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FT-3: Lichen Woodlands and Caribou Conservation at their
Southern Range Limits
Departs
Saturday, August 6 at 6 AM from the Viger Bus Depot,
Level 1, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Returns
Sunday, August 7 at 6 PM to the Viger Bus Depot, Level
1, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Fee:
$235 US Dollars per person – Includes mini-bus
transportation, Saturday night lodging (double occupancy), pre-trip continental
breakfast Saturday, sack lunches and beverages Saturday and Sunday, and
breakfast and dinner Sunday.
Minimum:
15
Maximum: 19
Organizers:
Dominique
Arseneault (dominique_arseneault@uqar.qc.ca),
Martin Simard (masimard@cfl.forestry.ca),
Réhaume Courtois (rehaume.courtois@fapaq.gouv.qc.ca)
Description: Located in the picturesque
Charlevoix region
(designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO), Parc national des Grands-Jardins
protects a remarkable enclave of northern habitat typical of the James Bay area
in Northern Québec. The park features peaks topping 1,000 meters, numerous
geological formations dating from the last Ice Age, and a climate with only 40
frost-free days per year. The harsh climate and diverse landscape have had a
marked influence on the flora and fauna of the park, which is dominated by taiga
and sparsely treed, lichen-rich stands of black spruce crucial to the survival
of the caribou. The caribou population, which numbered an estimated 10,000
animals in the early 1900s, had been virtually wiped out by 1928, only to be
reintroduced in the early 1970s. The population now numbers 60 to 80, but
persists difficultly due to conservative management of predators and alternative
preys. The park is also home to moose, wolves, beaver, black bear, and a variety
of species of birds. The mission of the park is to protect exceptional
vegetation–taiga (lichen-spruce woodlands), usually found north of the 52nd
parallel–and thereby to protect the southernmost herd of caribou in Eastern
North America.
This trip will cover diverse
topics such as disturbance ecology, forest regeneration after fire and logging,
the role of the spruce budworm in the park’s spruce “decline”, impacts of
compounded disturbances, the origin of the spruce lichen woodlands, the
long-term history of forest development in the park, and dynamics and management
of the caribou population (e.g., range limit, genetic factors, habitat
selection, logging impacts, predators, and alternative preys).
For
more information on Parc des Grands-Jardins, visit www.sepaq.com/GrandsJardins.
Equipment and Attire: Participants are advised to bring footwear suitable for moderate walking
through conifer forests. Weather at the Grands-Jardins National Park can be
either cool and rainy or warm and dry. The mean August temperature is about 10°C,
but much lower or higher temperatures (5-30°C) are possible. Participants
should dress accordingly (e.g., bring a rain jacket, rain pants, and/or
windbreaker). Each
should also bring insect repellent, long
pants, and long-sleeve shirts to protect against mosquitoes. In addition,
sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat are recommended. Binoculars and a camera are
always useful items to pack.
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