The Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, in the Côte-de-Beaupré RCM, 50 kilometres east of Quebec City (coordinates: 47º04’N 070º48’W). Covering 2,399 ha, the National Wildlife Area is a mosaic of landscapes at the junction of the St. Lawrence Lowlands, Canadian Shield and Appalachians
The Canadian Wildlife Service acquired the territory on April 12, 1969, but it was not until April 1978 that the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area was officially created with the mandate to protect American Bulrush marshes, the main habitat of the Greater Snow Goose during migratory periods. In January 1981, the National Wildlife Area was the first site in Canada to obtain RAMSAR site status (the Ramsar Convention designates wetlands of international importance).
The National Wildlife Area has several offerings: interpretive activities, a network of hiking trails, traditional snow goose hunting, and farming.
Main Research Projects Under Way:
Greater Snow Goose Study Bird Banding Study and Monitoring of Species at Risk American Bulrush Marsh Monitoring
306 AVIAN SPECIES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED SINCE THE WILDLIFE AREA WAS CREATED The rich avian diversity and large avian populations in the National Wildlife Area are largely attributable to the National Wildlife Area’s unique location. As well, various enhancement projects completed in the National Wildlife Area with Ducks Unlimited in order to promote waterfowl breeding have helped to increase avian species diversity by establishing new avian habitats.
MIGRATION During migratory periods, dabbling ducks flock to Cap Tourmente, as do thousands of Greater Snow Geese. Warblers and other passerines also congregate in this narrow corridor framed by the Cap’s escarpment and the St. Lawrence. Raptors (Broad-winged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, etc.) also show up when the winds are right.
NIDIFICATION A hundred avian species nest in the area during the nesting period. You’ll be sure to spot Common Ravens – a long-time, faithful visitor –, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, American Robins, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow Warblers, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, American Kestrels and Tree Swallows in the summer. Some breeding species are on the Species at Risk List, including the Peregrine Falcon, Red-shouldered Hawk and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
WINTER Black-capped Chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves and White- and Red-breasted Nuthatches are just some of the most frequent resident species you’ll see in the winter. If you’re patient, you might just glance upon a Pileated Woodpecker, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak or Barred Owl at a bend in the trail.
MAMMALS The National Wildlife Area is home to more than 30 species of mammals. You’ll most likely come across Muskrats, Woodchucks and Red Squirrels or even a Red Fox, Raccoon, Snowshoe Hare, American Porcupine, American Mink or Long-tailed Weasel. White-tailed Deer and black bears are also quite common.
Numerous small but stealthy rodents abound, including mice and shrews that live in the underbrush. In the winter, freshly fallen snow bears the prints of these small inhabitants of the National Wildlife Area. The Red Fox and several birds of prey scan the fields in search of these abundant bits of sustenance.
AMPHIBIANS Amphibians are discrete but omnipresent in the National Wildlife Area. The Spring Peeper, Wood Frog and American Toad dwell in wooded areas, while the Green Frog, Leopard Frog and North Frog can be seen or heard in ponds and along streams. The Blue-spotted Salamander and the Eastern Redback Salamander slither beneath dead leaves, stones and logs in wet woodlands. The deafening chorus of Spring Peepers can be heard in April and May and on cloudy days in the late summer and early fall. Wood Frogs croak hoarsely and often rapidly as soon as the ponds are free of ice. The American Toad, which also dwells in cultivated fields, gives off shreak trill sounds in shallow watercourses and ponds during the breeding season.
REPTILES The Common Garter Snake, a non-venomous snake, is the only reptile identified to date in the National Wildlife Area. It slithers about everywhere, particularly in sunny areas where it loves to soak up the sun’s rays. It usually ranges from 60 to 80 cm in length, with some rare specimens measuring more than 135 cm long. The common garter snake feeds on earthworms, frogs and the occasional mouse. It swallows its prey whole.
FISH Streams, runlets, ditches and ponds are important habitats where many species of fish spawn and are reared. Brook trout abound in the pure, fresh, crystal-clear waters of the streams that cascade down the escarpments. Sticklebacks are a dietary mainstay for many fish and birds. In some locations, depending on the time of year, Sticklebacks and White Suckers congregate in the streams.
INSECTS There is as yet no exhaustive entomological diversity inventory for the National Wildlife Area, but some highly visible species can easily be identified. Dragonflies and damsel flies swarm near ponds and marshes, while fruit tree blossoms and flowers attract many pollinators like wasps and bees. The soil and deadwood teem with scavenging insects, much to the delight of birds and small mammals.
Cap Tourmente’s plant diversity includes some 22 types of forest stands and no less than 700 plant species. It features large, old-stand forests that are highly sought after by numerous birds. The main types of forests are maple stands, balsam fir-white birch stands, birch stands and beech stands. The vegetation changes with the seasons: underbrush comes alive with magnificent spring flowers (mid-May), the scent of many fruit trees fills the air in early summer (June), the tidal marsh smells of well-established flowering plants (August), and the deciduous forest is painted in a kaleidoscope of warm, bright colours in the fall (October). Winter brings out the splendour of snow-laden coniferous trees that oftentimes collapse under the weight of the thick layers of snow and create unforgettable, frost-covered landscapes (for example, take the La Prucheraie Trail)... Each visit will leave you breathless!
The rapid succession of several natural habitats, from the St. Lawrence and the Lowlands up to the coniferous highlands, makes for a very diversified and unparalleled rich ecosystem in this region of Quebec. Cap Tourmente’s diverse forest stands are located in a very narrow ecosystem between the Boreal Forest Region and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Region. The site is the northern limit of the range of many plant species and several rare plants in Quebec and Canada.
There are two large climax forest zones on the north shore of the St. Lawrence in the Cap Tourmente region – yellow birch-maple and balsam fir – which form part of the deciduous forest belt and the boreal forest belt, respectively. The main tree species in the Lowlands are the Sugar Maple, American Beech, White Birch, Eastern Hemlock, Eastern White Cedar, Balsam Poplar, Red Ash and American White Ash, Trembling Aspen, Large-toothed Aspen, Scotch Elm and Red Oak. Black Spruce, Balsam Fir, Red Spruce and Jack Pine grow near the Cap’s summit.
The Laurentian maple stand covers the piedmont plain, while the beech-maple stand is the forestry complex’s dominant grouping of trees. It is found in Cap Tourmente at elevations below 515 metres. Yellow birch, black spruce and jack pine forests grow near the summit.
The intertidal marsh shelters primarily the American Bulrush, wild rice and Arrowhead. The bulrush’s rhizomes are a staple of the Great Snow Goose diet.
The tidal marsh is a huge mosaic of plant groups dominated by goldenrods, Shore Horsetail, Purple Loosetrife, Spotted Jewelweed and Bird Vetch. Chaffy Sedge and Erect Sedge flourish in a homogenous strip that hems in the upper boundaries of the intertidal marsh. Very dense stands of Sweet Gale, or bog myrtle, also grow in several areas of the marsh.
In the coastal plain above the tidal and intertidal marshes, fields are sown with grain, while the borders are filled with shrubs like crack willows, Speckled Alder and cherry trees. Cattails are abundant in the man-made fields in this plain.
THE FIRST INHABITANTS The St. Lawrence Iroquois were the first inhabitants of the territory bordering Cap Tourmente. These sedentary Amerindians, who lived in longhouses, drew their subsistence from farming, hunting and fishing. Jacques Cartier met the St. Lawrence Iroquois during his voyage up the St. Lawrence Valley in 1535. Almost a hundred years later, when Samuel de Champlain followed the same route, the St. Lawrence Iroquois were no more. Only a few nomad Montagnais hunters still hunted the abundant fauna on Cap Tourmente’s land. Literally charmed by Cap Tourmente’s features and natural beauty, Samuel de Champlain decided to stay and built the first farm there in 1626. It consisted of a dwelling and a stable. However, the British ended his dream, when they set fire to his farm and destroyed everything in their path two years later.
WHERE DOES THE NAME CAP TOURMENTE COME FROM? Cap Tourmente was named by Samuel de Champlain in 1608: “Coasting along from Isle aux Coudres, we reached a cape which we named Cap de Tourmente, seven leagues distant; and we gave it this name because, however little wind there may be, the water rises there as if it were full tide...” Clearly, Champlain chose the name because of the waves that build whenever there is the slightest wind in the area.
MONSIGNOR FRANÇOIS DE LAVAL AND THE SÉMINAIRE DE QUÉBEC Under Monsignor François de Laval, some 40 years after the British had burned everything, Cap Tourmente’s land was returned to farming and over the years became a vast cultivated area. The Séminaire de Québec, to which Mgr. de Laval had bequeathed his estate, continued his work, and for almost 300 years cattle were raised and many forage and grain plants were cultivated on Cap Tourmente’s land, enabling Cap Tourmente to supply the Séminaire de Québec with meat, dairy products and vegetables up until the mid-20th century. Four large farms were established under the Séminaire de Québec: Petite-Ferme, Grande-Ferme, Ferme de la Friponne and Ferme du Cap. the PETITE-FERME
In 1664, Mgr. de Laval bought almost all the Côte-de-Beaupré land with his own money, in order to establish the Séminaire in Québec City and ensure its existence. He also wanted to found a model farm, where young people could learn about field tasks and the most in-demand trades, while acquiring an education.
The buildings needed for farming were built. The first lease in this new era was granted to Romain de Trépagny and his family in 1667. In 1690, the one-storey Petite-Ferme house was expanded to a final size of 100 × 26 French feet (32 m × 8 m), with the addition of a domestic chapel adjoining the house’s eastern gable, and a stone barn and stable.
From 1747 to 1760, Joseph-Michel Cadet (Caddé) was the new foreman at Petite-Ferme. Named “Purveyor-General” of New France (he had to supply the colony with everything the King needed) and King’s butcher, he made a fortune from the Petite-Ferme's land, by charging the King excessive rates and sharing the profits with his friend, François Bigot, District Administrator for New France. Caddé started off with nothing and became the richest man in New France, but was banished for nine years because he had harmed the King's interests.
In June 1759, eight British ships under the control of Wolfe were at the foot of Cap Tourmente. Two months later, 168 British troops pillaged, plundered and set fire to many buildings on either side of the St. Lawrence, and the Séminaire de Québec was destroyed. Repair work and rebuilding commenced in 1760. Many families subsequently resided on the Petite-Ferme, sometimes for long periods. A milestone event occurred in 1934, when Quebec Power installed electric lighting at the Petite-Ferme and butter factory.
Today, the Canadian Wildlife Service uses the Petite-Ferme for its Administrative Offices. The Association des amis et amies du cap Tourmente rents out three meeting rooms in this historic building.
FERME DE LA FRIPONNE The Ferme de la Friponne was built in 1750, in the vicinity of the Grande rivière du cap (now the Friponne river). A dwelling was built on the farm in 1752. Charles Guilbault, a farmer from Charlesbourg, was hired as the first foreman in 1753 and stayed on the farm with the family until 1776.
In 1759, the Ferme de la Friponne unfortunately fell to British troops under the command of Wolfe. Although the farm’s buildings were rebuilt, the house was again ravaged by fire in the 1940s. It was never rebuilt and the farm was left to pasture. The only remaining building is the Maison des Français (French People’s House) near the Interpretation Centre’s parking lot.
FERME DU CAP OR FERME DU BOUT DU CAP Located just off Allée d'Ormes, the Ruins of the farm house built in 1786 are the last remnant of the Ferme du Cap. The farm also had various outbuildings, like a barn-stable, silo, woodshed, straw shed, shop, milk house built against the farm house, and an oven for bread.
After the last farm couple left, the farm was converted into a camp that eel fishermen rented out to the Séminaire de Québec. The house was accidentally gutted by fire sometime around 1955-58 and what remains is the Ruins.
Since the Ruins are exposed to the elements and have been damaged by the harsh climate, the Government of Canada stepped in to preserve this historic site. Sheet metal inside the Ruins prevents water from infiltrating into the joints between the stones and also solidifies the structure so that it’ll stand for years to come!
THE FORGOTTEN FERME CHEVALIER The Ferme Chevalier, once owned by the Séminaire de Quebec, was located within the current National Wildlife Area. Situated between Petit Cap and the Petite-Ferme, on both sides of chemin du Cap-Tourmente, this more modest farm has since disappeared completely. The dwelling on the west side of the road was disassembled stone by stone around 1965 and that stone was subsequently used to build a physician’s home in the faubourg of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges. Three other farm buildings were located on the east side of the road. Phydime Bouchard was the last farmer to operate the farm from 1929 to 1960.
View from Petit Cap of the Ferme Chevalier, circa mid-20th century.
Denise La Rochelle, granddaughter of Phydime Bouchard, recalls: “I remember this place as a haven of peace and a source of energy.
Every summer, I was fortunate to spend a few weeks with my grandparents. I explored this magical site from sunrise until sunset, while doing my best to help out with chores: feed the hens, dog, calves and domesticated geese. My younger sister and I would often be asked to take ice-cold water to the men in the field who were harvesting hay in the searing heat. I was proud to do a man’s work when asked, like “stomp” on the hay that my grandfather loaded onto the cart, gather cows for the train or bring animals into the stable. At nightfall, I loved to sit on the front porch and admire the river and the cape and watch many boats go by.
Two “hard workers”: Hélène La Rochelle and her father, Robert La Rochelle, sitting on a load of hay. July 1955
Phydime Bouchard ran the farm from 1929 to 1960
We sometimes went to Sunday mass in the Petit Cap chapel, and to get there we had to take a wooded trail riddled with dangers for a little girl like me. My heart would skip a beat at the mere thought of encountering a wild animal or falling off a plank straddling a precipice. The small chapel was filled with the heady scent of wild flowers, and the song of wild birds gave new meaning to religious celebration.
When my parents spent a few days with the rest of the family, we had a great time: we would scour the nearby woods in search of small streams where we could tease the trout.
During my teen years, my grandmother would hire me to help her pick raspberries. My first love, who lived on the Petite-Ferme, would travel by horseback to visit me in the raspberry field.
My walks through the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area now give me the opportunity to relive those magical moments of my childhood...”
THE CANADIAN WILDLIFE SERVICE The Government of Canada purchased the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area from the Séminaire de Québec in 1969, in order to protect the American Bulrush marsh, the main habitat of Greater Snow Geese during their stopovers. Environment Canada acquired the land in order to conserve and protect representative and strategic habitats along the St. Lawrence River and wildlife species, some of which area at risk. The National Wildlife Area covers nearly 2,400 hectares – of which 34% is an intertidal marsh – and was the first territory in North America to be designated a “wetland of international importance” (Ramsar Convention) in 1981. It is also part of a national network of protected areas.
FIND OUT MORE If you’re a history buff, stop by the Interpretation Centre and ask the naturalists for a copy of the self-guided historical tour: Uncovering the past...
While on the self-guided tour, you’ll learn a great deal about the people who once lived in the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area.
THE WILDLIFE AREA IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR MAIN PHYSIOGRAPHIC UNITS:
The laurentian plateau The coastal plain The tidal marsh The intertidal marsh
These physiographic units, created by glacial and post-glacial events during the Wisconsin Era, owe their current appearance to modifications caused by climate, tides and waves.
THE LAURENTIAN PLATEAU The Laurentian Plateau, the area’s dominant feature, consists of Precambrian rock formed 800 million years ago. It has smooth, rounded, forest-covered summits from which many streams flow. A steep cliff separates the plateau from the plain. The plateau’s relatively flat topography features a series of caps concentrated on the shores of the St. Lawrence. Cap Tourmente’s elevation has dropped from about 4,500 metres to just 571 metres above sea-level. The formation is composed of granite, as well as Trenton limestone and Potsdam sandstone in the Friponne river breccia. Glacial till makes up most of the surface deposits. The eastern limit of the plateau consists in a virtually vertical, 95-metre-high fault scarp or scree. Boulders piled at the base broke off the scarp’s wall during repeated frost and thaw cycles.
THE COASTAL PLAIN The coastal plain’s rolling terrain gradually descends towards the river. It is slightly hummocky along its length because of paleoshore ridges and a vast marine terrace primarily consisting of well-drained marine sands. The lowermost and most uniform sections are made of sea clay 1.5 to 4.5 metres thick and cover 450-million-year-old Utica Shale. This is an agricultural sector.
THE TIDAL MARSH The plain gives way to a tidal marsh that covers only a narrow strip measuring about 200 metres wide. This rather swampy sector is flooded periodically and features a much more diverse flora than the costal plain and the intertidal marsh. Comprised almost exclusively of sea clay about one metre thick resting on Utica Shale interbedded with Potsdam sandstone, this relatively flat strip of land is interspersed with numerous canals, runlets and streams.
THE INTERTIDAL MARSH The irregularly shaped intertidal marsh extends over more than 800 hectares and is swept by average tides. It is separated from the tidal marsh by a sudden one- to two-metre drop in grade called a “gap”. This very uniform expanse of sea clay ranging in width from 60 to 760 metres is covered by vast expanses of American Bulrush whose rhizomes are feed for the Greater Snow Geese on their stopovers.
Source: Canadian Wildlife Service
RELIEF MAP The National Wildlife Area is outlined in red.
The Cap Tourmente area has a cold temperate climate with humid winters and cool summers typical of the St. Lawrence Estuary climatic region. Cap Tourmente’s unique topography and rugged landform, the various aspects and particular orientation of its slopes, its south exposure, and the presence of the St. Lawrence – a large body of water – are the main factors that strongly influence day-to-day maximum and minimum temperatures and temperature lapse. These climatic conditions affect the vegetation: there are northern forest communities at the Cap Tourmente’s summit, while Laurentian maple stands cover the piedmont plain.
