La Vallée-de-la-Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite Biodiversity Reserve, up to 2022 known as ''Réserve Aquatique de la Vallée-de-la-Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite'', is a biodiversity reserve in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

), located in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada. The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...

regions. This 321 km² protected area is dedicated to conserving the ecosystems of the Sainte-Marguerite River valley. The latter is located in a glacial valley separating the

Saguenay Graben Saguenay may refer to: Places in Canada *Saguenay, Quebec, a city *Saguenay River, a major river in Quebec *Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the region of the Saguenay *Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality (The Saguenay Fjord), Regional Cou ...

from the Monts Valin. The proximity of these two physiographic units favors the diversity of the flora, with several species at the northern limit of their range. The Sainte-Marguerite River has been used for hunting and fishing by aboriginal peoples for 8,000 years, as it lies within the traditional territory of the

Innue Essipit Innue Essipit is an Innu First Nation in Quebec, Canada. It owns one reserve named Essipit where one-third of its population live, located in the Côte-Nord region on the North shore of the Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is ...

. The Sainte-Marguerite is renowned for its salmon fishing, which has been practiced recreationally since the mid-19th century. In 1885, the Ste. Marguerite Salmon Club became the exclusive club for this sport. In 1980, with the creation of the

Zec de la Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite The ZEC de la Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite is a "zone d'exploitation contrôlée" (controlled harvesting zone) (ZEC) in the unorganized territory of the Mont-Valin, Quebec, Mont-Valin, in Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality, in the admi ...

, the river ceased to be the club's exclusive preserve. In 2005, a large part of the valley was withdrawn from logging and mining operations. After public consultations, the reserve was officially created in May 2020.

Toponymy

This biodiversity reserve owes its name to the Sainte-Marguerite River valley, which it largely protects. The name of the Sainte-Marguerite River appears on a 1731 map by Father Laure and on Bellin's 1744 map.

Geography

The Vallée-de-la-Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite Biodiversity Reserve is located some 15 km northeast of Saguenay and covers an area of 321.4 km². Most of the reserve is in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, in the unorganized territory of Mont-Valin, with a small portion in the municipalities of Saint-Fulgence and

Sainte-Rose-du-Nord Sainte-Rose-du-Nord () is a village on the north shore of the Saguenay River in Quebec, Canada. The site was known, from 1801 to 1933, as La Descente-des-Femmes. Amerindian women awaited the return of the men from fishing, and would meet them b ...

, and a small portion in the municipality of Sacré-Cœur in the

region. Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 1. The creation of the reserve links Parc national des Monts-Valin,

Saguenay Fjord National Park Saguenay Fjord National Park () is a provincial park located in Quebec, Canada. In the regions of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Charlevoix, Côte-Nord, and Bas-Saint-Laurent, the park is situated along the eastern end of the Saguenay River and adjo ...

and Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, creating a network of protected areas spanning more than 2,000 km². The reserve also shares its boundaries with the G.-Oscar-Villeneuve and Marcelle-Gauvreau ecological reserves. Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 6. Its boundaries include two exceptional forest ecosystems: the Sainte-Marguerite River old-growth forest and the rare Sainte-Marguerite River and Ruisseau-des-Monts forests. The reserve also straddles the Martin-Valin, Chauvin and Sainte-Marguerite River controlled harvesting zones (ZECs). These three wildlife management areas cover 37.9% of the reserve. Reserve aquatique vallee sainte marguerite

Reserve aquatique vallee sainte marguerite

Geology and relief

From a geological point of view, the reserve is part of the

Grenville province The Grenville Province is a tectonically complex region, in Eastern Canada, that contains many different aged Terrane, accreted terranes from various origins. It exists southeast of the Grenville Front Tectonic Zone, Grenville Front and extends fro ...

, mountain ranges formed a billion years ago. The valley marks the boundary between the

to the south and the Monts Valin to the north. The Monts Valin portion is made up of peaks generally exceeding 700 m in height. Near the valley, this

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

features steep slopes with a vertical drop of up to 500 m over one or two kilometers. In the central part of the valley, between Bras des Murailles and Ruisseau Épinette, there is an intermediate

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

between 400 and 500 m in altitude. The Saguenay Graben was created by the collapse of the Earth's crust during the fracturing of the Rodinia supercontinent some 600 million years ago. The Sainte-Marguerite valley corresponds to the northern limit of the

graben In geology, a graben () is a depression (geology), depressed block of the Crust (geology), crust of a planet or moon, bordered by parallel normal faults. Etymology ''Graben'' is a loan word from German language, German, meaning 'ditch' or 't ...

, which

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

glaciations transformed from a pre-Quaternary valley into a deep glacial valley. To the south of the valley, the summits are between 350 and 500 m high. The bedrock is composed of

charnockite Charnockite () is any orthopyroxene-bearing quartz-feldspar rock formed at high temperature and pressure, commonly found in granulite facies’ metamorphic regions, ''sensu stricto'' as an endmember of the charnockite series. Charnockite seri ...

gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...

and mixed gneiss in the eastern and western portions of the reserve, and orthopyroxenite

granitoid A granitoid is a broad term referring to a diverse group of coarse-grained igneous rocks that are widely distributed across the globe, covering a significant portion of the Earth's exposed surface and constituting a large part of the continental ...

s in the central portion, where the scenery is most spectacular. Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 3. Unconsolidated deposits are generally composed of rather thin till, except in depressions. Rock outcrops are frequent. The valley floor is composed of fluvioglacial deposits, such as

outwash plain An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: ''sandurs''), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the glacier terminus, terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying r ...

s and

kame A kame, or ''knob'', is a glacial landform, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the g ...

terraces.

Hydrography

Due to the rugged terrain, water bodies and

peat bogs A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and mus ...

are rare in the reserve. The two largest lakes are ''Lac Résimond'' and ''Premier lac du Portage''. The most important aquatic environment is undoubtedly the Sainte-Marguerite. This river, with a basin of over 2,000 km², rises in the Castor Gras and Sainte-Marguerite lakes. After passing through deep canyons in Monts-Valin National Park, it turns sharply 90° to flow eastwards along the fault line of the Saguenay Graben. It then flows through the reserve for 50 km before leaving it five kilometers from Sacré-Coeur and flowing into Sainte-Marguerite Bay, in the Saguenay Fjord National Park and the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. The reserve also includes the last 15 kilometers of the bras des Murailles, its second largest tributary.

Weather

The territory of the biodiversity reserve has a strong climatic variation. While the climate is considered subpolar and subhumid throughout the reserve, it is milder in the south (average temperature 1.9 to 4.5 °C) than in the north, at the summit of the Monts Valin (-9.4 to -6.0 °C). The growing season is 180 to 209 days in the south and 150 to 179 days in the north. Annual precipitation ranges from 800 to 1,359 mm/year. Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 4.

Flora

Given its contrasting topography, the aquatic reserve boasts a diverse

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

. The areas to the south, the valley and the lower northern slopes are part of the

yellow birch ''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the p ...

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

bioclimatic domain, while from the mid-northern slopes onwards, the reserve is located at the southern limit of the

white birch White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...

bioclimatic domain. Various species are also found at the northern limit of their distribution. Current vegetation is dominated by mixed forests, which cover 68.4% of the reserve. The dominant formations are white birch betula (32.2%), fir (24.5%) and

betula 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 3 ...

(23.1%). There are also a few

black spruce ''Picea mariana'', the black spruce, is a North American species of spruce tree in the pine family. It is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 territories. It is the official tree of Newfoundland and Labrador and is tha ...

and

red spruce ''Picea rubens'', commonly known as red spruce, is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to wester ...

stands, as well as

red maple ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nati ...

and

sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the ...

stands. Poplar stands are abundant near ''bras d'Allen''.

White pine ''Pinus'', the pines, is a genus of approximately 111 extant tree and shrub species. The genus is currently split into two subgenera: subgenus ''Pinus'' (hard pines), and subgenus ''Strobus'' (soft pines). Each of the subgenera have been further ...

and

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

are also found here.

American elm ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America. The trees can live for several hundred years. It is a very hardy species that can ...

and

black ash Black ash is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * ''Acer negundo'', native to North America * ''Fraxinus nigra ''Fraxinus nigra'', or the black ash, is a species of ash native to much of eastern Canada and the northeastern United ...

are also found here, the latter being confined to the banks of the Saint-Marguerite River. There is a good proportion of old-growth forest, particularly on the northern slopes. Peat bogs are few and far between. The reserve's flora comprises 367 taxa, many of which are at the northern limit of their distribution. These include two- crinkle-root (''Cardamine diphylla''), eastern star sedge (''Carex radiata''), Carolina springbeauty (''Claytonia caroliniana''),

Dutchman's breeches ''Dicentra cucullaria'', Dutchman's britches, or Dutchman's breeches, is a perennial herbaceous plant, native to rich woods of eastern North America, with a disjunct population in the Columbia Basin. The common name Dutchman's breeches derive ...

(''Dicentra cucullaria''), striped maple (''Acer pensylvanicum''), silvery spleenwort (''Deparia acrostichoides''), pale touch-me-not(''Impatiens pallida''),

(''Picea rubens''), Howell's pussytoes (''Antennaria howellii''), maidenhair spleewort (''Asplenium trichomanes''), dense switchgrass (''Dichanthelium implicatum''), (''Dichanthelium implicatum''), Canada wild rye (''Elymus wiegandii''), Virginia saxifrage (''Micranthes virginiensis''), grassy arrowhead (''Sagittaria graminea'') and Rydberg's poison ivy (''Toxicodendron radicans var. rydbergii''). Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 5. There are also disjunct populations of the

calcicole A calcicole, calciphyte or calciphile is a plant that thrives in lime rich soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown ...

flora with the

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

formations of the region: hair-like sedge (''Carex capillaris subsp. capillaris''), Steller's rockbrake (''Cryptogramma stelleri''), Lake Mistassini primrose (''Primula mistassinica'') and

purple saxifrage ''Saxifraga oppositifolia'', the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage, is a species of plant that is very common in the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Britain, the Alps and the Rocky ...

(''Saxifraga oppositifolia''). Finally, the reserve protects two populations of threeway sedge (''Dulichium arundinaceum var. boreale''), a taxon endemic to Quebec and soon to be included on the list of threatened, vulnerable, or potentially so-designated species in Quebec.

Fauna

In terms of fauna, no specific inventories have been carried out for the reserve, but the fauna is characteristic of the region. Mammals include

American black bear The American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), or simply black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear which is Endemism, endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with ...

(''Ursus americanus''),

moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

(''Alces americanus''),

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

(''Vulpes vulpes''),

Canada lynx The Canada lynx (''Lynx canadensis'') or Canadian lynx is one of the four living species in the genus ''Lynx''. It is a medium-sized wild cat characterized by long, dense fur, triangular ears with black tufts at the tips, and broad, snowshoe- ...

(''Lynx canadensis''),

snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sink ...

(''Lepus americanus'') and

Canadian beaver The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and has been introduced in South America (Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Fi ...

(''Castor canadensis''). The

rock vole The rock vole (''Microtus chrotorrhinus''), also known as the yellow-nosed vole, is a medium-sized species of vole found in eastern North America. Description This species is similar in appearance to the larger taiga vole. It has short ears and ...

(''Microtus chrotorrhinus'') is less common.

Woodland caribou Woodland caribou may refer to two North American reindeer (''Rangifer tarandus'') populations: * Boreal woodland caribou * Migratory woodland caribou See also * Woodland Caribou Provincial Park Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is a provincia ...

(''Rangifer tarandus caribou'') frequent the reserve in spring and early summer. Finally, the reserve may be frequented by the red bat (''Lasiurus borealis'') and the

hoary bat The hoary bat (''Lasiurus cinereus'') is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It lives throughout most of North America (and possibly also in Hawaii, although this is disputed). Taxonomy The hoary bat was described as ...

(''Lasiurus cinereus''), both of which have been reported in the Saguenay Fjord National Park. File:Hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus.jpg, The

Hoary bat The hoary bat (''Lasiurus cinereus'') is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It lives throughout most of North America (and possibly also in Hawaii, although this is disputed). Taxonomy The hoary bat was described as ...

File:Lasiurus borealis.jpg, The

Eastern red bat The eastern red bat (''Lasiurus borealis'') is a species of microbat in the family Vespertilionidae. Eastern red bats are widespread across eastern North America, with additional records in Bermuda. Taxonomy and etymology It was described in 1 ...

File:Bonasa-umbellus-001.jpg, The

Ruffed grouse The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus'') is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is non-migratory. It is the only spe ...

File:Falcipennis-canadensis-002.jpg, The Spruce grouse File:Barrowgoldeneye.jpg, The

Barrow's goldeneye Barrow's goldeneye (''Bucephala islandica'') is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus '' Bucephala'', the goldeneyes. This bird was named after Sir John Barrow. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ''boukephalos'', "bullheaded", from ''bo ...

Among birds, the most common species would be the

ruffed grouse The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus'') is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is non-migratory. It is the only spe ...

(''Bonasa umbellus'') and the spruce grouse (''Falcipennis canadensis''), to which we can add the

(''Bucephala islandica''). Fish species include

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...

(''Salmo salar'') and

anadromous Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousa ...

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...

(''Salvelinus fontinalis''). In addition to these two species, the Sainte-Marguerite is home to

longnose dace The longnose dace (''Rhinichthys cataractae'') is a freshwater minnow native to North America. ''Rhinicthys'' means snout fish (reference to the long snout) and ''cataractae'' means of the Waterfall, cataract (first taken from Niagara Falls). Lo ...

(''Rhinichthys cataractae''),

longnose sucker The longnose sucker (''Catostomus catostomus'') is a species of cypriniform freshwater fish in the family Catostomidae. It is native to North America from the northern United States to the top of the continent. It is also found in Russia in riv ...

(''Catostomus catostomus''),

white sucker The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii'') is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is common ...

(''Catostomus commersoni'') and

American eel The American eel (''Anguilla rostrata'') is a facultative catadromous eel found on the eastern coast of North America. Anguillidae, Freshwater eels are fish belonging to the Elopomorpha, elopomorph superorder, a group of Phylogenetics, phylogen ...

(''Anguilla rostrata''). Several lakes are inhabited only by

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

, and many others are fishless.

Gallery

File:Salmo salar.jpg, The

File:Salvelinus fontinalis.jpg, The

Brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...

File:Longnose dace.jpg, The

Longnose dace The longnose dace (''Rhinichthys cataractae'') is a freshwater minnow native to North America. ''Rhinicthys'' means snout fish (reference to the long snout) and ''cataractae'' means of the Waterfall, cataract (first taken from Niagara Falls). Lo ...

File:Longnose sucker.jpg, The

Longnose sucker The longnose sucker (''Catostomus catostomus'') is a species of cypriniform freshwater fish in the family Catostomidae. It is native to North America from the northern United States to the top of the continent. It is also found in Russia in riv ...

File:White Sucker, Catostomus commersonii.jpg, The

White sucker The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii'') is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is common ...

File:American Eel.jpg, The

History

Before

European colonization The phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by various civilizations such as the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Han Chinese, and A ...

, the Sainte-Marguerite River was used by

aboriginal peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 8. According to archaeological data, Baie Sainte-Marguerite has been frequented since the Middle Archaic period, 8,000 AD. They came here mainly to hunt seals.^(fr) Regional County Municipality of Fjord-du-Saguenay,
La Rivière Sainte-Marguerite: Site Patrimonialarchive
(accessed August 9th, 2020). It is currently within the traditional territory of the Innue Essipit, according to the 2004 Agreement-in-Principle of a General Nature between the First Nations of Mamuitun and Nutashkuan. David Edward Price traversant la riviere Sainte-Marguerite

David Edward Price traversant la riviere Sainte-Marguerite

Salmon fishing on the Sainte-Marguerite River has long been renowned. As early as 1838, the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

operated a fishing camp at its mouth. Between 1848 and 1853, James Grant, a clerk at the Tadoussac post, offered to accompany officers and visitors on the river. When the Tadoussac post closed in 1859, David Edward Price obtained a lease giving him exclusive rights to fish for salmon on the river. Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 9. In 1860, a visit by Prince of Wales Albert Edward caused a stir in Bagotville, as he preferred to fish for salmon with David Edward Price rather than visit the people of Saguenay. Fosse 54 - panoramio

Willis Russell, a friend of Price's who was dazzled by the quality of the river's salmon fishing, traded him the rights to the main river for substantial timber quotas around 1870, and was already a shareholder in a hotel and owner of a house in

Tadoussac Tadoussac () is a village municipality in La Haute-Côte-Nord RCM (Regional County Municipality), on the north shore of the maritime section of the estuary of St. Lawrence river, in Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada. Geography Tadoussac is ...

. In 1872, in partnership with Robert Powell of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, he built the Lower Fork House, also known as ''Club House Station''. He built other fishing camps: ''Home Pool'', six kilometers upstream, ''Le Château'', five kilometers downstream, ''Sand's Pool'', 13 km upstream, ''Bardsville'', 11 km upstream, and finally, ''Upper Forks'', renamed ''Grantville'' in honor of James Grant, 11 km from Bardsville. Bardsville6

In July 1885, the

Quebec government The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. ministers of the Crown) and the non-political staff within each ...

passed the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, forcing Russell to form the Ste. Marguerite Salmon Club. That same year, the club was sold to James Grant and his associates of New York. As for the fishing guides, they came from the surrounding villages, which meant lucrative seasonal work. In 1974, the Quebec government renewed the lease on the Sainte-Marguerite for 5 years and on the Sainte-Marguerite Nord-Est for 9 years. The Zec de la Sainte-Marguerite was created in 1980, and the Corporation de pêche Sainte-Marguerite, which had held fishing rights since 1859, lost its exclusive rights. Management of the zec was given to the Association de la Sainte-Marguerite. The river is easily accessible via Route 172, which was completed in 1964. On September 7, 2005, the Quebec government decreed the creation of the Sainte-Marguerite River Valley Aquatic Reserve. The temporary status was extended for a first four-year period in July 2009 and a second eight-year period in March 2013. The Office of Public Hearings on the Environment held a consultation in January 2012 concerning the creation of ten protected areas, including the Sainte-Marguerite Valley. The report was published on July 20, 2012. The Vallée-de-la-Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite aquatic reserve was finally created on May 13, 2020. On March 24, 2022, following the adoption of the law amending the Act respecting the conservation of natural heritage and other provisions, which abolished aquatic reserves among other things, the reserve was subsequently reclassified as a biodiversity reserve.

Activities and occupations

The reserve is located along Route 172, which runs for 40 km. This road, although excluded from the reserve, provides easy access to the various activity centers. The Sainte-Marguerite River is renowned for its

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

and

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

. A Trans-Québec snowmobile trail crosses the reserve. There are also hiking trails on the west side, near Lac de la Roche. A footbridge has been built at Salmon Pool 53 on the Rivière Sainte-Marguerite to provide access to the ''bras des Murailles''. Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 10. Because of its steep terrain, there are seven

climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with manufactured grips (or "holds") for the hands and feet. Most walls are located indoors, and climbing on such walls is often termed indoor climbing. Some walls are brick or wooden constr ...

s in the reserve. Gouvernement du Québec 2019, p. 11. The ''Association de la rivière Sainte-Marguerite'', which administers the Zec de la Sainte-Marguerite, offers accommodation near the river. Wilderness camping is also possible near eight salmon pools. The reserve includes some 50 vacation

leasehold A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to hold land or property in which a Lease, lessee or a tenant has rights of real property by some form of title (property), title from a lessor or landlord. Although a tenant does hold right ...

properties on its territory. With the exception of Lac Résimond, most lots are located in the eastern part of the reserve. The reserve also covers fourteen non-native

trappers Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch and often kill an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including for meat, fur/feathers, sport hunting, pest control, and wildlife man ...

' properties with exclusive rights.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* ^(fr) Association de la rivière Sainte-Marguerite and Fédération québécoise pour le saumon atlantique, ''Plan de conservation du saumon atlantique et de développement durable de la pêche sportive de la rivière Sainte-Marguerite'', Association de la rivière Sainte-Marguerite, 2019, 49 p.
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DF. * ^(fr) Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement, ''Projets de réserves de biodiversité pour neuf territoires et de réserve aquatique pour un territoire dans la région administrative du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean : rapport d'enquête et de consultation du public'', Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement, 2012 (,
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DF. * ^(fr) Gouvernement du Québec, ''Plan de conservation, réserve aquatique de la Vallée-de-la-Rivière-Sainte-Marguerite'', Québec, Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, Direction des aires protégées, 2019, 24 p.
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DF.

External links

Quebec Place Name Bankarchive

Canadian Geographical Names Data Basearchive

World Database on Protected Areasarchive
{{Protected Areas of Quebec Le Fjord-du-Saguenay Regional County Municipality Zone d'exploitation contrôlée