Context
Marking the boundary between the cities of Brossard and La Prairie, the Saint-Jacques River flows from east to west through residential, industrial and agricultural areas. Although little known to the public, it has great biological value and represents a significant recreational potential. Despite numerous modifications to the river's path and the loss of wetlands at its mouth, the Saint-Jacques River is recognized as one of the last relatively intact urban waterways in the Montreal region. It deserves special attention since it supports many rare animal habitats with high intrinsic ecological potential, especially in such an urban area.

Protection and development of the Saint-Jacques River have been discussed for many years. In the early 1990s, governmental authorities tried to interest the municipalities in the creation of a regional park. The lack of interest in the regional coordination of protective measures made the development of the park difficult at the time.

In 1998, the protection of the Saint-Jacques River was identified as a priority action in the ERAP of the Comité ZIP Ville-Marie. It is at that moment that the ZIP starts to get involve in the project. Luckily, it coincides with a change in the vision of municipal decision-makers, which now supports the creation of a regional park. Since 2002, the principal stakeholders developed a consensus about the conservation and recreation objectives for the Saint-Jacques River Regional Park.

Current status
The territory that is included in the project covers more than 1500 ha on each side of the river, including the woodland of Brossard/La Prairie and the woodland de la Commune. Hence, the preliminary plan proposed that the territory be separated into several distinct intervention zones to simplify the development of the park. Since the division was made in the early 2000’s, the focus has been placed on phase 1, which includes the area between the boulevard Taschereau and highway 30.

Trails should be created in the fall of 2009. Two thousands trees will also be planted in the fall of 2009 with the help of hundreds of volunteers.

Goals and objectives
The project has three main objectives:  conserve the ecosystem integrity, create recreational opportunities, and encourage nature education and interpretation. To be able to realise these objectives, many studies has been conducted to identify the conservation, recreation and education potentials.

The ecological and recreational potential have been highlighted by the Chaire d’étude des écosystèmes urbains in 2003. This study and some others have led to the elaboration of the Saint-Jacques River conservation and development plan that was completed and adopted by all partners in 2007.

The Saint-Jacques River has a large potential for educational and public awareness activities. A website about the river and the project is being created and should be made available this winter. Interpretative panels about the natural environment and the history of the river will be installed next year along the newly built trails in the regional park. All of this will help people to discover this beautiful ecosystem.

Beside the potential for the education of a larger public, elementary school teachers are interested in the development of activities related to the Saint-Jacques River because it provides a stimulating environment to meet some of the education ministry's objectives. It is for the reason that an activity booklet dedicated to primary school children and a public education program have been produced by a master student in the department of environmental education.

Available document (in French only):
MILLER, F., L. BERGERON, L. LEPAGE ET M. GAUTHIER. 2003. Plan de protection et de mise en valeur de la rivière Saint-Jacques : inventaire des aspects biophysiques et humains. Comité zone d'intervention prioritaire Ville-Marie et Chaire d'étude sur les écosystèmes urbains, 81 p

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