Forillon National Park, Gaspe, Quebec, Canada
What the wicked desire will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted. ~ Proverbs 10:24
Expropriation. Have you ever heard that word? Do you know what it means? It’s a term that explains how Forillon National Park came to be in 1970. We’ll cover that later.
In the meantime, let me tell you about our morning!
Blaine headed out for a solitary walk this morning, and returned telling me how calm the water was, and could he entice me to leave my laptop and go for a paddle with him. Well who could refuse an invitation like that??
We returned to the same beach, and put in to still waters. It was a little cooler today, requiring long sleeves, but other than that, it was a beautiful mid-morning. Since we’d been here before, we put our phones away and just enjoyed the scenery and stillness God provided.
And then, we rounded a rock formation and began to hear the wailing and moaning.
The seals were at it! It must have something to do with the time of day or the tide. Blaine said he read that they were vying for rock position. I read that it’s mostly the females making the noise, to warn off other females and males they’re not interested in, from getting too close. Whatever the reason, they were carrying on something fierce!
It wasn’t long before we discovered that there were two different species of seals this morning. Last time, most (if not all) of what we encountered were the smaller, cuter, more adorable, and more skittish harbor seals. Weighing in at an average of 290# and 6’ long.
The ones making all the noise were the much, much larger and much less adorable, grey seals. They average 6.5 – 8.5’ long (females vs males) and 370 – 680#! Well, it seems there’s no way for me to ascertain accuracy on the size and weight issue because different sites have different sizes. You have the first one, but another site pegs them at 7.5 – 10’ and 550 – 850#. To me, that’s a huge difference!
Remember the other day, when we saw their heads poking up out of the water as they clustered in a group? That’s how they rest in the water. They just kinda hang there. Maybe that’s where the term ‘hanging out’ came from . . . . hahaha!
We paddled into position facing the rocks and just sat and watched and listened. There were a couple of other kayakers around at first, but they all moved off shortly after we arrived.
Occasionally, a seal or two would venture a little closer to check us out. And we also noticed that those giants weren’t as easily spooked, so we were able to get a little closer to the ones on the rocks. To help us inadvertently do that, the tide kept pushing us ever nearer and we were so enthralled with the view, we often didn’t notice we’d drifted too close. Still, they had their limits, and once one decided it was time to hit the water, they all did.
So we’d back up and watch them clamber (why is there a ‘b’ in that word???) back up on rocks and yell at each other and swat each other with their flippers, or poke with their noses or mouths, or just flop around until they bumped each other off. Sort of like when we used to play ‘King of the Mountain’. Remember?
That one didn’t fair so well in the jousting match.
You gotta hear this!
And here’s an unusual question for you – – – In a battle for land rights, who would you pick? A lone Great Blue Heron or a pod of 500# seals?
Believe it or not – the heron won. Each and every time! He would take off from a rock along the shore and fly a few yards, landing on another rock, and every seal within the vicinity would dive into the water immediately! And this happened over and over as we watched! Pretty incredible if you ask me!
And since that was all the adventure we partook of today (What? Isn’t that enough for you??), below is some history on the Park and how it came to be. It’s pretty sad, actually. As you will read, the Canadian government seized the property of 225 families. That’s all their property – houses, outbuildings, land, everything. And gave them next to nothing for it. Oh, but it’s okay. The government issued a formal apology on Valentine’s Day in 2011. (can you see me rolling my eyes?) And the Park now has a heritage house they’ve turned into a museum about the people and what happened. I’ll include that information in tomorrow’s post – when we actually visited the museum. You can only absorb so much history at once. 😊
Forillon’s cultural heritage is particularly rich as a result of its long history of human habitation. Archaeological excavations have found traces of human occupancy dating back some 9,000 years, notably at Penouille.
In the 18th century, European fishermen began to frequent the area on a seasonal basis. Attracted by the peninsula’s geographic location and its rich marine resources, they then began to settle permanently. The earliest villages were established along the coves, bays and coastal lagoons of Chaleur Bay, in order to take advantage of the many beaches, which were particularly ideal for preparing and drying cod.
Later arrivals settled on the gulf side of the coast all the way to the northern part of the Gaspé Peninsula. They, however, had to adapt to Forillon’s rugged coastline.
Between 1770 and 1800, despite the Conquest and the transition to the British regime and the resulting upheaval in the Gaspé settlements, a distinct form of social organization developed around the fishing industry and the cod trade. Motivated in part by the British government’s desire to promote permanent settlement, but also by the rising prosperity of the fishing companies, settlers began to migrate into the area anew.
At Forillon, as in the rest of the Gaspé Peninsula, Channel Island fishing companies controlled primarily by merchants from Jersey and Guernsey established a virtual monopoly over the cod fishing industry. Operating on a model of economic dependency, these companies and their owners wielded immense financial and social power from the end of the 18th century right up until the beginning of the 20th century. The main reason this system remained in place so long was the region’s isolation from major centers and the specialized nature of the cod fishery. Over the years, the Forillon area was dominated and defined by this system.
Throughout this same period, the early inhabitants showed courage and determination in settling in Forillon. Faced with a rugged and difficult environment characterized by isolation and a harsh climate, they had no choice but to learn the skills they needed to eke out a subsistence living. Although long winters and often impassable roads left Forillon’s communities in near complete isolation, families and neighbors developed strong social bonds, especially in the summer months, when everyone pitched in to preserve the cod the fishermen brought home. The fish was dressed, salted, and dried in the coves dotting the coastline. Beach access was often treacherous because of the steep cliffs atop which homes were built. To make it easier, fishermen would build ladders and staircases equipped with hoists to drop fishing gear to the beaches, haul up the boats and bring in the day’s catch. Fishermen led a strenuous existence and generally had to work at other jobs to meet the needs of their families. This is why so many also turned to subsistence farming and logging. However, fishing continued to be the lifeblood of the coastal communities.
Despite the toil and the heavy regulation of the industry imposed by the fishing companies, Forillon’s residents were attached to their livelihood and remained convinced that fishing was the most profitable and stable occupation available to them. It was a way of life that demanded a host of practical skills (net-making, boatbuilding, farming, etc.), all handed down from generation to generation. At Forillon, the tasks that were necessary to ensure each family’s livelihood were closely linked to the seasons and the available natural resources.
Forillon, with its rich natural and cultural heritage, was officially established as a conservation area in 1970, when the national park was created by the federal government in cooperation with the Quebec government. Up until then, Forillon’s residents had gone about their day-to-day business without a thought to the future of the region, but then, in order to ensure conservation and restore the new park to a natural wilderness state, their land was seized by the Quebec government and transferred to the federal government. Furthermore, under the National Parks Act,commercial activities were no longer allowed within park boundaries. The goal of Parks Canada is “to protect for all time representative natural areas of Canadian significance in a system of national parks, and to encourage public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of this natural heritage so as to leave it unimpaired for future generations.”
Not surprisingly, the wholesale seizure of 225 family lots sparked controversy in the region. The compensation offered was deemed insufficient and decisions regarding the way the expropriations were carried out were contested in court by some of the families involved, who later eventually won their cases in 1975. Even today, tensions about the land seizures linger on in the region. ~ From ameriquefrancaise.org
The creation of the park in 1970 was preceded by the removal of 225 families through expropriation. When preparing to create the new park, the Government of Canada requested that the Quebec government expropriate the homes of these families. The Quebec government sub-contracted the appropriation and negotiations to a private firm. This firm allegedly used various bullying tactics to scare the residents into agreeing to settlements of reduced value. This stratagem ensured a larger profit margin for the contractor.
Many of the 225 families were reluctant to leave their community when the federal government created the national park in 1970.
Though several of the homes’ foundations can still be seen, until now the park’s exhibits have barely mentioned the impact Forillon’s creation had on the families.
“For us, it was a page of history that we wanted to put back on the table today,” said the park’s director, Stéphane Marchand.
Debbie Philips lived with her family in the area that is now Forillon National Park until the age of 14.
After her family’s home was expropriated, they moved into her grandmother’s home two kilometers away, but they were also forced to give up their family businesses, which included a restaurant and store.
Afterward, Philips said, her father struggled to earn a living.
“The burning of the houses was very traumatic,” she said. “What really stuck with me was the tears in my father’s eyes.” ~ from cbc.ca
By the way . . . . This internet service stuff is driving me to distraction! When in Canada, Verizon only gives us a certain amount of service before it severely slows us down. Oh, we still have unlimited usage, but it’s so slow as to be somewhat non-existent at times. When I put pictures into the blog site from the computer, it uses a lot of that service time. When I put those pictures into the actual post, it uses a lot of that service time. We know this, and we’ve dealt with it in the past two years. It slows us down, but it doesn’t stop us. However, in recent weeks, even that’s not working properly. And that’s why I’m so far behind. Grrrrr . . . . .
Blaine called Verizon, but they weren’t able to figure out what was going on, nor how to fix the problem. Sigh . . . So get ready, because once we get back into the states, these posts are going to fly! 😊