Leaf River (Quebec)

Tributaries

The significant tributaries of the Leaf River are:

• Charpentier River
• Nedlouc River
• Descareaux River
• Daunais River
• Goudalie River
• Vizien River
• Brissard River
• Qijuttuuk River
• Cohade River
• Tuktu River
• Dufreboy Creek
• Viennaux River
• Papijjusaq River
• Peladeau River
• Fanfan River

History

Since at least the late 19th century, the river has been known by its English name, "Leaf River", which was probably derived from the Arctic willow and birch trees that grow sparsely along its banks. The Hudson's Bay Company fished there for salmon and porpoises, and opened a trading post at the mouth of the river around 1905. In the early 20th century, the French name Rivière des Feuilles was assigned, and standardized to its current form Rivière aux Feuilles in 1925.

First known explorers:

1898 - Albert Peter Low

1912 - Robert J. Flaherty

1976 - Bob Davis

The Leaf River caribou herd

Caribou crossing Leaf River.jpg|Caribou crossing Leaf River Caribou at the campsite (cropped).jpg|Leaf River and caribou The Leaf River caribou herd (LRCH) is a migratory forest-tundra ecotype of the boreal population, a caribou subspecies of Rangifer tarandus caribou. Like the George River Herd, it migrates between forest and tundra. Migratory caribou herds are often defined in terms of female natal philopatry or natal homing, the tendency to return to natal calving areas—in this case, the Leaf River. The Leaf Herd in the west, near the coast of Hudson Bay, increased from 270,000 in 1991 to 628,000 in 2001. According to the Quebec's Natural Resources and Wildlife survey, the Leaf River Herd (LRH) (Rivière-aux-Feuilles) had decreased to 430,000 caribou in 2011. According to an international study on caribou populations, the Leaf River herd could be threatened with extinction by 2080.

References

References

1. Natural Resources Canada, Atlas of Canada - [http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html Rivers] {{webarchive. link. (2007-04-10)
2. (2000). "Guide des parcours canotables du Quebec, Tome II". Broquet.
3. "Rivière aux Feuilles". Commission de toponymie du Québec.
4. Lester Kovac and Lynette Chubb. "Charpentier/Leaf 2007".
5. Bassi, Brad. "Northern Ungava Canoe Expedition".
6. Kunin, Tim. "Pakboats on the Leaf River".
7. Lange, Willem. "Pakboats on the Rivière aux Feuilles".
8. "Quebec Canoe Maps".
9. Hodgins. (1997). "Canoeing North into the Unknown (A Record of River Travel: 1874-1974)". Dundurn.
10. (2009). "Woodland Caribou: ''Rangifer Tarandus''". Wildlife Division.
11. (2004). "Demography of the migratory tundra caribou (Rangifer tarandus) of the Nord-du-québec region and Labrador".
12. (11 November 2011). "Nunavik's Leaf River caribou herd decreasing". Nunatsiaq News.
13. (26 April 2013). "Inuit, Inuu, Cree in Quebec and Labrador join forces to protect Ungava caribou: a united and powerful voice that will endeavor to preserve caribou". Nunatsiaq News.
14. Varga, Peter. (20 December 2013). "Warming climate threatens caribou in Nunavik, Labrador, Baffin: Study links species' survival with stable climate".