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Pointe-au-Père National Wildlife Area

Notice

Welcome to Pointe-au-Père National Wildlife Area.

Pointe-au-Père National Wildlife Area is open to the public during the day. Please note that while Environment and Climate Change Canada establishes trails and infrastructure to support visitor access and use of selected National Wildlife Areas, staff are not always on-site for management of public safety.

Please respect the environment and leave no trace.

Pointe-au-Père National Wildlife Area (NWA) is 22 hectares (ha) in size and consists of a small intertidal marsh on the south shore of the Lower Estuary of the St. Lawrence River 5 kilometres east of Rimouski. It protects important habitat for many migratory birds and shorebirds.

Description

The NWA was established in 1986 by Environment and Climate Change Canada for the purpose of protecting many habitats. This includes a spartina (a type of grass) marsh, a very popular habitat for thousands of migratory birds during their migration and nesting periods. The wildlife area is one of the best shorebird-watching sites in Québec.

Landscape view of Pointe-au-Père
Pointe-au-Père National Wildlife Area, landscape

The area features this marsh dotted with brackish ponds and shielded from the St. Lawrence by a rocky point. The Sainte-Anne River crosses the marsh from east to west. It courses through a variety of habitats. For example, a stretch of brackish ponds with salt meadow and smooth cordgrass or eelgrass beds to salt meadows with carex and grasses and bordered by sweet gale and other shrubs can be found.

The wildlife area is part of a limited network of bird staging areas that run the length of shorebird migratory routes. More than 120 bird species visit the site often, and around 15 of them also nest there. Species at risk, such as the peregrine falcon, are observed on occasion.

In the spring, flocks of least sandpipers congregate at the site, sometimes in flocks of more than 500 individuals. Birds that feed in the marshes include great blue heron, black-crowned night-heron and large communities of brants.

Least sandpiper. Photo: Benoît Audet

In the summer, many birds raise their young and feed on the plentiful invertebrates in the brackish ponds, including:

During the fall migration, the most common species at the NWA includes red-throated loons, common loons. At that time of year a large numbers of Canada geese can also be found on site.

Large communities of sanderlings, semipalmated sandpipers and white-rumped sandpiper also use the area.

As many as ten or more species of mammals use this site, including:

Despite its small size, the Pointe-au-Père NWA is exposed to a number of threats that could potentially compromise its ecological integrity, such as:

More information on Pointe-au-Père NWA is provided in the summary table below.

Management

Under the Canada Wildlife Act, NWAs are protected and managed in accordance with the Wildlife Area Regulations. The primary purpose of NWAs is to protect and conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat. For this purpose and according to the legislation, all activities in a NWA that could interfere with the conservation of wildlife can be prohibited. Consequently, most NWAs are not accessible to the public and all other activities are prohibited in all NWAs. However, some activities may be authorized through Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations or the issuance of permits as long as they are consistent with the management plan goals for the NWA. For more information, consult the NWA Management and Activities section. You can also consult the Pointe-au-Père NWA management plan.

Access to the Pointe-au-Père NWA is restricted to designated areas. Activities may be permitted in accordance with the conservation objectives of the NWA management plan. Any authorized activities are listed in Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations; signage is also posted at access points.

Authorized activities listed in Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations for Pointe-au-Père NWA, include:

  1. Non-commercial wildlife viewing on designated trails and at lookouts and observation towers and in designated areas
  2. Non-commercial hiking on designated trails
  3. Participation in a non-commercial group meal or non-commercial group event involving 15 or more people in designated areas 
  4. Non-commercial operation of a vehicle, other than a snowmobile or an all-terrain vehicle on designated roads and in designated parking areas

Permits may be issued for research activities in keeping with the priorities set out in the management plan for the wildlife area. Permits may also be issued for other conservation activities such as surveys, or the enhancement or restoration of habitat.

Priority will be given to collaborative activities with local agencies and organizations to promote the protection and the conservation of wildlife species and their habitat in the NWA. For example, initiatives could be launched or continued with the following entities:

More information on access and permitting can be obtained by contacting the Environment and Climate Change Canada regional office.

Map of the area

Map of Pointe-au-Père NWA
Long description

Map showing the area near Pointe-au-Père, Quebec. The boundaries of the Pointe-au-Père NWA are indicated. The National Wildlife Area (NWA) covers a portion of the land and intertidal water between road 132 and the St. Laurence River. It is located south-west of Rivière Sainte-Anne and to the west of Pointe-au-Père. The scale on the map is in km. Permanent water, intertidal zones, roads and highways are all indicated on the map. A small inset national map situates the NWA in Canada.

This map is for illustrative purposes only and should not be used to define legal boundaries.

Summary

Protected Area designation

NWA

Province/territory

Québec

Latitude/longitude

48°31' North / 68°28' West

Size

22 ha

Reason for creation of protected area

Protection of various habitats including a spartina marshes frequented by migratory birds and other habitats important to shorebirds.

Date created (Gazetted)

1986

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Management Category

Strict Nature Reserve (Ia): protected area managed mainly for scientific purpose or to protect wildlife ressources.

Additional designations

Part of the Rimouski Important Bird Area (IBA)

Keystone or flagship species

Listed Species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA)

Peregrine falcon

Main habitat type

Interdidal marsh

Faunistic and floristic importance

The wildlife area is part of a limited network of staging areas running the length of migratory routes. This makes it an important site for shorebirds and waterbirds.

Invasive species

Information not available

Other species

Birds:

Mammals:

Main threats and challenges

Management agency

Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service)

Public access and usage

Authorized activities listed in Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations for Pointe-au-Père NWA, include:

  1. Non-commercial wildlife viewing on designated trails and at lookouts and observation towers and in designated areas
  2. Non-commercial hiking on designated trails
  3. Participation in a non-commercial group meal or non-commercial group event involving 15 or more people in designated areas 
  4. Non-commercial operation of a vehicle, other than a snowmobile or an all-terrain vehicle on designated roads and in designated parking areas

Note: If there is a discrepancy between the information presented on this web page, any notice posted at the NWA site and the law, the law prevails, as it is the legal instrument authorizing the activity. 

Contact us

Environment and Climate Change Canada - Quebec Region
Canadian Wildlife Service
Protected areas
801-1550, avenue d'Estimauville
Québec, QC G1J 0C3
Toll-Free: 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only)
Email: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca

Related links and documents

Page details

2025-11-17