Forillon National Park Facts for Kids

This article is about Forillon (disambiguation). For other uses, see Forillon National Park (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Forillon National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Cap Bon-Ami at sunset
Forillon National Park Location in Canada Show map of Canada Forillon National Park Location in Quebec Show map of Quebec
Location	Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, La Côte-de-Gaspé Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada
Nearest city	Gaspé, Quebec
Area	244 km² (94 sq mi)
Established	8 June 1970
Visitors	137,070 (in 2007)
Governing body	Parks Canada

Forillon National Park, one of 42 national parks and park reserves across Canada, is located at the outer tip of the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec and covers 244 km² (94 sq mi).

Created in 1970, Forillon was the first national park in Quebec. The park includes forests, sea coast, salt marshes, sand dunes, cliffs, and the Eastern End of the Appalachians. The word forillon is thought to have referred to a flowerpot island or sea stack which used to be a landmark in the area but has since collapsed into the ocean.

History
Wildlife
Activities and sights
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

History

The area was a traditional summer hunting and fishing ground for the Mi'kmaq and Haudenosaunee people.

This area was once used for its rich supply of wood. People living in L'Anse-au-Griffon were once involved in the lumber industry here.

The creation of the park in 1970 was preceded by the removal of 225 families through expropriation. When preparing to create the new park, the Government of Canada requested that the Quebec government expropriate the homes of these families. The Quebec government sub-contracted the appropriation and negotiations to a private firm. This firm allegedly used various bullying tactics to scare the residents into agreeing to settlements of reduced value. This stratagem ensured a larger profit margin for the contractor. On 14 February 2011, the House of Commons adopted a motion which issued an official apology to the people whose properties were expropriated to create Forillon Park. The motion read:

That this House issue an official apology to the people whose properties were expropriated to create Forillon Park for the unconscionable manner in which they were treated, and that the Speaker of the House send the representatives of the people whose properties were expropriated and of their descendants an official copy of the Journals of the House of Commons indicating the adoption of this motion.

This expropriation is the subject of a song titled "Forillon" by the group Le Vent du Nord on their album Têtu. It was also mentioned in a song titled "La Gigue à Mitchounano" by singer Paul Piché.

Wildlife

This national park includes nesting colonies of sea birds and whales, and seals as well as woodland mammalian species which are red fox, black bear, moose, lynx, mink, coyote, woodchuck, porcupine, snowshoe hare, beaver, and ermine. Raptors that inhabit this park are great horned owls, northern harriers, peregrine falcons, kestrels, bald eagles, rough-legged hawks, and ospreys.

Activities and sights

Activities at interpretation sites bring visitors to learn more about human and natural life in the Forillon peninsula. The Grande-Grave National Heritage Site attests to the way of life of fishing families. The Hyman Store features collections of articles that were sold at the time, and the store "owners" tell tales of thriving fisheries industry. Close by, the pedestrian walk "Une Tournée dans les Parages" brings visitors around houses, fields and agricultural and commercial installations from the beginning of the twentieth century. Along the shores, whale watching is available.

Forillon encloses the site of Fort Péninsule, near the Penouille beach. This fortification was built during World War II to protect the Gaspé bay, as was Fort Prével on the other side of the bay; had Germany conquered all of Europe, these forts would have sheltered British warships seeking refuge from German submarines. Visitors today can enter a tunnel to see cannon in place since that time.

Gallery

Panoramic view from Mont Saint-Alban
View of Gaspé_Bay, facing West from Penouille (Peninsula Point), Forillon National Park
Cap Gaspé taken from Cap Bon-Ami, on the north side of the Forillon peninsula
The peninsula leading to Cap Gaspé in Forillon National Park, taken from Mont Saint-Alban
Rock formation called "Le Vieux" (the Old Man) and Cap Gaspé lighthouse
Tallest lighthouse in Canada at Park Forillon
Reproduction of a traditional salt cod fishery installation created for the 1998 TV series, "L'ombre de l'épervier"
Stepped cascade along the "La Chute" hiking trail
Waterfall along the "La Chute" hiking trail
Water splashing over mossy rocks. Close-up of waterfall along the "La Chute" hiking trail
Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) near Cap Gaspé
Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) near Cap Bon-Ami
Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) near Cap Bon-Ami
North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) at Cap Gaspé
One of two surviving 4.7-inch Mark IV guns at Fort Péninsule
Forillon National Park in fall
Forillon National Park in fall