Lake Saint Pierre (French: Lac Saint-Pierre; Western Abnaki: Nebesek) is a lake in Quebec, Canada, a widening of the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières. It is located downstream, and northeast, of Montreal; and upstream, and southwest, of Quebec City. The end of the lake delimits the beginning of the estuary of Saint Lawrence.

Lake Saint Pierre
Lac Saint-Pierre Nebesek
View on the lake from Pointe-du-Lac (a sector of Trois-Rivières)
Lake Saint Pierre
Location	Canada, Quebec
Coordinates	46°12′15″N 72°49′56″W
Type	Natural
Native name	Nebesek (Western Abnaki)
Primary inflows	Saint Lawrence River, Yamaska River, Saint-François River, Nicolet River, Maskinongé River, Rivière-du-Loup River and Yamachiche River
Primary outflows	Saint Lawrence River
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	32 km (20 mi)
Max. width	14 km (9 mi)
Surface area	353 km2 (136 sq mi)
Average depth	3 m (9.8 ft)
Max. depth	11.3 m (37 ft)
Surface elevation	3.3 m (11 ft)
Islands	Sorel Islands
Settlements	Trois-Rivières, Berthierville
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Lac Saint Pierre
Designated	25 May 1998
Reference no.	949[1]

This lake which is 32 kilometres (20 mi) long (excluding Sorel Islands) and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) wide, is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Including its shoreline, islands, and wetlands, the lake is a nature reserve. The body of water is recognized as a Ramsar site[2] and as a Biosphere Reserve,[3] due to the presence of many marshes and wetlands that are frequented by waterfowl. Recreational activities on the river (such as fishing, boating, sailing, swimming, water skiing, nature observation) are active mainly in summer season. Sport fishing is particularly popular, including ice fishing, especially in the great bay of Pointe-du-Lac.

Around Lake Saint-Pierre, several recreational services are available including marinas, hotel services, restaurants, outfitters, docks, gas stations, and cruises.

Geography

Approximately 12,500 years ago, the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age resulted in a vast basin filled by the Champlain Sea. This sea extended from the city of Quebec to the east, and covered the Lower Mauricie, the Lower Laurentians, the lower part of the Ottawa Valley, Lake Ontario on the western side, and Lake Champlain USA) on the South side. The outline of the Champlain Sea is marked by ancient sandy shores where sand pits have been exploited. The water level has dropped some 8,000 years ago. The surface area of the watershed is 990,000 km² (380,000 sq mi) (equivalent to more than 60% of the surface area of Quebec). 58% of the catchment area is located in the United States, 28% in Ontario and only 14% in Quebec (2.5% in direct tributaries, 0.07% in the littoral zone). Lake Saint-Pierre is linked to 11 administrative regions, 58 RCMs and 654 municipalities.[4]

The lake is located in the Regional County Municipalities of Nicolet-Yamaska, Maskinongé, D'Autray, and Pierre-De Saurel, in addition to the city of Trois-Rivières. The shores of the lake affect several municipalities:

• North shore: Berthierville, Maskinongé, Louiseville, Yamachiche and Trois-Rivières (Pointe-du-Lac sector)
• South shore: Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel, Pierreville, Baie-du-Febvre and Nicolet.

Lake Saint-Pierre is fed by the St. Lawrence River (coming from the southwest) and the 14 main tributaries:

• North bank (from the mouth): Maskinongé River, Rivière du Loup, Yamachiche River, Glaises Stream, Sable River
• South bank (from the mouth): Yamaska River, Saint-François River, Colbert River, Landroche River, Des Frères River, Brielle River, Lemire River, Camille-Roy River, Nicolet River

The average depth of the lake is only three meters.[5] The channel of the seaway that has been dredged has a maximum depth of 11.3 m.

Toponymy

The lake was named by Samuel de Champlain following its passage on 29 June 1603, the day of the Saint-Pierre. The Abenaki call Lake Nebesek, which means at lac.[6] Jacques Cartier, during his second voyage to Canada in 1535, had given him the name of "Angoulême".

Natural environment

This seasonally-flooded area is an important stopping point for hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl. It is also an important nesting area for herons: more have been counted here than in any other place in North America. In 1998, it was recognized as a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar Convention.

The wildlife experts have identified 23 species of mammals around Lake Saint-Pierre, one of the most abundant species is the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), which is found in abundance in the lake.[7]

Biosphere Reserve

Lake Saint-Pierre was appointed Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2000. The biosphere reserve of Lac-Saint-Pierre has an area of 480 square kilometres (190 sq mi), whose 31 square kilometres (12 sq mi) in core areas and 124 square kilometres (48 sq mi) in buffer zones. The core areas are composed of Wildlife Refuge Great Island and bird refuge Nicolet.

Nearly 290 species of birds, about 90 species of fish and 27 rare plants have been listed in this biosphere reserve.[8]

Wildlife Sanctuary of Great Island

Wildlife Sanctuary of "Grande-Île" (Great Island) is located on Grande-île in the Archipelago of Saint-Pierre Lake. It has an area of 1.45 square metres (15.6 sq ft). This wildlife refuge was created in 1992 is the protection of one of the largest heron colonies in North America. It houses more than 5,000 herons.[9]

Nicolet Bird Sanctuary

The "birds Nicolet refuge" is a protected area of 30 square kilometres (12 sq mi) which protects a staging area for ducks and Canada goose and also a nesting area for waterfowl. National Defence has acquired the site in the 1950. The site was recognized as a rest area in 1969 and as a refuge in 1982.[10]

History

Being the last freshwater basin of the St. Lawrence River and its geographical position, Lake Saint-Pierre has marked the history of French Canada in terms of the fishing industry, hunting, transportation including the St. Lawrence Seaway, pleasure boating, the settlement of surrounding lands, winter ice roads and ferries.

Samuel de Champlain wrote, in 1609: "On the south side, there are two rivers, one called the" Rivière du Pont (Nicolet) and the other of Gennes (Saint-François or Yamaska), which are very beautiful and in beautiful and good country. "

Environment

Disasters and tragedies

In popular culture

• Lac Saint-Pierre is the setting of the poem, folk ballad, and animated short, "the Wreck of the Julie Plante", by William Henry Drummond.
• It is not the lake sought after by Duddy Kravitz in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler. The lake in this book is clearly in walking distance of Lac des Sables.

See also

• Saint Lawrence Lowlands
• Archipelago of Saint-Pierre Lake

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lac Saint-Pierre.

• "Information sheet on Ramsar Wetlands: Lac Saint-Pierre" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2011. (182 KB)
• Lac Saint Pierre Biosphere Reserve, Canada (UNESCO site)

На других языках

[de] Lac Saint-Pierre

[fr] Lac Saint-Pierre