Pointe de l’Est National Wildlife Area pamphlet

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What makes Pointe de l’Est NWA so special?

Pointe de l’Est National Wildlife Area (NWA) was created in 1978 to protect habitats serving as staging areas for migratory birds and breeding grounds for species at risk such as the Piping Plover and Horned Grebe. This 724-hectare protected area is situated at the northeastern tip of the Magdalen Islands, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It features a wide diversity of habitat types, including dunes, crowberry barrens, saline meadows, coniferous forests, marshes and ponds.

This exceptional wildlife area:

• is used by more than 150 bird species, including the Fox Sparrow and Blackpoll Warbler;
• provides nesting sites for numerous waterfowl species such as the Northern Pintail, and for colonial birds such as the Black-headed Gull;
• supports various shorebird species during fall migration, including the Whimbrel;
• is home to about 10 mammal species such as the Red Fox and Coyote, and at-risk plant species such as the Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster.

What are Environment Canada Protected Areas?

Environment Canada establishes marine and terrestrial NWAs for the purposes of conservation, research and interpretation. NWAs are established to protect migratory birds, species at risk, and other wildlife and their habitats. NWAs are established under the authority of the Canada Wildlife Act and are, first and foremost, places for wildlife.

Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (MBSs) are established under the authority of the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, and provide a refuge for migratory birds in marine and terrestrial environments. The current Protected Areas Network consists of 54 NWAs and 92 MBSs comprising more than 12 million hectares across Canada.