Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area | |
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Réserve nationale de faune du cap Tourmente | |
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location | Saint-Joachim, La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada |
Coordinates | 47°5′N 70°47′W / 47.083°N 70.783°W |
Area | 23.99 km2 (9.26 sq mi) |
Established | April 28, 1978 |
Governing body | Canadian Wildlife Service |
Official name | Cap Tourmente |
Designated | 15 January 1981 |
Reference no. | 214[1] |
The Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area is a National Wildlife Area (NWA) located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the National Provincial Capital Region of Quebec, Canada, established on 28 April 1978. It is one of the critical habitats for the greater snow goose during migration. Flocks of tens of thousands of these birds stop over to feed on the bullrushes in the spring and fall. The tidal marsh was recognized as a wetland of international significance per the Ramsar Convention in 1981, the first North American site to receive that distinction.[2]
In 1981, the Cap Tourmente NWA was declared North America's first Ramsar site, a site recognized as a wetland of international importance.