Îles-de-Boucherville National Park

Îles-de-Boucherville National Park
Îles-de-Boucherville National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Location	Boucherville / Longueuil, Quebec, Canada

Îles-de-Boucherville National Park is a provincial park along the Saint Lawrence river in the province of Quebec.^[1] Located on the South Shore of Montreal, near the suburb of Boucherville, the park comprises a handful of islands formerly used for agriculture and vacationing and now home to wetlands, bike paths, kayak circuits, cross-country ski trails, and public golf courses. Wildlife can be readily observed in all seasons, including the white-tailed deer, red fox, and the grey squirrel.

After the area was targeted for real-estate development in the 1970s, the provincial government acquired the islands and created the park in 1984. It is administered by Sépaq, the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec, which manages several Quebec parks and wildlife refuges. All provincial parks in Quebec have used the term "national park" since 2002, but there is no connection to the federal national park system, administered by Parks Canada.

Toponymy

The Boucherville Islands have gone by several different names throughout their history. At the time of the establishment of the seigneury encompassing the territory of the islands in 1664, they were known as the Percées Islands (îles-Percées). In the 18th century, owing to the presence of a commune on the islands, the name Common Isle (Isle Commune) came into use. It was only in 1858 that the modern-day name first appeared on a map, though only in its English form of Boucherville Islands. Its French version, Îles-de-Boucherville, was eventually adopted in the 20th century, and the islands have remained under that name ever since.^[2]

The name Boucherville was taken from the town of the same name located just 400 metres from the islands, itself named after the man who was granted the seigneury, Pierre Boucher. Boucher, one of the most respected Canadians of his time, was a jack-of-all-trades, having served at different times as a soldier, an interpreter, a linguist, a judge, a municipal governor, a civil and criminal lieutenant, a pioneer, and an urban planner.^[3]

References

This article was initially translated from the French Wikipedia.

^ Registre des aires protégées du Québec, Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs. (in French)
^ Gouvernement du Québec. "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Îles de Boucherville". Commission de toponymie. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
^ Gouvernement du Québec. "Banque de noms de lieux du Québec: Boucherville". Commission de toponymie. Retrieved September 19, 2009.