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THE DUMOINE RIVER
Victory!
On May 14, 2008, the Quebec Minister of Sustainable
Development, Environment and Parks, Line Beauchamp,
announced interim protection for 1445 km² of the Dumoine
River Watershed as an
”Aquatic Reserve”. While CPAWS OV welcomes the
announcement of interim protection, we feel that the
Government must protect at least two thirds of the watershed
in order to properly protect the region’s biodiversity and
to maintain connectivity between the temperate forests of
the Ottawa Valley and the Boreal forest to the north. You
can learn more about the area currently under interim
protection by reading the
Conservation Plan.
What’s next?
CPAWS OV as already submitted comments on the design and
scope of the proposed protected area and we expect to be a
major player in the upcoming public consultations on
permanent protection (these hearings should get underway in
2011). In the meantime, you can send a letter or email to
the Minister to congratulate her on the announcement while
reminding her that the entire watershed should be afforded a
protective status.
You can reach the Minister by email at:
ministre@mddep.gouv.qc.ca or by regular mail:
Madame Line Beauchamp,
Ministre du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des
Parcs
Édifice Marie-Guyart,
30e étage
675, boulevard René-Levesque, Est
Québec (Québec) G1R 5V7
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The Dumoine River drains a
remarkable wild watershed in southwestern Quebec. Its
headwaters lie in the boreal forest landscape of La
Vérendrye wildlife reserve and it ultimately flows into the
Ottawa River about 200 kilometres upstream from
Ottawa/Gatineau.
The Dumoine is...
- The last undammed wild river in southern Quebec.
- The largest area of unfragmented southern boreal
forest in Quebec
- A renowned wilderness paddling destination
- A continentally significant wildlife corridor,
protecting a critical link from La Vérendrye wildlife
reserve in the north to Algonquin Park, which in turn
links to Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A) corridor to the
Appalachian Mountains to the south.
CPAWS-OV is working to ensure that a protected area is
established in the majority of the 4400 sq. km Dumoine
watershed, and that any forestry operations taking place in
the remainder of the watershed are certified by the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC).
DUMOINE HISTORY
"The Father
asked him where this God (i.e. Manitou/Creator) was before
he created the earth. 'In his canoe,' he replied, 'which
was floating upon the waters…'"
(Thumbadoo 2005)
Long ago, Wiskedjak, a prominent character of the
Algonqian legends, came across Kiwegoam or the "turn-back
lake" (Dumoine Lake). As he walked to the opposite side,
he found a round, high, mountain that looked like a beaver
lodge. And Wiskedjak wanted to hunt the giant beaver that
lived in this lodge. He decided to drain Kiwegoam (Dumoine
Lake). While the water was draining, Wiskedjak took a nap. When he woke up, he couldn't find the beaver, and thought
that the beaver has followed the draining water and left the
lake. And so, he followed the beaver. He went past the Coulonge River, the Pembroke Lakes, and arrived at Calumet
Chutes. But he found nothing. He turned around and began
to follow his own tracks, thinking they belonged to the
beaver. Finally, after a number of attempts Wiskedjak gave
up. Nonetheless, his efforts made a significant
contribution: his draining of the Dumoine Lake has created
the Dumoine River, while his trail established the Calumet
portage, or simply the Wiskedjak tracks (Ottawa River
Heritage Designation Committee 2005) (p. 18-21).
Since then, the Dumoine River has developed a strong and
inseparable relationship with humans. Here is the untold
story of the birth of the Dumoine River until 1600.
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Birth of the Dumoine
Since time immemorial, Nature has
patiently carved out many rivers and lakes from the rocks of
the Canadian Shield during the last ice age. One of the
rivers is Dumoine River.
Taking a north-south course, every spring the Dumoine
River helps to drain the water from Northwestern Quebec to
the Ottawa River and out to the Atlantic Ocean. This cycle
ensures Mother Earth is cleansed. She also provides
nourishment for all kinds of living beings who come to
her. And so, the Boreal Forest flourished. This rich
ancient forest houses a wide variety of animals, such as
black bear and moose, beaver, muskrat, and wolf, among its
many species of trees such as black spruce, white and red
pine, pockets of white cedar, and white and yellow birch. Maples and other deciduous trees become more common as you
move down southern part of the river. The forest refreshes
the air for Mother Earth to breath.
Then the Algonquians arrived approximately 10 000
years ago. They migrated from the North to the Canadian
Shield and slowly moved southwards. They reached the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region and met the Dumoine River, and
gave it the name Aginagwasi Sipi. (Ottawa River Heritage
Designation Committee 2005). This encounter has given the
Dumoine River a new role -- to carry the Algonquiens in
their canoes as they travel from north to south on the
river. Quickly, the Dumoine River was recognized as one of
the quickest and most important traveling route to reach the
inland region from the Ottawa River. Archaeologists have
found evidence along the river which suggested temporary
campsites. The evidence further supports the fact that a
considerable number of people traveled on the river over
time, which indicates that it was an important traveling
route during the pre-colonial era. With rivers as their
roads and canoes as their vehicles, the people of this land
quickly developed integrated long-distance communications
networks which facilitated the exchange of ideas, technology
and material goods. This network also provided for the
formation of alliances and the sharing of traditions and
wisdom throughout the region.
Over these ten thousand years, a civilization was born. The Dumoine watershed has witnessed everything: from wars to
assimilation, from radical migration to epidemics. Nonetheless, this civilization has always been kept alive by
its set of strong and rich oral tradition, which revolves
around a great respect for Nature. And undoubtedly, water,
coming from all sources, has become a critical and intricate
element interwoven into the knowledge/culture of this
civilization, or the First Nations as we referred them
today.
The people who stayed behind in the area are the
Anishinabeg or later referred by the Jesuits as the
Algonquins have adopted a nomadic lifestyle in order to
harvest seasonal resources. Their rhythm of life embraced
winter as the vital season for hunting big game, and summer
as the best time for huge gatherings and celebrations such
as weddings. We have, to date identified more than 93
archaeological sites along the Dumoine River, which helps us
partially understand the inseparable relationship between
the Algonquin, the Europeans and the Dumoine. And, there is
much more to discover!
Help us to discover this magnificent story by
protecting this storied watershed.
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SUPPORTERS
Over the last few years, the movement to protect the
Dumoine River watershed as been stronger than ever, we are
now looking at establishing a core protected area which
encompasses the majority of the watershed and encouraging
forestry certification in the remaining part.
You can learn more about this exciting initiative by
viewing maps of the area in question and by visiting our
references section (below). Concerned citizens have been trying to
raise awareness to preserve this wonder of southern Quebec
for over 75 years. Last Spring, over 3000 postcards were
submitted to the Quebec Minister of Sustainable Development,
the Environment and Parks (Ministère du Développement
durable de l'Environnement et des Parcs) to support the
proposal for a core protected area in the Dumoine
watershed.
Do you want to be part of this exciting campaign?
This page is yours. If you would like to add your voice
to the growing chorus trying to protect one of the last
remaining undisturbed rivers in Quebec, please send an email
with your name, organisational affiliation (if available),
address, logo (if available) and comments to
jmcdonnell@cpaws.org
For more information on the Dumoine River campaign or to
get involved, please contact Jay Morrison - Committee Chair at
jaymorrison@rogers.com
or by phone at (613) 731-0336.
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References:
April 2008
February 2006
July 2005
August 2004
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Image credit (banner):
Marc Gravel |
