Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park

About

Mont-Saint-Bruno Provincial Park (French: Parc Provincial du Mont-Saint-Bruno, pronounced [paʁk pʁɔvɛ̃sjal dy mɔ̃ sɛ̃ bʁyno]) is a small national park of Quebec located near the municipality of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the east of Montréal on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. The park, with an area of 8.84 square kilometres (3.41 sq mi), notably includes Mont Saint-Bruno, one of the Monteregian Hills which peaks at 218 metres (715 ft). The mountain is shared with the Ski Mont Saint-Bruno ski resort, a quarry and a small Canadian Forces (5th GSS) training camp. Despite its relatively small size, the mountain is known for its rich fauna and flora. Situated at the heart of the old signory of Montarville, its many lakes have permitted the construction and exploitation of many water mills, contributing to the region's economical success. A building from one of those mills, the "Vieux Moulin" (Old Mill), still stands to this day and is used as a rest area for skiers and hikers in different seasons. At the beginning of the 20th century, the mountain became a luxury resort and a sought-after area for the food needs of various religious communities. One...

The park is named after mount Saint-Bruno, whose namesake is Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, a municipality directly adjacent to the west flank of the mountain. The mount was known in the past as the "colline de Montarville" (hill of Montarville), from the name of the signory of Montarville. It was the establishment of the Saint-Bruno parish that provoked a gradual shift towards the current name. The parish itself was named as a tribute to the Bruneau family, its early financial contributors.

The park covers an area of 8.84 square kilometres (3.41 sq mi). It comprises part of mont Saint-Bruno, one of the nine Monteregian Hills and is 218 metres (715 ft) high. It is located about 18 kilometres (11 mi) east of Montreal and is surrounded by the municipalities of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Sainte-Julie and Saint-Basile-le-Grand, all three belonging to the administrative region of Montérégie.

The composition and geological origin of mount Saint-Bruno is similar to that of the other Monteregian hills. Formed by an intrusion of magma in the Earth's crust associated with a hotspot created by the opening of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 124 million years ago, the Monteregian hills have been exposed to the elements by the progressive erosion of their paleozoic sedimentary layers, which are softer than their core of metamorphic and igneous rocks that typically form plutons. Contrary to popular belief, they are not volcanoes.

The mountain owes its present rounded aspect to the last glaciation period and the grinding action of glacier movement. It was partially submerged by the Champlain Sea, which has left shallow deposits of clay, sand, sandy gravel and gravel.

The massif 's composition is mainly of peridotite accompanied by gabbro and syenite surrounded by shale and siltstone dating from the Ordovician (approximately 500 million years ago) and metamorphosed by the intrusion of magma.

Mount Saint-Bruno is an inselberg that reaches 218 metres (715 ft) in altitude, above a plain with an average altitude of 30 metres (98 ft). Its highest summits are situated on its north-eastern flank and form an ellipse around the "lac des Bouleaux" (Birch Lake). Its outer terrain gradually recedes towards the south-east and is punctuated by water-filled dips.

Despite its small size, the hydrographic network of the park is well developed. It comprises five lakes, one bog, two artificial ponds and many streams, all of them part of the Richelieu River watershed. The du Moulin, Seigneurial and des Bouleaux lakes are used for the municipal water supply of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville.

The climate of the Saint-Lawrence lowlands is moderate, subhumid and continental. It is a region in Quebec where the climate is the most clement. The average annual temperature in the park is 6 °C (43 °F); the season where it stays above 0 °C (32 °F) lasts 149 days on average and the annual insolation is 2000 hours. The mountain gets 1,014 millimetres (39.9 in) of precipitation, of which 239 centimetres (94 in) is snowfall.

Although the mountain stands at only 218 metres (715 ft), the conditions on the summit are a bit harsher than at the bottom, which in consequence causes altitudinal zonation. As the altitude increases, the vegetation passes from sugar maple, bitternut hickory at the base, to northern red oak, sugar maple on the summit.

The composition and geological origin of mount Saint-Bruno is similar to that of the other Monteregian hills. Formed by an intrusion of magma in the Earth's crust associated with a hotspot created by the opening of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 124 million years ago, the Monteregian hills have been exposed to the elements by the progressive erosion of their paleozoic sedimentary layers, which are softer than their core of metamorphic and igneous rocks that typically form plutons. Contrary to popular belief, they are not volcanoes.

The mountain owes its present rounded aspect to the last glaciation period and the grinding action of glacier movement. It was partially submerged by the Champlain Sea, which has left shallow deposits of clay, sand, sandy gravel and gravel.

The massif 's composition is mainly of peridotite accompanied by gabbro and syenite surrounded by shale and siltstone dating from the Ordovician (approximately 500 million years ago) and metamorphosed by the intrusion of magma.

Mount Saint-Bruno is an inselberg that reaches 218 metres (715 ft) in altitude, above a plain with an average altitude of 30 metres (98 ft). Its highest summits are situated on its north-eastern flank and form an ellipse around the "lac des Bouleaux" (Birch Lake). Its outer terrain gradually recedes towards the south-east and is punctuated by water-filled dips.

Despite its small size, the hydrographic network of the park is well developed. It comprises five lakes, one bog, two artificial ponds and many streams, all of them part of the Richelieu River watershed. The du Moulin, Seigneurial and des Bouleaux lakes are used for the municipal water supply of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville.

The climate of the Saint-Lawrence lowlands is moderate, subhumid and continental. It is a region in Quebec where the climate is the most clement. The average annual temperature in the park is 6 °C (43 °F); the season where it stays above 0 °C (32 °F) lasts 149 days on average and the annual insolation is 2000 hours. The mountain gets 1,014 millimetres (39.9 in) of precipitation, of which 239 centimetres (94 in) is snowfall.

Although the mountain stands at only 218 metres (715 ft), the conditions on the summit are a bit harsher than at the bottom, which in consequence causes altitudinal zonation. As the altitude increases, the vegetation passes from sugar maple, bitternut hickory at the base, to northern red oak, sugar maple on the summit.

According to the ecological framework of Canada, the park is located in the ecoregion of the Saint-Lawrence lowlands. This region is the one that presents the most meridional climate of the Province. It is characterized by the presence of mixed forests dominated by the sugar maple, the yellow birch, the Canadian hemlock and the eastern white pine. Approximately 60% of the region is dedicated to intensive agriculture. Urbanization is also very important as it comprises Montréal, Québec City and Ottawa within its area.

The Mont-Saint-Bruno park is home to 574 plant species, 20% of the documented total in the province. Below 140 metres (460 ft) of altitude, the park's forest is dominated by maple and bitternut hickory ( Carya cordiformis ). Between 100 metres (330 ft) and 140 metres (460 ft), the forest is dominated by the sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ) together with the American tilia ( Tilia americana ) or the red oak ( Quercus rubra ). Also found in the park are the Canadian hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis ), the American hophornbeam ( Ostrya virginiana ), the yellow birch ( Betula alleghaniensis ), the moosewood ( Viburnum lantanoides ) and the northern whitecedar ( Thuja occidentalis ).

24 plan species found in the park are threatened species. Those plants are: