Have you recycled a pop bottle? How about a whole beach? Few can claim the latter but at Forillon National Park on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, the Cap-des-Rosiers beach was suffering such rapid erosion (exacerbated by climate change) drastic action was needed.
“Aside from the costs of repairs associated with this erosion it is increasingly apparent that beaches in the park have been shrinking – to the point of vanishing altogether, ” explained Marie-Claude Trudel, Education Officer – Parks Canada.
How do you save a beach from erosion? #ParksCanada has waysParks Canada got busy; a paved road along the shoreline was removed and hikers were encouraged to use new access trails through the forest. The monument for the Carrick shipwreck was also moved to drier and higher ground.
In years past ice protected the coastline from winter storms and erosion. Now there may be less ice or shorter ice seasons leaving the beach vulnerable. Parks Canada has planted more beach grasses to stabilize soil and driftwood and seaweed (natural beach protectors) are left where they wash up.
Several years on this environmental story has some good news. In 2018 beach observers found twice as many sites with capelin eggs as in 2016! Capelin – a small fish as important to birds and whales as cold beer to Maple Leafs’ hockey fans – is an important barometer of beach health so it appears Parks Canada’s efforts are helping. Now, if someone could find a way to recycle the Leaf’s playoff chances…….
For more information on the Cap-des-Rosiers project, go to https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/qc/forillon/decouvrir-discover/cote-coastal
Have you seen an innovative project to improve a tourism landscape? Please drop me a line or comment below. I’d love to hear more.
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