Dr Alec Lucas Bird Sanctuary

St-André-Avellin & Saint-Sixte, QC

This sanctuary is located north of Autoroute 50, within the peripheral zone of the Plaisance National Park, less than 10 kilometers from the park. In his will, Dr. Alec Lucas, a former Bird Protection Quebec member who died May 6, 2003, donated part of his property to Bird Protection Quebec for perpetual protection.

The property consists of 6 cadastres; 5 in the municipality of St-André-Avellin, and 1 in the municipality of Saint-Sixte, Quebec, for a total of approximately 187 hectares, or 460 acres of predominantly forested habitat.

There is currently no public access to this property. There are no safe trails, and we are in the process of evaluating the various habitats, flora and fauna, and formulating a management plan.

Data have been collected at the sanctuary and contributed to Birds Canada’s Marsh Monitoring Program.

A breeding bird survey has been carried out.

Autonomous recording units were installed in 2023 in collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Service to detect the presence of owls and wolves in winter, and to record nesting bird species in summer. Camera traps were also installed at wildlife crossings and resulted in the identification of several species at the site.

The multiple types of data collected will be invaluable in guiding our conservation efforts and management plans for the property’s various habitats going forward