAQ. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
Gallery
Image:Cap Trinité.png,
Image:Statue de Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay 02.jpg,
Image:Saguenay Fjord Seals.JPG,
Image:Baie Éternité.JPG,
See also
* Sépaq
References
:''This article was initially translated from the French Wikipedia.''
External links
Saguenay National Park
- official site
- Tadoussac Bird Observatory
{{Authority control
National parks of Quebec
Protected areas of Côte-Nord
Protected areas of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
Protected areas of Capitale-Nationale
Museums in Côte-Nord
Natural history museums in Canada
Nature centres in Canada
Protected areas established in 1983
1983 establishments in Quebec