Anticosti National Park Explained

Anticosti National Park
Alt Name:	Parc National d'Anticosti
Iucn Category:	II
Map:	Canada Quebec
Map Width:	220
Location:	Quebec, Canada
Nearest City:	Port-Menier, Quebec
Coordinates:	49.5°N -112°W
Area:	571.9km2
Established:	April 2001
Visitation Num:	5500
Visitation Year:	2009
Governing Body:	Sépaq
Url:	http://www.sepaq.com/pq/pan/

Anticosti National Park (French (official): Parc National d'Anticosti) is a provincial park of Quebec, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.^{[1] [2]} It consists of 3 non-contiguous areas totalling 572km2 of land in the centre of Anticosti Island. Portions of the park are within Anticosti World Heritage site.

Tourism

It is organized into 6 tourist sectors and 1 central zone:^[3]

• Baie-de-la-Tour
• Chicotte
• Chute-Vauréal
• Grotte-à-la-Patate
• Observation
• Vauréal-la-Mer
• Zone centrale

History

The idea of creating a park on Anticosti Island goes far back. Already in the 1920s, the richness of Anticosti's flora was highlighted by botanist Marie-Victorin, who described the canyon of the Vauréal River as a "remarkable sanctuary" for ferns. But for the following decades, the entire island was privately owned by a succession of logging companies who invested little or nothing in environmental protection.^{[4] [5]}

In 1974, Anticosti Island was bought by the Government of Quebec and became public land once again. In 1987, the Regional County Municipality of Minganie officially incorporated the idea of creating a park in the Vauréal River area in its development plan. Thereafter, it took 14 years to complete the research, studies, planning, and public hearings. The Quebec government created "Anticosti National Park" on April 26, 2001.^[4] Despite its name, it is a provincial park, and not part of the country's national park system.

Park features

Natural attractions:^[3]

• Vauréal Canyon and Waterfall - At the Vauréal Waterfall, the Vauréal River drops 76m (249feet) and then flows through a 90m (300feet) deep gorge.
• Tour Bay (Bay de la Tour) - This bay on the north side of the island is noteworthy for its breathtaking seascape with huge cliffs surrounding the bay and excellent bird watching opportunities.
• Potato Cave (Grotte à la Patate) - This 625m (2,051feet) cave is one of the longest caves in Quebec. It is named after the Potato River (Rivière à la Patate) which gets its name from a large granite erratic boulder shaped like a potato that is located at the river's mouth.
• Brick River Canyon
• Observation River Canyon

Activities:

• Hiking - 45km (28miles) of trails of various difficulty
• Horseback riding
• Sea kayaking
• Guided tours

Park amenities:

• 2 Visitor centres with restaurant, gasoline, and equipment rental
• Accommodation in inns, cabins, or campgrounds
• Picnic areas

UNESCO's World Heritage

On September 19, 2023, Anticosti was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. It is recognized for its exceptional fossil assemblage representing the first global mass extinction of animal life on Earth.^[6]

Located within protected areas free from any industrial activity, the site is endowed with exceptionally well-preserved, abundant and diverse fossil fauna. This Anticosti fauna represents the first mass extinction of animal life on a global scale, 447 – 437 million years ago, at the end of the Ordovician period.^[7]

The Vauréal River, with its source in Lake Vauréal, flows 25 km, south then northeast, in the eastern part of the island. The salmon go up the river to the Vauréal Falls, 13 km from the coast, crossing the Vauréal canyon where the river is enclosed between two limestone walls.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Protected areas in Quebec . Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs . 13 August 2024 . fr . 2024 . Protected areas are also recognized as an essential tool for adaptation to climate change. In particular, they allow carbon to be stored..
2. Web site: Map of protected areas in Quebec . Environment and Climate Change Canada . 13 August 2024 . fr . March 2024 . Protected areas register database, 2024 Ministry of Environment and Ecological reference framework, 2018 adapted.
3. Parc national d'Anticosti - Park Journal 2008-2009 Edition, Parcs Québec
4. Web site: Portrait du parc - Histoire de la création du parc national d'Anticosti . Sépaq . fr . 2009-11-10.
5. Web site: Histoire d'Anticosti . Municipalité de L'Île-d'Anticosti . 2009-11-10 . fr . https://web.archive.org/web/20100505135146/http://ile-anticosti.com/index.php?p=page&id=70&lang=fr . 2010-05-05 . dead .
6. Web site: Anticosti inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List . Parks Canada . 28 February 2024 . September 19, 2023 . There are currently more than 1,440 known fossil species on Anticosti Island.
7. Web site: Anticosti . UNESCO World Heritage Convention . 28 February 2024 . 1686 . 2023 . Anticosti is the best natural laboratory in the world for the study of fossils and sedimentary strata from the first mass extinction of life at the end of the Ordovician period.
8. Web site: Vauréal River . Quebec Gouvernement . Commission de Toponymy Quebec . 29 July 2024 . fr . 1968-12-05 . Originally, it was known under the name Morsal or Maujerol in memory of a French Huguenot from Avignon..