Vachon River (French: Rivière Vachon, Inuktitut: Ikkatujaaq (seemingly shallow) or Qarnatulik (unknown meaning) or Avaluko (unknown meaning)[1]) is a river in the Arctic tundra of Nunavik, Quebec. It originates on Lac Laflamme at 61°21′49″N 73°45′36″W / 61.36361°N 73.76000°W just north of Pingualuit crater and finishes at 60°4′43″N 71°8′59″W / 60.07861°N 71.14972°W where it joins Arnaud/Payne River. It was named after bishop Alexander Vachon (1885–1953), rector of Laval University in 1939 and from 1940 to 1953, archbishop of the diocese of Ottawa, Ontario.[1]
| Vachon River | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Lac Laflamme (a.k.a. Manarsulik Lake), Nunavik, Quebec |
| • elevation | 487.5 m (1,599 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Arnaud/Payne River |
• elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Length | 266 km (165 mi) (measured from north-west end of Lac Laflamme) |
Despite the access and paddling difficulties (long rapids and ledges) and extreme climatic conditions,[2] river is occasionally paddled by canoeists:
- in 1978, 4 canoeists from Quebec, Canada, paddled Vachon upstream as access route to Povungnituk River (French: Rivière Puvirnituq);
- in 1985, the group of 4 canoeists (Pascal Dorémus, Jacques Lavoué, Olivier Barbier and Philippe Zanni) from Lyon, France[3] coming from Puvirnituq, upstream Povungnituk River (French: rivière Puvirnituq);
- in 2009, solo canoeist Eric Leclair from Quebec;[4][5]
- in 2010, the group of 4 canoeists (Lynette Chubb and Lester Kovac from Ontario and Curt Gellerman and Wesley Rusk from the United States).[6]
River is inhabited by an important Arctic char population harvested for subsistence by the Inuit of Kangirsuk.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Commission de toponymie du Québec - Topos sur le Web - Rivière Vachon
- ^ FQCK (2000). Guide des parcours canotables du Quebec, Tome II. Broquet. p. 241. ISBN 2-89000-504-6.
- ^ Philippe Zanni; Pauline Holdsworth. "Across Ungava - Canoeing Northern Quebec". Kanawa (Winter 2000): 4–9.
- ^ Virginia Marshall. "Lining and Tides and Bears". Rapid (Summer/Fall 2009): 14.
- ^ Eric Leclair. "Vachon River, Nunavik". Kanawa (Winter 2009): 20–29.
- ^ Lester Kovac/Lynette Chubb: Vachon River 2010.
- ^ Daniel Leclair (January 2001). "Assessment of the baseline metal levels in the aquatic environment of Crater Lake, Deception, Puvirnituq and Vachon rivers, Nunavik" (PDF). Environmental monitoring of the Raglan project. Kuujjuaq: Nunavik Research Centre. p. 4. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
See also
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