The Magdalen Islands

[Lorri Dent]

TheMagdalen Islands are the jagged remains of a vanished part of the mainland. Approximately 78 miles (125.53 km),[4] they form a string of islands and beaches in the southeastern part of the Gulf of St Lawrence.

The rocks that make up the island massifs are of three kinds: horizontal and soft sandstones, of a blood-red color, which give the archipelago a distinctive character. These red sandstones are juxtaposed with harder, grey sandstones, which also form cliffs in some places. Finally, volcanic actions created rounded, symmetrical domes like breasts, which were given the name of Demoiselles,[5] though this is disputed.[6] Where volcanic effusions have come into contact with sandstones, large masses of gypsum are found.

A group of seven islands form the central core of the archipelago: le du Havre Aubert (known locally as Amherst Island),[7] le du Cap aux Meules[broken anchor] (known locally as Grindstone),[8] le du Havre aux Maisons (known locally as House Harbour),[9] le aux Loups (known locally as Seal Island),[10] Grosse le (home to most of the Islands' English-speaking community), le d'Entre (known locally as Entry Island, home to a small English-speaking community) and le de la Grande-Entre[broken anchor]. These islands are connected together by sand spits or tombolos.

On the outskirts of the main islands are a series of islets and rocks which are remnants of marine erosion; in the lagoons separating these islands, are le aux Golands and the surrounding islets near tang-du-Nord[broken anchor] on the south-west coast of le du Cap aux Meules (Grindstone), le Rouge and le Paquet (formerly le aux Cochons)[11] at the entrance to the lagoon of Havre aux Maisons (House Harbour), le Shag to the east of the Dune du Sud. In the gulf north of the archipelago, cliffs of the reddish and greyish green sandstone, a few hundred feet high and relatively unmarked by sea erosion, give a fortress-like appearance to le Brion[12] and the Rochers aux Oiseaux.

Supporting the islands is a series of shoals and reefs that are permanent hazards to maritime navigation.[13] The archipelago has been considered, for more than 400 years, as one of the richest marine regions of Eastern Canada.[14]

In the Magdalen Islands, the coastal dynamics are amplified by the wind, with waves most often 0.5 to 2 metres high breaking on the coast at a rate of four to seven seconds, depending on their height.

Adding up the many bays and indentations, the coastline is inordinately long: 385 kilometres in all, more than 60% of which is sandy beaches, often topped by a dune. The territory is constantly changing, the unconsolidated deposits are expanding at the expense of the rocky cores they connect.[15]

The red sandstone cliffs, the most widespread and friable, are rarely more than 30 metres high. They are subject to rapid erosion (often more than one metre per year) due to the action of frost, ice, waves and sea spray that make numerous openings while undermining their base. Erosion features and shapes such as caves, towers, and corbels.

Many of the piping plover's nesting areas are subject to human disturbance or other threats, and it is now considered an endangered or threatened species in all parts of its range. During courtship, males perform display flights over breeding territory, with slow wingbeats and piping callnotes. On the ground, males approach females, stand upright with neck stretched, and rapidly stamp their feet with an odd high-stepping gait. Usually, the nest has four eggs, sometimes two or three, and rarely five; the eggs are pale buff, spotted with black and dark brown. Their incubation period lasts 26-28 days.

The Rochers aux Oiseaux (English: Bird Rocks) include the Bird Rock and the Margaulx Rock; these rocks emerge in the Gulf of St. Lawrence about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Grosse-le. On June 25, 1534, Jacques Cartier discovered these rocks, which he named the les de Margaulx because of the myriad gannets (French: margaulx), razorbills, and great auks (now extinct) that were found there. In 1919 Brother Marie-Victorin used the name Rochers aux Oiseaux during his visit to the Rocks; since 1974, the Canadian Wildlife Service has made them a Migratory Bird Sanctuary.[23]

The Pointe de l'Est National Wildlife Area is located on La Grosse le and the reserve occupies an area of 748 hectares (1,848 acres) in the village of the same name. It offers landscapes characteristic of the Islands: a reddish rocky core, coastal belts reshaped by the wind into dunes, moors, huge beaches and freshwater, saltwater or brackish water ponds. The reserve has 6 hiking trails from 0.6 to 1.8 km in length: L'chouerie, Le Rabougri, La Camarine, La Lande, Le Mitan, Le Bol--Soupe.[25]

The names used by the Acadians of the archipelago are as follows: Grande-Entre island (Coffin), Boudreau island, Cap de l'Est island, Grosse-le, Pointe-aux-Loups island, Havre-aux-Maisons island (Alright or House Harbour), Cap-aux-Meules (Grindstone) island, Havre-Aubert island (Amherst), Corps-Mort island (Deadman), and Entre islands. Uninhabited islets as Bird Rocks and Brion Island complete the archipelago.[13]

The islands are also coextensive with the urban agglomeration of Les les-de-la-Madeleine, which is divided into two municipalities: Les les-de-la-Madeleine (2011 census pop. 12,291), the central municipality, and Grosse-le (pop. 490). Their mayors are Gatan Richard and Rose Elmonde Clarke, respectively.

Within the area known as Dawnland, these islands were once called Menquit by the Mi'kmaw Nation, meaning "islands battered by waves." Around the mid 19th century as Mi'kmawi'simk (the Mi'kmaw language) shifted, the name changed to become Menagoesenog reflecting islands "battered by the surf." Although not a distinct district within Mi'kma'ki, the archipelago falls within the territorial bounds of the Mi'kmaw homeland.

The maritime climate of the les de la Madeleine is markedly different from that of the mainland. The huge water masses that circle the archipelago both temper the weather and create milder conditions in each season. On the islands, winter is mild, spring is cool, summer has a few heat waves, and fall is typically warm. The les de la Madeleine have the least annual frost in Quebec. The warm breezes of summer persist well into September and sometimes early October.[30] However, under the Kppen climate classification its climate is humid continental (Dfb) because its winters average far below freezing by maritime standards. Seasonal lag is strong because of the freezing water and the time that it takes for the gulf to warm up again. Also, in winter, sea ice occasionally forms, impeding offshore communications and activities.[31][32]

The les de la Madeleine have warmed 2.3 C (4 F) in the late 19th century, twice the global average. As a result, the residents are facing a growing number of problems, as extreme climate change transforms the land and water around them. The sea ice that used to encase and protect the islands from most winter storms is shrinking at a rate of about 1,437 km2 (555 sq mi) annually. Parts of the shoreline have eroded into the sea at a rate as much as 4.3 metres (14 ft) per year in the 2010s. Important roads are at risk of washouts, and important infrastructure, including the hospital and city hall sit near deteriorating cliffs. Recently the sea has been rising at a rate of 7 mm (0.28 in) per decade, threatening to contaminate freshwater aquifers.[34]

Several news articles in 2019 pointed out that erosion of the coastline had already become a significant issue. Researchers have found that the amount has doubled since 2005, and was averaging 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in) per year. Recent events that added to the problem included a significant windstorm in November 2018 and the post-tropical storm Dorian that hit the islands in September 2019.[38]

A Washington Post report in late October 2019 also indicated that increasing temperatures have led to reduced ice cover over the years, leading to less protection from winter storms. "That ice has been disappearing ... [and the] sea-level rise, have caused the islands to crumble into the sea".[39]

Researchers have found that the rise in sea levels has been approximately double that of the global norm and that the sea ice is shrinking at approximately 12% per decade. A November 2019 Washington Post report provided these specifics about the effects of erosion:[40]

"Some parts of the shoreline have lost as much as 14 feet (4 m) per year to the sea over the past decade. Key roads face perpetual risk of washing out. The hospital and the city hall sit alarmingly close to deteriorating cliffs. Rising waters threaten to contaminate aquifers used for drinking water ... Nearly a dozen homes on the islands have been relocated, and most everyone expects that number to grow."

Tourism is a major component of the islands' economy, as they have many kilometres of white sand beaches and steadily-eroding sandstone cliffs. Also, they are a destination for bicycle camping, sea kayaking, windsurfing, and kitesurfing. During the winter months, beginning in mid-February, ecotourists visit to observe newborn and young harp seal pups on the pack ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which surrounds the islands.[citation needed] However the ice cover has reduced recently and the observation "season" has been cancelled several times.

The island is home to Canadian Salt Company Seleine Mines, which produces road salt for use in Quebec, Atlantic Canada and the United States' eastern seaboard.[41] Opened in 1982, the salt mine and plant is located in Grosse-le and extracts salt from an underground mine 30 metres (98 ft) below Grande-Entre Lagoon. It produces 1,000,000 tonnes (980,000 long tons; 1,100,000 short tons) of salt, and employs 200 people.

Although fishing is a traditional occupation, lobster have become a more lucrative local business. It was once common for lobstermen to haul in 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) during a nine-week season that begins each spring, but now it is not unusual to bring home twice that amount, or more.[34] This may be due to climate change that has warmed the surrounding waters to some extent, yielded increasing lobster harvests. An identification guide formarine fishes of the estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence was completed in 2008.[42]

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