The Kulutuajuk Falls on the Koroc River, which flows down from the Torngat Mountains. The river valley has a procession of waterfalls contained by steep mountain walls.
(PHOTOS BY ROBERT FRECHETTE/KRG)
KRG seeks input from locals and specialists
ISABELLE DUBOIS
SPECIAL TO NUNATSIAQ NEWS
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Two new provincial parks, covering a total area of 14,585 square kilometres, are being considered for Nunavik by the Kativik Regional Government. The proposed parks, now under consideration by the KRG's renewable resources department, would be added to Quebec's park network, which already includes Pingualuit Park, announced in August by Quebec Premier Jean Charest.
KRG has launched field studies and surveys for the Monts-Torngat-et-de-la-Rivière-Koroc Park, located in the Torngat mountains and Koroc river valley area, and the Lacs-Guillaume-Delisle-et-à-l'Eau-Claire Park, better known as Richmond Gulf and Clearwater Lake.
KRG, which has been entrusted by the provincial government with the responsibilities of park development for Nunavik, is working closely with the communities neighbouring the proposed park areas. "We want to involve local people as much as possible in the development of their park," said Robert Fréchette, director of KRG's new parks section.
Local people have been hired to act as liaison agents for each of the proposed parks. They are Tuumasi Annanack, who is originally from Kangiqsualujjuaq, the Koroc River valley's neighbour and the Torngat mountains' closest inhabited settlement, and Peter Tookalak of Umiujaq, the community nearest to Richmond Gulf.
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An activity report on the two proposed parks was presented at KRG's most recent
council meeting last month. The report drew on contributions from local people,
including elders, as well as information from geologists, geormorphologists,
botanists, wildlife officers and other specialists.
Over the past summer, aerial surveys were conducted in the Richmond Gulf and Clearwater Lake area, while actual field studies have been carried out in the Torngat mountains and Koroc River valley area.
Last winter, the Avataq cultural institute was mandated by KRG to gather information about traditional ecological knowledge and land-use related to the proposed park project, as well as its natural environment, and its historical and cultural background.
The first of the two park proposals, which encompasses most of the Torngat mountains on the Nunavik side, is located east of Kangiqsualujjuaq. The mountain range, known to the Inuit as the house of the spirits (Tuurngait in proper Inuttitut), rises at the head of the scenic Koroc River valley to act as a natural frontier between Nunavik and Labrador. Its highest peak, the Iberville mountain, which rises 1,646 metres above sea level, is also the highest east of the Canadian Rockies, keeping a close watch on the valley down below.
The Koroc River runs through a U-shaped valley in a turquoise stream, which turns into a spectacular waterfall halfway down its wandering course. As the river nears its end, the coniferous forest that shields the valley's fragile soil offers a dramatic contrast with its bare summits above.
The other project, which proposes to embrace two generously proportioned stretches of water, Richmond Gulf and Clearwater Lake, could soon become Quebec's largest park.
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Hidden behind the small Hudson Bay community of Umiujaq, Richmond Gulf is comprised of 712 square kilometers of brackish water sprinkled with an array of islands. The triangular inlet nests in a retreat surrounded by sheer cliffs, which are the highest cuestas (asymmetrical hills) in the province, reaching an average height of 365 metres.
Clearwater Lake, its counterpart 70 kilometres east, is comprised of two basins
that were carved out by a double meteoritic impact 300 million years ago. Its
total surface of 1,243 square kilometers makes this landlocked sea the second-largest
natural lake in Quebec.
This gigantic pool harbours a rare population of freshwater seals. Although the explanation for this phenomenon is still hazy, scientists believe that the seals could have become trapped there when the glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago.
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"This past summer, we have been privileged to see some of the nicest areas,"
said Fréchette, who, as a photographer, can appreciate the potential
that Nunavik also has to offer in terms of tourism.