Parc national de la Gaspésie! - Sépaq

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Predators on Centre Stage Geneviève Brosseau Park Naturalist, Parc national de la Gaspésie In 19 th century Québec, the wolf was a feared bandit, despised by the general population. Public opinion along the shores of the St. Lawrence River was typical of widespread views throughout North America: the wolf’s wild nature and the fact that it competes directly with man, hunting game and killing livestock, made it an animal to be eliminated at all costs. In 1831, the government of Lower Canada (modern-day southern Québec and Labrador) adopted a law encouraging the destruction of wolves based on a bounty system. Consequently, wolves were killed indiscriminately, whether or not they had attacked livestock. At that time, the bounty – two pounds and ten shillings for each pair of wolf ears – was a powerful incentive! Wolves were completely eliminated from the south shore of the St. Lawrence between 1850 and 1900, through the combined effects of the eradication campaigns, the proliferation of villages, road construction and logging. During this same period, coyotes from the plains of the American Midwest moved beyond their original range. As documented in the literature, the territorial expansion of the coyote over the last 90 years has been dramatic, even explosive. Coyotes were fi rst seen in the Gaspésie in 1973 and reached the Parc national de la Gaspésie in the early 1980s. It should not have been a surprise that the elimination of wolves by man left a vacant ecological niche in forested and mixed agricultural environments perfect for coyotes. They are now at the top of the food chain. Currently, coyotes are having a signifi cant impact on the caribou of the Parc national de la Gaspésie, mainly because the caribou population is small and isolated. The fawns are prey to the coyotes until they reach six months of age, and the likelihood of the two meeting is higher in some areas of the park during that crucial period. Ironically, the same intensifi cation of human activities that resulted in a drastic reduction in the woodland caribou’s range also constituted a major advantage for the coyote. Indeed, logging and land clearing in North America have improved the quality of the coyote’s habitat. The coyote followed the path thus opened to reach the Gaspésie. In fact, the coyote is the most successful colonizing mammal in recent history. Along the way, the coyote has shown a surprising ability to adapt: when they enter a new territory, the bestadapted individuals survive and reproduce, despite any constraints of their new environment. The net effect of their eastward progression is that eastern coyotes are larger and very robust, with a more massive skull and powerful musculature that makes them better adapted to catching larger prey like white-tailed deer. Some female coyotes in the Great Lakes region even mated with wolves. The wolf genes carried by the offspring introduced genetic variability that was advantageous for the affected individuals and, at the very least, favoured the success of some coyote populations in colonizing new territory. 10 www.parcsquebec.com Surprising as this combination of circumstances may sound, the current success of the coyote highlights both the species’ fantastic adaptability and man’s role as a super-predator capable of modifying his environment. This role remains critical in our efforts to both wisely manage the environment and understand predators in order to manage their populations while working to conserve diverse species. Bibliography Articles: FENER, Heather, et.al., Chronology of range expansion of the coyote, Canis latrans, in New York. Canadian Field-naturalist, 119 (1), 2005, p. 1-5. GOMPER, Matthew E., Top Carnivores in the Suburbs? Ecological and Conservation Issues Raised by Colonization of North-Eastern North America. BioScience, Vol. 52, No. 2, 2002, p. 185-190. KAYS, Roland, et al., Rapid adaptive evolution of northeastern coyotes via hybridization with wolves. Biology Letters, Vol. 6, 2010, p. 89-93. WHEELDON, Tyler, et al., Colonization history and ancestry of northeastern coyotes. Biology Letters, Vol. 6, 2010, p. 246-247. Books: BOISJOLY, Dominic. 2006. Sélection de l’habitat par le coyote, Canis latrans, dans le contexte de la conservation du caribou de la Gaspésie [Coyote habitat selection in the Gaspésie]. Dissertation submitted within the wildlife and habitat management program, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 52 pages. HÉNAULT, M. and H. JOLICOEUR. 2003. Les loups au Québec: Meutes et mystères [The wolves of Québec]. Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec, Direction de l’aménagement de la faune des Laurentides et Direction du développement de la faune, 129 pages. ISABEL, Claude, Version révisée 2009. Synthèse des connaissances [Summary of current knowledge]. Parc national de la Gaspésie, Réseau de la Sépaq, 262 pages.
Permanent Exhibits Protect and Discover CENTRE DE DÉCOUVERTE DU MONT JACQUES-CARTIER PERMANENT EXHIBITS ACTIVITY DATES DURATION FEE MEETING PLACE A sea of mountains in the heart of the Gaspé Peninsula May 18 to October 8, 2012 December 26, 2012 to April 21, 2013 30 min. Free Discovery and Visitors Centre The Caribou… of the Gaspé! June 24 to September 30, 2012 30 min. Free Discovery and Visitors Centre NETWORK SCHOOL PROGRAM CLIENTELE ACTIVITY DATES DURATION FEE MEETING PLACE 1st cycle, secondary school Québec’s national parks: Protected areas During the school year 60-75 min. $100.00 / class At school PARK SCHOOL PROGRAM CLIENTELE ACTIVITY DATES DURATION FEE MEETING PLACE All levels Adapted according to level and needs Discovery and Visitors Centre A sea of mountains in the heart of the Gaspé Peninsula The varied landscape of this glacier-carved sea of mountains includes stone fi elds, high plateaus, ridges and deep valleys. The wind blows year-round here, sometimes with great force, and snow is more abundant in the Chic-Chocs than anywhere else in Quebec, lingering until late summer. The wildlife and plants resemble those of arctic regions. And wherever you look, majestic panoramas beckon. June 4 to 23 and August 27 to October 20, 2012 Variable Mont Jacques-Cartier Discovery Centre Caribou... in the Gaspésie! On the surrounding mountains lives the last herd of caribou south of the St. Lawrence River. Following just a few simple guidelines will help protect the immense value of this endangered woodland caribou population: explore their habitat without disturbing it; keep your distance when observing caribou; and learn about their habitat and their needs. The Parc national de la Gaspésie relies on everyone’s goodwill, at all times, to help protect these rare animals. Thanks for your cooperation! According to the length of the activity Meet at Discovery and Visitors Centre 11
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