Nature preservation

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Association des Membres et Amis pour la Protection de la Réserve Nationale de Faune du Lac Saint-François (AMAPRE) launched its new electric pontoon boat on June 6.

The boat, dubbed the Maraiscalibur, will serve a double function for the non-profit that manages the national wildlife area in Dundee. It will help to clean and maintain the waterways through the reserve, while providing a new service to individuals with reduced mobility who would like to experience the area from the water.

The Ministère des Affaires Municipals et de l’Habitation and the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent contributed $50,830 to the initiative as part of the revitalization and intermunicipal cooperation component of the Fonds Regions et Ruralité program.

The AMAPRE contributed an additional $11,600 to ensure the fully electric craft was self-sufficient, as there is no electricity at the end of the dock where the pontoon is moored. Director Karina LeClair pointed out that the boat is equipped with five batteries and two solar panels. It took 17 months and a lot of experimenting to configure the boat to allow solar energy to charge the backup batteries as well as the main battery used to power the motor.

During the brief ceremony, Leclair said she has always wanted to do something to encourage visitors with reduced mobility to enjoy the reserve, noting she found it sad that some visitors were left to wait at the interpretation centre while others were able to experience the entire site.

Simon Thibert, the site’s interpretation activities coordinator, is the only team member certified to operate the small commercial vessel. He explained that much of his training has since been adapted to working in a highly protected marsh with an all-electric boat. The pontoon, while increasing the site’s tourism potential, will also be used by the team to help manage and remove invasive aquatic plant species.

Visitors with reduced mobility, or those who are unable to use the site’s canoe, rabaska, or sea kayaks, can reserve a tour by pontoon throughout the summer until October 15. There is a two-person minimum and four-person maximum for the pontoon experience, which must be booked at least three days in advance.