Section 22 : Boreal Lake Plateau

    "The term "boreal" in the name of this region implies that the boreal forest ecosystem is a dominant feature. But actually the vegetation of the region is a south to north transition from dense spruce forests to muskeg. Fire occurs frequently and is a major influence on vegetation."

    This area for my proposed national park is located in the Boreal Lake Plateau.  It is filled with lakes, bogs, swamps and mountains.  This site is home to Lac à l'Eau Claire, the second largest lake in Quebec.  The two adjoining craters that create Lac à l'Eau Claire are believed to be the remains of an ancient volcano or the result of a meteorite that split before hitting the earth.  

    The vegetation in the Boreal Lake Plateau includes black spruce (the dominant tree species), dwarf birch, bog rosemary, willow and Labrador tea.  In the air over the lakes, string bogs appear as faint lighting.  This is actually sphagnum moss growing on decayed vegetation matter.  These form on gradual slopes and grow as right angles along the slope.

    Caribou, moose, black bear, red fox, arctic fox, snowshoe hare, spruce grouse, wolf, coyote, beaver, mink, lynx, and marten inhabit this area.  Snow geese, waterfowl, canadian geese and tundra swans migrate along the shores of James Bay and Hudson Bay in the fall to feed.  Belugas, bearded seals and harbour seals come to shore to feed aswell.  

    There is a tree line passes through the proposed park area. In 1989, the mayor of Umiujaq, a community on Hudson Bay, asked Parks Canada to consider the possibility of establishing a national park in the Lac Guillaume-Delisle area.

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