Judith-De Brésoles Ecological Reserve

The Judith-De Brésoles Ecological Reserve is a public conservation area in the municipality of Lac-Édouard, in La Tuque, in the region of Mauricie, in Quebec, Canada. Its raison d'être is to ensure the protection of ecosystems representative of the ecological region of the Lower Laurentians of Saguenay, which belongs to the fir-yellow birch domain.

This reserve is administered by the Government of Quebec.

History
This ecological reserve was established in 1992.

This toponym evokes the memory of Sister Judith Moreau De Brésoles (1620-1687) who is recognized for her talents in medicine and pharmacy. This personality was the founder and first superior of the hospital nuns of the Hôtel-Dieu de Ville-Marie (now Montreal).

Geography
The territory of this ecological reserve is located in the canton of Trudel, a few kilometers southwest of the village of Lac-Édouard. This reserve is on the southeast side of the northern part of lac Édouard; its southwestern limit is very close to Gull Rock Bay in Lake Edward. Its northern and western limit runs along Damasse Street, the only access road to this reserve. The main body of water in this Reserve is Lac Mauvais.

This reserve is part of the vast physiographic region of the Precambrian Shield. According to the Ministry of the Environment's website, the unconsolidated deposits in this reserve are tills, more or less deep depending on the position on the slope, and fluvio-glacial sediments of the kame and esker types, composed mainly of sands, gravel and pebbles. Thus, from these deposits, ferro-humic and humo-ferric podzols developed.

According to the Ministry, the main forest groups of the ecological reserve can be summarized as follows: pure yellow birch, yellow birch fir, balsam fir with yellow birch, white birch, pure black spruce, black spruce with fir, balsam fir and aspen forest. At the western end of the site, the Department has identified the presence of a sugar maple-yellow birch grove, a group located at the northern limit of its distribution area; which is rare in the field of balsam fir to yellow birch.

Go
The village of Lac-Édouard is accessible by plane, road, train, snowmobile and all-terrain vehicles. From the village of Lac-Édouard, all you have to do is take rue Damasse (south-west) and cross the railway line, and drive for approximately passing near Lac Aval, until at the northern limit of the Ecological Reserve.

By train

 * Using ViaRail, take the train from Montreal to Lac-Édouard railway station. The train can in the Reserve stop upon request by a passenger. The village of Lac-Édouard is connected by a passenger rail service offered by Via Rail. This village has been on the railway line connecting Lac Saint-Jean and Montreal since 1885. The gare du Lac-Édouard was the turning point the arrival of passengers by train (including patients going to the sanatorium, visitors, workers, vacationers, forestry contractors), supplies (e.g. food, equipment) from outside the region and materials for families and industries.

By car

 * From Montreal (. Time: 4 hr 13 min. Take highway 40 (north shore) eastbound, to Trois-Rivières; take highway 55 (northbound) to Grand-Mère, which becomes route 155 and cross the Saint-Maurice river bridge; take road 155, bypass the village of La Tuque, until the Halte du Curé-Normandin; take Chemin du Lac-Édouard (eastbound) to the village of Lac-Édouard.
 * From Quebec (city) (. Time: 3 hr 42 min. Take highway 40 westbound to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, then take route 159 through the villages of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain, Saint-Stanislas, Saint-Séverin, Saint-Tite and Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac; take road 155, bypass the village of La Tuque, until the Halte du Curé-Normandin; take Chemin du Lac-Édouard (eastbound) to the village of Lac-Édouard.

Eat, drink and sleep
There are no restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, kiosk and lodging in Judith-De Brésoles Ecological Reserve.