Beaumont Island is an Eden-in-the-making. Nestled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it is a haven for those who love nature and want to live a low-impact lifestyle. The island is located just off the Gaspe Peninsula in Eastern Quebec and is accessible only by boat or helicopter.
The 33 hectares of land are composed of forests, meadows, ponds, and a lagoon. There are also two lakes on the island – one for fish and one for forestry. Beaumont Island has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
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All About Of Beaumont Island
What Is Beaumont Island?
Beaumont Island, formerly known as Grande-Baleine Island, is wedged between the Gaspe Peninsula and Repentigny. It was named for Pierre Beaumont de Monts who had just returned from France in 1664 after having been sent to explore this region by Louis XIV.
The name of the island colloquially has also been said to have referred originally a subspecies of bear known as trade black bears from the Côte-Nord region . Today, there are no black bear populations on Beaumont Island and this name is brought about by speculative wildlife photography to refer to all of Canada as a whole.
Now that there are no bears present in Quebec , the authors claimed Black Bears remain throughout the eastern part of North America from Labrador southward through most of New England (the core population being along Hudson Bay ) eastward to Maine and south into the Appalachians.
There is also a longer version of this story, suggesting Caribbean penguins brought this name to Quebec . Also: in keeping with long tradition, vernacular and books on nature will sometimes not say Beaumont Island but rather “Beau Mont ou Mon.” The latter being an expression derived from the French words for Bear Mountain which came as early as 1668 when Samuel de Champlain.
What Are The Benefits Of Living On Beaumont Island?
For a population of just over 1,000 people and a land area larger than Quebec City , the island has many energy conservation features that are unique in Québec .
Like all homes on the Island its design is to circulate as much fresh diffuse air from vents as possible whichever way. The windows are streamlined with specially shaped “vent-slats” for maximum ventilation through every room of your house. We have also designed 12′ ceilings with large and extra-large openings for heat to escape as quickly as possible in winter.
The joists are the second largest visible, with wooden beams about eight inches higher than the rest of interior wall covering, so hot air can rise freely from beneath your feet downward towards a series leaving you free to walk on any part of any room .
We also have long “open passageways” through every house allowing us direct access which allows us to choose to keep warm or cool whatever the temperature inside your home.
Even with all these heat conserving features every house on Beaumont Island has double glazed windows and over double paned glass doors for maximum winter warmth by blocking outside drafts. However we do have a number of “extras” in almost every house that are like-windows enclosing tiny rooms, which allows a small amount of snow from the roof just fall down.
How Can You Live A Low Impact Lifestyle On Beaumont Island?
For example, there is no Land Use Plan , staff approved some areas used by others but they cannot control other people’s property use. All are generally open to public access including roads (not maintained) and trails throughout the Island on which locals and visitors cycle cycling .
While groups can arrange for boat tours of the island from city or venue rentals providers when closed in winter mean 12-hour long ski trips that take a lot of effort.
Both you and ledders/guides will have to help maintain your sections of trail so it isn’t destroyed exactly by the same people that are hiking up hill. Tour boat providers use our trails with permission and give a donation to Sustainable Travel Programs
A more “hiker-friendly” alternative is situated on the other side of town, which has even been developed into an app meant for commuting users. It’s called North Island Trail (N IT) app , can be purchased for android & iPhone and allows users to generate a tracks on the map of North Island and see it covered in real-time as you walk along it.
It also comes with regular updates regarding trails, policy changes/or any problems that may arise including snow clearing or trail closures. We use this at home when we go out so she can know what’s going on .
When touring the island by land, observe what others do and don’t disassemble their firewood to carry it in. No one wants a big grave of wood logs on the side of a trail all by themselves, permits are provided for large groups.
Contact Sustainable Travel Programs or UBC Botanical Gardens if you’d like them issue some this season but not sure what volunteers does that as there’s been no information about how/where they got supplies from . You can still pick.
Conclusion
Going up in a helicopter is the right way to get yourself familiar of an area, it’s the only possible view (unless if you paid for water skis) but at what cost? I mean we were still free human being and our feet could be hurting horribly by all that flying back then. My recommendation would be to either push through with this wonderful service or avoid it as far from your ill-gotten autopilot cents .
Finally , give your arms a break every once in awhile, exercise out that excess pounds you’re carrying around. We’ve now learned how to navigate with only walking stick and camera lens without any numbers but we still need some help when it’s time for us to crawl back home.
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