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River
of the Boreal Highlands
Bordered by the Tundra
Hills to the northwest,
the East Coast Boreal
Region to the northeast,
and the Central Boreal
Uplands to the west, the
natural region of the
Canadian Shield known
as the Laurentian
Boreal Highlands
sends its rivers –
the turbulent Moisie among
them – tumbling
dramatically downward
to the lands below. A
massive, rugged shield
of Precambrian bedrock,
deeply incised by the
rushing waters, ends abruptly
in headlands along the
southern border, rising
300-600 metres from the
St. Lawrence River. Throughout
the region, a thick forest
of black spruce and balsam
fir, interspersed with
pockets of white birch
in areas of logging or
fire, provides habitat
for woodland caribou,
moose, black bear, wolves,
lynx, snowshoe hare, and
grouse. A uniform carpet
of moss thrives on the
damp forest floor, giving
way to a patchwork of
water-filled bogs as the
transition to the northern
tundra takes place.
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Timber Wolf
Territory
Amid the nocturnal noises of the Moisie
River wilderness, canoeists camped by
the water’s edge are likely to
hear the cry of the eastern timber wolf,
howling its position to its pack, or
asserting its territorial rights. During
the course of their trip, paddlers may
even see a few of the elusive, large
(30 – 45 kilogram) grizzled gray-brown
canines.
With a plentiful supply of ungulates
such as woodland caribou and moose,
the forests of the Moisie support a
stable wolf population and contribute
to a Quebec population of about 8,000.
Once the most widely distributed mammal
in the world, the wolf is now just as
widely endangered. In the United States,
the wolf has been exterminated from
about 95% of its historic range. Canadian
wolf populations are stable but variable,
amounting to about 52,000 of the estimated
global total of 150,000-200,000 wolves.
The wolf is well known for the well-ordered
hierarchy of its pack structure. Packs
of 8 –10 wolves are usually made
up of family members, including a dominant
“alpha” parental pair and
the offspring of the last 2 -3 years.
The alpha wolves use body language to
convey their position, holding their
tails high and bristling their fur.
In their presence, subordinate members
of the pack cower close to the ground,
with their ears back and their tails
between their legs.
New wolf packs are formed by means of
“dispersal,” when offspring
leave their natal pack to find new territory.
About 60% of young wolves leave their
packs by 2 years of age.
Wolves are carnivores, requiring an
average of 5 kilograms of meat per day
to successfully reproduce. Since only
1 out of every 10 attempted kills is
successful, hungry wolves may gorge
on up to 10 kilograms of meat at one
time. Their powerful jaws are equipped
with massive, bone-crushing molars,
giving them a biting pressure that is
double that of a German Shepherd, and
5 times that of a human.
Apart from human hunters and trappers,
the wolves of the Moisie region have
no natural predators. While 50% of pups
do not survive their first year, due
to injury, disease and starvation, territorial
fights are the major cause of premature
adult mortality. The wolf’s natural
lifespan extends from 8 -12 years.
Optimal Osprey
Hovering about 15 metres above the
rushing water, then suddenly dropping
straight down, its wings half spread,
its sharp, curved claws stretched
forward, the Osprey of the Moisie
River disappears beneath the surface
with a resounding splash. Moments
later, it reappears, quickly rising
to the first available perch to tear
its slippery piscine prey to pieces.
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Senior
Salmon
When is a salmon not a
salmon? When it’s
a grilse, a junior version
of the anadromous Atlantic
species. Fish biologists
and sports fishers differentiate
between “grilse”,
fish that have returned
to freshwater to spawn
after only 1 winter at
sea, and “salmon,”
those that return after
2 or more winters in salt
water (MSW, or multi-sea
winter). Not surprisingly,
grilse are smaller than
salmon, usually no more
than 2 kilograms, while
salmon are considerably
larger, weighing up to
18 kilograms. While some
rivers are predominantly
grilse rivers, and others
have a mixture of both
grilse and salmon, the
Moisie is overwhelmingly
a salmon river. Scale
readings of fish passing
through a counting fence
on the river reveal that
most Moisie spawners are
“3SW” salmon,
veterans of 3 winters
at sea. The Moisie does
not appear to be part
of the trend toward “grilseification”
that has affected several
rivers in eastern Canada
and the British Isles,
causing concerns about
declining numbers of large,
egg-rich female salmon
that are critical to the
survival of the species.
Moisie salmon also owe
their super-size to the
fact that some of them
are repeat spawners. Unlike
Pacific salmon species
that die after spawning,
Atlantic salmon are capable
of spawning more than
once (and as many as 4
times). Typically, however,
die-off after first spawning
is high – up to
95%. But an unusually
high percentage of Moisie
salmon – about 15%
- spawn twice before dying,
giving the fish more time
to grow. |
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Sometimes known as a “fish
hawk,” the Osprey is one of
the world’s most widely distributed
raptors. It is found on ocean coasts
and along the shorelines of large
lakes and rivers throughout the world,
with the exception of frozen polar
areas. The lands of the Moisie are
at the eastern edge of an Osprey nesting
range that cuts a wide swath across
central North America. Most Ospreys
that nest in Canada migrate in spring
from wintering sites in Latin America
and the northern part of South America.
The Osprey is a supremely adaptable
species, with an ability to live near
humans and adapt to artificial nesting
structures.
Unyielding Grip:
Eagle-like in appearance, the brown-backed,
white-breasted Osprey, with its trademark
dark stripe eyeline, has narrow, angled
wings and a unique foot structure
that places it in a separate subfamily
known as Pandioninae. Unlike other
raptors, the Osprey has 4 toes of
equal size. Of these, the outer toe
is reversible, allowing the bird to
seize its prey with 2 toes pointing
forward, and 2 pointing backward.
The Osprey’s iron grip is further
strengthened by a long, sharp curved
claw on each toe, and short, rigid
spikes known as “spicules”
on the sole of each foot. (Osprey
have been known to drown when they
are unable to relinquish their hold
on heavy fish.).
The Osprey is a large raptor, with
females weighing an average of 1.6
kilograms, and males about 1.4 kilograms.
Wingspans average 160 centimetres,
total body length from 53 –
65 centimetres. Osprey nests are similarly
large, reaching up to 2.5 metres in
diameter. Nests are usually constructed
near the river, at the top of a large
tree, on large boulders, or on high
rocky areas. The Osprey returns to
its nest year after year, adding to
its bulk with broken sticks, dried
boughs, and a wide variety of found
objects. Since the sturdy nests are
a favourite take-over target of avian
invaders such as eagles and owls,
some Osprey take the precaution of
building more than 1 nest.
With the clean, plentiful freshwaters
of the Moisie and the rich estuarine
environment of the St. Lawrence River
at its disposal, the Osprey of Quebec’s
north shore benefits from an optimal
habitat. Osprey can live up to 20
years, with the longevity record going
to a 35 year-old bird.
Moisie River
- Quebec's First Aquatic Reserve
The majesty of the Moisie received
formal recognition and long-term protection
in February of 2003, when the Province
of Quebec officially designated it
as a reserve aquatique (aquatic reserve).
The designation, the first of its
kind in Quebec, prohibits industrial
activities (logging, mining, energy
production) in the river's conservation
corridor, while maintaining existing
hunting, fishing, leases and native
activities.
The protected area covers 3,897.5
square kilometres of the river corridor,
and extends from kilometre 37 of the
Moisie to kilometre 358 at the river's
mouth. It also encompasses the river's
confluences with the Carheil and Pekans
Rivers.
The aquatic reserve designation recognizes
the Moisie as one of the last wild,
unobstructed rivers of the Côte-Nord,
with a high proportion of large, multi-sea-winter
and repeat-spawning Atlantic salmon,
and a significant history as a First
Nations transportation, fishing, hunting
and trapping route. The goals of the
designation are:
• To conserve a waterway which
is representative of regional ecology
• To protect the river's Atlantic
salmon population
• To maintain the biodiversity
of the river and its surrounding territory
• To safeguard the outstanding
physical features of the river's landscape
• To add to knowledge of the
ecology of salmon and the natural
heritage of the Moisie River.
The Moisie River designation is part
of the Quebec government's Protected
Areas Strategy, which seeks to
provide protection for 8% of provincial
lands by the year 2005.
Battling
Spruce Budworm
Forestry experts in Quebec are once
again sounding the alarm: the tiny
(18-25 millimetre) black-headed, greenish-brown
eastern spruce budworm larvae that
chewed their way through the balsam
forests of the province between 1966
and 1992, destroying more than 235
million cubic metres of wood, are
gearing up for another riotous, ruinous
feast.
Balsam Banquet: Despite its
misleading name, the spruce budworm
prefers to dine on balsam fir. White,
red and black spruce are secondary
choices, with occasional meals of
larch, pine and hemlock. (The pest
is found on 25 conifer species, including
8 spruces, 6 pines, 5 firs, 3 hemlocks,
2 larches and 1 juniper.) The budworm
is considered to be one of North America’s
most destructive conifer pests; a
consistent series of outbreaks dating
back to the early 1700’s have
been recorded, with records showing
that there is an average of 29 years
between each outbreak.
Simmering Threat:
During the most recent spruce budworm
epidemic in Quebec, the infestation
spread from the southeast to the northwest
of the province’s balsam fir
range, finally coming to an end in
the Gaspé region. While it
has been suggested that this geographical
progression is a predictable pattern,
researchers emphasize that the spruce
budworm is a regular component of
the Quebec forest ecosystem. Wherever
natural limitations on its population
decline and favourable conditions
– warm, dry springs, high female
fertility, the relative absence of
natural predators and parasites –
increase, the spruce budworm is free
to begin its gluttonous reign. Contrary
to popular belief, budworm epidemics
do not always begin in balsam fir;
white spruce are often the first target
of the pest. Furthermore, epidemics
do not necessarily end because the
last of the wood has been consumed:
other cyclical factors can halt an
infestation while food supplies are
still available.
New Forecasting Tools: With
signs pointing to a new outbreak in
the province, researchers are making
full use of detailed data collected
during the last infestation. Conclusions
drawn from aerial surveys, mapping,
spatial analysis, and modeling are
being used to predict the onset, duration
and severity of defoliation of the
next epidemic, and to give forestry
managers a head start in minimizing
its impact.
Spray Solution: Areas
affected by spruce budworm in Quebec
are treated with a biological insecticide,
Bacillus thuringiensis, kurstaki variety
(B.t.k.), which attacks the insect’s
digestive system. The pathogen is
applied by aerial spraying, killing
enough budworm larvae to keep infested
trees alive. While provincial authorities
in Quebec maintain that B.t.k. is
target-specific, degrades quickly
in the environment and does not pose
any risk to humans, birds, wildlife
or water, some critics of the insecticide
have questioned its safety. They are
concerned that the chronic health
effects of the microorganism, including
allergic reactions to inert ingredients
in the insecticide, have not been
adequately studied.
How the Spruce Budworm Damages Forests
• The female moth lays eggs on
the flat undersurface of the tree’s
needles.
• The eggs hatch 2 weeks later,
and the emerging larvae move toward
the interior of the tree’s crown,
seeking suitable places to spin a
cocoon-like “hibernaculum.”
Some larvae may spin down from a branch
on a silken thread and be blown away,
spreading the budworm infestation.
• In May, after remaining dormant
all winter, the larvae emerge from
hibernation and begin feeding, first
on old needles, new buds of male flowers
and unopened buds.
• Each larva migrates to the
end of a twig and bores into a needle
or an expanding bud. Needles are bitten
off at their base and left hanging,
giving the tree, a brown, scorched
appearance. Needles and developing
shoots are webbed together with silk,
forming a nest-like cache of food.
At epidemic levels, old needles, bark
and new shoots are completely consumed,
leaving the tops of the trees bare.
• By late June or early July,
the larvae stop feeding and transform
into pupas. Moths emerge about 10
days later, and are carried away by
winds and storm fronts.
• Most trees can survive the
loss of a single year’s needles,
but repeated attacks over consecutive
years can kill them. Eventually, entire
forest areas turn bare and gray as
trees are defoliated from the top
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