Madakik Nature Reserve (Canton of Melbourne)
The 7.34 ha (18.14 acre) Madakik Nature Reserve (township of Melbourne) was acquired in 2003. It is crossed from west to east by the Salmon River and protects the flood plain and its bed river. The territory, marked by the agriculture that was practiced there, is characterized by various wasteland, including a riparian arboreal wasteland, a stand of hardwoods and conifers and some wetlands.
This natural reserve shelters:
• 1 1 7 plant species, including species dependent on aquatic environments,
• 2 species in precarious situation,
• 2 species vulnerable to harvest, and • around sixty wild species, including three species in precarious situations.
The moose and the red fox occasionally cross the nature reserve.
Ruisseau-Gulf Nature Reserve (Racine)
The Ruisseau-Gulf nature reserve (Racine, 27.8 ha [68.7 acres]) was acquired in 2004. It straddles part of the Flodden hillside refuge forest. In fact, more than half of the territory is part of this exceptional yellow birch sugar bush. The nature reserve is characterized by a rugged valley between two hills where there are outcrops of serpentine. The territory protects the source of Gulf Creek, three forest stands and an open environment that remains of an old pasture. Many of the protected natural areas in this reserve constitute quality habitats, especially for salamanders.
The nature reserve is home to:
• more than 94 plant species, including two species in precarious situations and one species vulnerable to harvesting.
• About 35 wildlife species, including three species in precarious situations.
White-tailed deer and moose occasionally pass through the nature reserve
Lac Brais Nature Reserve (Racine)
The Lac-Brais nature reserve (Racine, 101.8 ha [251.6 acres]) was acquired in three stages in 2005 (Ferme Patris), in 2006 (Thorel-Germain) and in 2007 (Fermes Jacques Dupont). It partially covers two hills and the valley of one of the main tributaries of Lac Brais. The relief is uneven and the rock outcrops frequent. The territory protects three tributaries of Lac Brais, a dozen forest stands, including several maple groves, a fallow remains of the agricultural use of the territory, a typical agricultural field, as well as some shrub swamps and herbaceous wet meadows.
The nature reserve is home to:
• more than 110 plant species, including 62 herbaceous species and some species of mosses and lichens,
• more than a hundred wildlife species, including species dependent on aquatic environments,
• about fifty species of birds, and
• two species of amphibians in a precarious situation.
Coyotes, black bears and moose occasionally pass through the nature reserve.
Bran-de-scie Lake Nature Reserve (Canton of Orford)
The Bran-de-scie Lake (18.9 ha [46.7 acres]) was acquired in two stages: by an ecological gift from Mrs. Thibert in 2005 and from a purchase by Mrs. Thibert in 2007. This reserve is located in a deep valley where flows , among others, the main tributary of Lake Bran de Scie. It protects four forest stands, including a cedar where there are centenarians, a wet meadow, a large beaver pond and a fallow land, a remnant of agricultural activities. Wetlands and aquatic environments provide quality habitats for amphibians.
The nature reserve is home to:
• 55 plant species, including two species vulnerable to harvest,
• more than 70 species of fauna, including nearly 50 species of nesting birds and
• three species of amphibians in a precarious situation.
White-tailed deer and moose occasionally pass through the nature reserve.
The Cleveland Oak Forest (Canton of Cleveland)
The Cleveland Oak Forest (Canton of Cleveland, 22 ha [54.3 acres]) was acquired in 2008. The rare Cleveland forest corresponds to a small stand of red oak. It occupies the top part of a low hill where the sugar maple oak grove meets the maple groves encountered on the slopes. The presence of a red oak grove in the vicinity of the municipality of Cleveland is quite unusual.
Although one can still meet sporadically the red oak in the sub-domain of the maple grove with lime of the East, the presence of an oak forest Cleveland oak forest in the heart of the region of Estrie can be considered exceptional. It is, in fact, a peripheral location compared to the current distribution of this type of oak grove in Quebec. This red oak grove is an exceptional forest ecosystem for Quebec because of the great rarity of this type of forest within the eastern maple-linden sub-domain and its excellent state of preservation. (MMNRFP). The acquisition fund was established with: MDDEP, FHQE, Environment Canada and Fondation EJLB. In 2008, the SCCNRS set up for the first time a backup fund made up of: Toyota Richmond, Gabriel Couture et fils, Caisse populaire Desjardins Richmond and several private donors from Val -Saint-François.