The station is owned by the municipality of Radisson. It is managed and operated by two member institutions of the Centre d'études nordiques: Université Laval and Université du Québec à Rimouski. The station has a long-term lease with the municipality. The CEN secretariat based at Laval University oversees the management of the station. This station is part of the CEN Network and is the southernmost station of the Network at 53°N.
CEN Radisson Research Station (Station de recherche de Radisson). The station is the property of the Radisson municipality. The station has a long-term lease with the municipality. The CEN secretariat based at University Laval oversees the management of the station. This station is part of the CEN Network, more precisely the Qaujisarvik Network of stations, and is the most southerly station of the network at 53° N. The vast expanse of the Québec territory, adjacent to James Bay, is administered by the Société d'énergie de la Baie James which is a subsidiary of Hydro Québec. Hydro Québec is responsible for emergency services and requires an annual logistical and security plan for all visitors.
Radisson is accessible by road (from Matagami to Radisson). The James Bay route is asphalted throughout its 624 km and provides access to several Cree villages and to the trans-taiga ecosystems which border the hydroelectric reservoirs. It is a private road requiring user registration at the entry gate for security reasons given the low rate of use. Access is free. Fuel is available at km 381. Scheduled commercial air service is also available at the Radisson-Grande-Rivière airport, located 30 km from Radisson (via Air Inuit, Air CreeBec). Eastward from Radisson, the Trans-Taiga Road leads to the Caniapiscau Reservoir (gravel road).
CEN researchers have been working in this region since the late 1980’s, but the station was established in 1999 and was upgraded in 2010. Lodging is available in three houses (3 bedrooms each), that are operated by the CEN researchers. With a total capacity for 25 people, this facility comprises a laboratory building with a fume hood, a fully equipped meeting room, a garage and a workshop. It can be used to work in the James Bay region and near the main hydroelectric reservoirs.
Radisson is surrounded by the eastern Canadian Shield taiga with Boreal dominated by black spruce and grey pine. The region is relatively poor in plant species diversity with about 350 vascular plant species, yet wildlife diversity is rich with 40 mammal species and 60 bird species.
Forest fires are a very dynamic element of the region, sculpting the landscape into natural mosaics nested between rocky hills which confine the lower wetlands (mainly lakes and bogs). From 1989 to 1996, forest fires within the town of Radisson considerably changed the landscape.
Radisson is situated in a postglacial marine invasion and drainage is limited due to the presence of clay in the lowlands. The region has been studied and monitored extensively since 1974 in the context of the development of the hydroelectric complex. Consequently, Hydro-Québec and the Société d’énergie de la baie de James have produced several syntheses on the area.
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Climate and environmental data: Nordicana-D: |
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This station is part of the Canadian Network of Northern Research Operators (CNNRO, https://cnnro.org/) and the international network INTERACT (https://www.interact-gis.org/).
| Institution | Université Laval |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Infrastructure type | Research station |
| Disciplines | Biology and biochemistry Environmental sciences Earth sciences |
| Language of operation | French English Cree |
| Keywords | ecologyenvironmentbiologyclimate changenatural resourcesbiodiversityforestrygeographygeologyearth sciencepaleoclimateboreallimnologylakesgeomorphologyenvironmental monitoringbiogeographyenvironmental change |
The station is open year-round. To make a reservation, please contact:
station@cen.ulaval.ca or call : 1+418-656-3340
Contact the CEN secretariat: station@cen.ulaval.ca or +1-418-656-3340.
