De la Gaspesie Park, Quebec

The diverse, cross-country beauty of the nation is depicted on 12 provincial and territorial parks stamps to be issued for Canada Day 1993. Termed "a sea of mountains", the Park de la Gaspésie is located in Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula between St. Lawrence River and the Bay of Chaleur. With 802 square kilometre of mountains, lakes, forests and rivers, it offers landscapes of impressive beauty in addition to affording various degrees of protection for the flora and fauna. The park consists of a strip, several kilometres in width, in which two mountain ranges are found - the Chic-Chocs and the McGerrigles. Meaning "insurmountable wall" in Mic-Mac, the former form the backbone of the park, containing several summits over 900 metres such as Mount Albert and Mount Logan. The McGerrigles, separated from Mount Logan by the Sainte-Anne River Valley, are characterized by their abrupt facades. One of the highest points in Quebec, the 1,270 metres Mount Jacques Cartier is found here. Vegetation ranges from the boreal at the lowest levels to sub-alpine near the summits with herbaceous plants at the higher elevation. The cladonia as a favourite of the woodland caribou that have found refuge here. The caribou co-exist with moose and white tail deer - the only such mixture on the continent. Fish are abundant and nature lovers are attracted to the savage beauty. First established as a forestry, hunting and fishing preserve in 1905, the provincial park was established in 1937 as Quebec's first true conservation park. The stamp designs convey the feeling that the artist visited these spectacular locations and was awed by their beauty.