Forillon National Park of Canada

Illustrating the Harmony Between Man, the Land and the Sea

A narrow band of hilly land, bordered by cliffs, swept by wind and eroded by waves. This is the end of the Gaspé Peninsula, set before the immensity of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Here, at land's end, nature has made her last stand and created landscapes of tremendous beauty .... Forillon National Park is a heritage for us all.

• An Open Window on Ancient Environments
• A Climate Tempered by the Sea
• Where Fresh and Salt Water Meet
• Northern and Southern Plants Thriving Together
• From Mammals to Seabirds: Diverse and Highly Visible Fauna
• A Surprising Variety of Marine Life
• An Important Part of Our Heritage for Future Generations

An Open Window on Ancient Environments

Forillon National Park is a prime site for exploring rock formations which form a sort of geological calendar. Here we find an exceptional phenomenon: ten separate and clearly visible geological formations juxtaposed in a narrow strip.

The story of their creation extends over the three periods in which the marine sediments that compose them were accumulated: the Ordovician (over 500 million years ago), Silurian (450 to 500 million years ago) and Devonian (345 to 450 million years ago). The rocky structures that are exposed in the park have a long geological history and bear eloquent witness to the movements of the earth's crust that gave birth to the Appalachian mountains.

The fossils found in the limestone and sandstone strata are further astonishing features that help to determine the relative ages of rocks, the sequence of the appearance of life forms on earth and the climatic conditions that prevailed when these life forms existed.

The park is located in a sea cliff region. Thus, it is not surprising that it has relatively rugged surface features, in keeping with the underlying geological structure. In the southern half of the park, the topography is directly influenced by the rock strata which tectonic forces have tilted to an angle of 20 to 30 degrees. The result is a series of ranges gently inclined toward the sea to the south and abruptly terminating at the centre of the park in rocky cliffs running parallel to the coastline. In the northern half more rolling relief, generally under 300 m in height, can be found. The landscape is broken up by many narrow, entrenched valleys, all running toward the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The sea has moulded the coastline to produce a wide variety of forms, sculpting wave-cut terraces, high cliffs, coves and grottoes.

A Climate Tempered by the Sea

Forillon National Park enjoys a milder climate than might be expected at such a northerly latitude because of the presence of the sea, which cools the summers and moderates the harshness of the winters. The mean temperatures for the months of July and January are 17ºC and -10ºC, respectively, and differ little from those recorded in Québec (19ºC and -10.6ºC) and in Montreal (21ºC and -9.5ºC), two cities that are located significantly farther south. Total annual precipitation averages 100 cm, compared with 92 cm in southern Quebec. Distance from the sea, particular physical features, altitude and prevailing wind direction are among the factors that differentiate local climatic conditions within the park, sometimes markedly.

Where Fresh and Salt Water Meet

Forillon National Park is a meeting place for three kinds of aquatic environments: freshwater, brine and saltwater.

Many tumbling streams run through the park, which is drained by two main waterways: the Anse-au-Griffon and Au Renard rivers. The park has only five small lakes-Renard Lake (13 ha) and the four Penouille Lakes totalling 10 ha-which are all located at altitudes above 350 m. In Gaspé Bay, the salt water mixes with the freshwater outflow of several rivers, producing waters that are brackish or briny, particularly in the vicinity of Penouille where a salt marsh adds to the distinctiveness of the park. This salt marsh undergoes frequent changes in salt concentrations, and offers food and shelter to a wide variety of living creatures.

Finally, there is the sea. It is the dominant feature of the landscape, although the portion contained within the park's territory includes only a strip 0.16 km wide along 25 km of shoreline, from Petit-Gaspé to the Bon Ami Cape and the Penouille area.

Northern and Southern Plants Thriving Together

A particularly noteworthy aspect of Forillon National Park is the astonishing diversity of its plant life, which can be partially attributed to the presence of ten separate ecosystems: forest, cliffs, alpine meadows, fallow fields, sand dunes, lakes, streams, freshwater and saltwater marshes and the shore.

The forest covers 95 percent of the park's land area. It is representative of coniferous boreal forest and mixed forest country. Fir and yellow birch stands and maple and yellow birch stands as well as fir and white birch stands with wood fern are typical vegetation communities in keeping with the regional climate.

However, other factors, such as unconsolidated deposits, soil type, drainage and slope conditions encourage considerable diversification of forest cover types. A total of 63 forest vegetation communities have been identified.

In this forest-dominated setting, the 696 plant species of Forillon National Park create an impressive complex of vegetation that includes some botanical communities of particular interest: the arctic-alpine flora of the cliffs, the plants of the salt marsh and the vegetation of the dunes.

The mountain ranges of the Canadian and American West and the coastal refuge of the sea cliffs of the Gaspé Peninsula-Forillon National Park in particular-are considered to be relic habitats from the late glacial epoch for plants that generally have a much more northerly range. The alpine meadows of Gaspé Cape and the talus and limestone cliff faces exposed to the harsh weather of the Gulf of St. Lawrence provide a home for some 115 species of plants that are usually found in arctic or alpine locations.

The Penouille Peninsula harbours vegetation communities and flora of great worth, growing wherever the instability of the dune substrate, the siliceous nature of the sand and the thickness of the organic soils will allow.

The salt marsh located near Penouille represents another particular habitat type with plants that are well adapted to the brackishness of the water and the action of the tides.

At Forillon National Park, vegetation, topography, ocean and traces of human occupancy are the basic components of a highly complex environment. The many ecological niches present here encourage great wildlife diversity. Animal species range from marine invertebrates to ungulates, with birds and marine mammals along the way.

From Mammals to Seabirds: Diverse and Highly Visible Fauna

Although essentially a marine park, Forillon is not without an interesting complement of land mammals, including many of the most common species of the boreal forest. The most impressive of these is the moose, which is very much at home in the rugged terrain covered with vast coniferous woods. The abandoned agricultural plots along the edge of the woods provide a place to browse on shrub growth. Other residents include a large carnivore, the black bear, and a variety of small mammals that are all equally important to the park's ecological balance. The most frequently sighted species are the beaver, red fox, coyote, lynx, snowshoe hare, porcupine, woodchuck, American mink, ermine, eastern chipmunk and red squirrel.

Seabirds give the park a definite maritime feel. Each year, the spring migrations bring double-crested cormorant, black guillemot, black-legged kittiwake, gulls and razorbill, all attracted by suitable breeding sites and an abundance of food in the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Gaspé Bay. The sea cliffs of the Bon Ami Cape area accommodate the park's largest gathering of birds during the breeding period, including thousands of black-legged kittiwake.

Somewhat eclipsed by the boisterous marine avifauna, land birds are nonetheless abundant. Over 225 nesting and visiting species have been counted in the park. The park's forests and fields play host to a wide variety of small birds, particularly sparrows, warblers, jays, woodpeckers and thrushes. These are also good spots for observing the 26 raptor species that visit the park, the most abundant being the rough-legged hawk (during migration period only), the northern harrier, and the American kestrel.

The great blue heron, one of the species that live along the shore, comes regularly to feed in the marsh at Penouille. The shore is also a place favored by common terns, ospreys, gulls and sandpipers.

A Surprising Variety of Marine Life

The ecosystem formed where the land meets the sea has a high potential for marine wildlife because it receives elements from each of these two environments. Marine invertebrates such as mussels, sea urchins, crabs and lobsters cling to the rocky or sandy bottom along the edge of the park. They are particularly abundant in the marine basins along Gaspé Bay. Meanwhile, harbour and grey seals regularly use the park's rocky shores as resting sites. These shores are also breeding sites for harbour seals.

Seven species of whales frequent the food-rich waters around the park. Both the largest and the smallest cetacean visit this area: the blue whale, the largest animal in the world, and the common porpoise.

An Important Part of Our Heritage for Future Generations

Forillon National Park has made it possible to preserve a representative sample of one of this country's major natural regions for the benefit of Canadians, so that they may enjoy this exceptional and valuable part of their heritage.

To Find Out More

The Beaver: Emblem of Our National Parks
Black-legged Kittiwake: A Seafaring Bird
The Conservation of Natural Resources
Learning Experiences