Sustainable tourism

Our green nature

• 87% of the territory is forest.
• There are 847 lakes in the area of which 14 are larger than 100 hectares.
• Lake Témiscouata, the most important in the region, is 42 km long and is the second largest lake south of the Saint Lawrence River.
• More than 30 major rivers criss-cross the territory.
• A variety of wildlife habitats, including a dozen herds of white tailed deer.
• 40 species of mammals, over 20 species of fish, and numerous reptiles and amphibians.
• Bird watchers can observe 150 species of birds, including several kinds of birds of prey such as the Bald Eagle.
• The flora includes more than 360 species of which 30 are considered rare.
• So far 51 archaeological sites have been identified, some over 8,000 years old.

Our green activities

• 8 municipal beaches with excellent water quality.
• 2 resort centres, situated on lakes Pohénégamook and Témiscouata.
• 2 golf courses in enchanting surroundings (one 18 and one 9 hole).
• Over 144km of hiking trails on the National Hiking trail (lower St. Lawrence section).
• 135 km of cycle paths, with rest stops and breathtaking views on the famous Petit Témis.
• Over 150 km of navigable waterways.
• 30 km of equestrian trails.
• More than 60 km of cross-country skiing trails as well as 80 km of snow shoeing trails for winter sports enthusiasts.

Our green actions

Our businesses

• Each year, Norampac Cabano uses more than 80,000 tons of recycled paper for making corrugated cardboard. In addition, they use wood residues to produce energy thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60,000 tons of CO2 each year.
• In 2002, the forestry group Le Groupement Forestier de l'est du Lac Témiscouata was the first in Québec to be awarded an international certificate from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for responsible exploitation of private forest. This certification guarantees that the harvesting of wood in the forest is done with respect for the environment and the support of the local community.
• A new and emerging Cabano company, MaltBroue, specialising in the cultivation of barley and its transformation into malt, has developed a unique process. In the first step of the transformation the barley is moistened by spray, instead of the traditional soaking in water. This method uses 5 times less water.

Our organisations

• The youth section of Formations Antidote Monde, in collaboration with the Youth Action Regional Investment Fund, developed a most interesting and original project "Jeunes Valoristes en herbe". Eighty young people, from 12 to 30 years of age, spent several weeks creating works of art from recycled material. Their exhibition provided an opportunity to build awareness of ecological possibilities. This project brought together over 300 people who saw how it is possible to create beauty from the things we throw away.
• Livr'Avenir is a social service enterprise whose mission is social integration through youth employment. The company sells refurbished computers, used books in good condition and runs an internet café. Livr'Avenir is committed to sustainable development in the region, salvaging and recycling electronic and computing equipment.
• There are 10 institutions "Établissement Vert Brundtland" in Témiscouata. EVB institutions are schools that "act locally while thinking globally" to promote a sustainable future. With concrete acts that respect the 3 R's, they help to create an ecological world that is peaceful, united and democratic. There are numerous activities as every small action counts. Recycling of cardboard, paper and magazines provides material for the students to create costumes for the local festival Les Cartonfolies, paintings to display in schools and the creation of an EVB calendar for distribution in classes; a "mini-collect" in partnership with the regional municipality, design of reusable bags, a green lunchbox, student governing bodies (democracy), humanitarian trips, ecological themes etc. All this in order to educate our citizens of tomorrow, today's youth.

Our regional actions

• Several years ago concrete action was taken to make Témiscouata a "green county". Some ground breaking regulations were adopted to support this trend e.g. an interim ruling governing the felling of trees in private forest and another regulating the management of farms which generate a strong odour. The regional municipality is innovative in its goal to make Témiscouata green. It is one of eight regional municipalities taking part in a pilot project to develop agriculture whilst protecting the environment. Furthermore, the RM has set up a project for the integrated development of resources in its watershed area, the aim being to measure the environmental impact of all development. Thus the RM is gradually implanting a policy of sustainable development.
• The RM has gone even further in ordering a systematic inventory of all septic tanks in all 20 municipalities, the objective being to bring up to standard all deficient waste water disposal systems. The waste department works on several levels; waste collection from all homes, recycling bins in all schools, the opening of two ecocentres, the recovery of hazardous materials, the promotion and sale of composters etc.
• The "Societé d'aménagement de la rivière Madawaska et du lac Témiscouata" (SARMLT) is an organisation which works to promote sustainable development in our watershed basin area of 2,690 km², through green projects to revitalize our community and tourism. Since 1991 the SARMLT has spearheaded many projects for the protection and enhancement of our natural resources: recovery of wood pulp, cleaning and development of river banks and shoreline, management of fish habitat, identification of possible sources of pollution, testing of water quality, inventories of flora and fauna habitat, tree planting, creation of the cycle path between Cabano and Edmunston etc. These actions have helped to achieve, among other things, the lowest level of phosphorous ( 0.009%) in all the rivers of the Lower St.Lawrence.