Ulittaniujalik

Parc national Ulittaniujalik is the fourth park project to be undertaken in Nunavik. Among its most beautiful assets, the Pic Pyramid, emblem of the park, exhibits old lines of shoreline that testify of a 7 000 years old history. The park has a rich, captivating history. The George River, once a witness to the migratory movements of hundreds of thousands of caribou, was also a historic gateway for the Inuit and Naskapi peoples, as well as for explorers and adventurers. It offers today great opportunities for river descent! When it was created in 2016, Ulittaniujalik National Park became the second largest park in Quebec.

Experiences at Ulittaniujalik

Planning for the activities that will be offered at Ulittaniujalik is underway. You can always develop your own tailor-made experience to explore our Great Land.

Parc national Ulittaniujalik
PO Box 30
Kangiqsualujjuaq (Quebec)
J0M 1N0
819 337-5454
info@nunavikparks.ca

A meeting place for the Inuit and Naskapi territories

For generations, Inuit have been using the George River and Ford River systems to access the inland trails that allow them to hunt caribou and trap the fox. Rivers and lakes east of the George River, including the Koroc River, were part of the Inuit-based network on foot or dog sled to cross the peninsula and reach the Labrador coast. In the early 1960, Black Spruce (mainly from the Saningajualuk area) that was cut along the George River was used in Kangiqsualujjuaq to build houses, boats, sleds and tools. Wood was also exported to various Ungava bay communities such as Killiniq. Threfore, many Inuktitut place names within the park refer to areas where the wood was cut.

The the park is also considered by the Naskapi Nation to be an important place in their heritage, a place of historical, cultural and religious significance that confirms their identity. Occasionally, the Naskapi camped at various locations to practice hunting, fishing and subsistence trapping. Traditionally, the Naskapi subsistence was based on Caribou and their movements were closely related to those of the George River Caribou herd; They used a vast territory that covered the area in part. However, the naskapi of today have few memories associated with this territory. Only some people still tell stories spent at the George River to work as a guide in outfitting camps.

The May Family

The modern history of the region is largely linked to the emergence of outfitters. This phenomenon began in the early years of 1960, when Bob May began operating an outfitter on the lower George River. From 1943 to 1952, May was in charge of the Hudson Bay Company in George River. During these years of service, He got to know the surroundings and made many trips upstream of the George River With his Inuit hunting friends, including Willie Emudluk, Moses Etok, Elijah Sam Annanack and Johnny George Annanack.

In 1954, May set up a first hunting and fishing camp in a place known as the Name of Pijuminniq, about fifteen kilometers downstream of Helen Falls. The following year he moved Its activities at Helen Falls and established a camp on the east bank of the river. The Camp welcomed Salmon fishermen during the summer fishing season and sports hunters Caribou Fall. The company was thriving. In addition, the sawmill that opened its doors On the George River in 1958 provided the lumber necessary for the construction of huts Additional services for guests and service facilities. May was co-owner of the company Helen Falls until 1963.

His eldest son, Johnny, remembers that by the time they closed the Helen Falls camp for The year in the fall of 1960, they moved equipment and equipment to about fifty kilometers upstream of the river to a place called "Big Bend". They spent the year there. It is not clear at what point Bob May decided to build a camp in Big Bend, but he was able to see the potential of the place in that year. The salmon abounded. However, the location was only accessible by seaplane.

May continued to explore places to find a suitable place to build a camp and evaluate the extent to which the salmon migrated upstream. The Pyramids area offered everything was looking for: beautiful scenery, excellent fishing and hunting opportunities and, above all, a Long gravel tray that can be used as an airstrip. By the mid-years 1960, the Family came back to clear the grounds and build huts and other facilities Accommodation, assisted by the Inuit of Kangiqsualujjuaq and Kuujjuaq. Just as it had been the case at Helen Falls and Big Bend, everything at Pyramid Mountain Camp had to be done by hand.

In 1975, due to the growing popularity of the Pyramid and Big Bend camps, a Second satellite camp was built in Little Pyramid. This camp was operated by Peter May, another son of Bob. The camps employed Inuit and Naskapi guides, usually men that Bob May knew a lot of the time he worked for the HBC in the area. For a certain Number of seasons, from the end of the years 1970, Naskapi guides were transported to The Pyramid Mountain Camp outfitter from Schefferville aboard a single-engine aircraft as part of a government Labour program. After 1986, The Naskapi have stopped coming, apparently because of the decrease in the number of customers, which reduced the number of guides needed. Later, the guides working at the camp were for the most part Inuit of Kuujjuaq.

Geomorphology

During the last glaciation, an ice mass of 2 000 to 3 000 meters thick covered the region. Under the weight of the ice, the Earth's crust has sunk. The movement of this mass of ice left traces in the landscape by digging the valleys, polishing rocks and moving movable materials. Deglaciation would have started 10 ka ago and much of Labrador would have been ice-free there are 7.6 ka. The Park area would have been ice-free a few centuries later. During melting, a portion of the glacier blocked the lower George River, which resulted in the formation of a glacial lake wedged between the Torngat mountains and the glacier, Lake Naskaupi.

The age and duration of Lake Naskaupi still remain hypothetical. Its highest level would be 550 m, thus flooding almost the entire land and extending well south of it. In total, 40 levels were listed for this lake. Old shore lines are also well visible. They are the ones that give the characteristic shape of the peak pyramid.

Wildlife

Although located in a northern environment, the fauna at the Ulittaniujalik is all well diversified. The distribution maps consulted and field inventories identified 34 species of mammals, 97 species of birds, 11 species of fish and 4 species of amphibians. The mammal species present are typical of the region: Caribou, black bear and a myriad of small mammals.

The caribou present in the would be primarily associated with the George River herd. The size of the herd has been declining in the last few years. According to inventories carried out by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife (MRNF), the population would have dropped from 385 000 in 2001 to less than 75 000 in 2010.

Of the 97 species of birds, 61 are presumed to be nesting. The inventory in the summer of 2010 confirmed the nesting of 31 species, 5 of which have protection status, either federally or provincially. They are the Harlequin Duck, the Royal Eagle, the Peregrine falcon, the Swamp Owl and the rusty Blackbird.

On the ichthyological wildlife side (fish), rivers and lakes are dominated by salmonids (Atlantic salmon, Arctic char, lake trout and brook trout). The George River has long been known as a salmon-rich river and has been the subject of a commercial fishery for some fifty years from the late nineteenth century. The distribution of species varies depending on the habitats present. While the George River is home to the 11 species inventoried, some low-productivity lakes harbour only Arctic char. The great ability of Arctic char to adapt would explain its colonization success. In addition, a dwarf form of Arctic char was observed in a small lake near the peak pyramid and Tasirlaq Lake.

On the insect part, harvests identified 23 species of beetles, 3 species of ants and 33 species of spiders.

Flora

The Park is mostly covered with bare deposits, shrubs, herbs, moss and lichens. Valleys are a transition zone between two different strong environments, gradually passing from the trees, to the herbaceous vegetation, the muscinaie or the Lichénaie. The vascular flora is estimated to be about 330 taxa. Of these, 270 were identified and at its immediate periphery. The boreal affinity taxa are more present than those of Arctic affinity. On the Invascular side, field crops identified 51 hepatics, 75 mosses, and 114 lichens. These harvests revealed two new hepatics for Quebec (Marsupella Boeckii and Eremonotus Myriocarpus)!

Photos from Ulittaniujalik