Gros Morne National Park of Canada Management Plan

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Recommendations
• Executive summary
• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 Significance of Gros Morne National Park
• 3.0 Planning context
• 4.0 Vision
• 5.0 Key strategies
• 6.0 Area management
• 7.0 Zoning plan
• 8.0 Summary of strategic environmental assessment

Maps

• Map 1: Regional setting
• Map 2: Local setting
• Map 3: Zoning plan

Appendix

• Appendix A: Activities permitted through the 1973 Federal-Provincial Agreement, amended, 1979

 

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Chief Executive Officer of Parks Canada, 2019

National Library of Canada cataloguing in publication data:

• Parks Canada
• Gros Morne National Park of Canada Management Plan

For more information about the management plan or about Gros Morne National Park:

Foreword

Canada’s national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas belong to all Canadians and offer truly Canadian experiences.

These special places make up one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and cultural heritage areas in the world.

The Government is committed to preserving our natural and cultural heritage, expanding the system of protected places and contributing to the recovery of species at risk. At the same time, we must continue to offer new and innovative visitor and outreach programs and activities so that more Canadians can experience Parks Canada places and learn about our environment, history and culture.

This new management plan for Gros Morne National Park of Canada supports this vision.

Management plans are developed through extensive consultation and input from various people and organizations, including Indigenous peoples, local and regional residents, visitors and the dedicated team at Parks Canada.

National parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas are a priority for the Government of Canada. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this plan for their commitment and spirit of co-operation.

As the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, I applaud this collaborative effort and I am pleased to approve the Gros Morne National Park of Canada Management Plan.

Original signed by:

Recommendations

Recommended and original signed by:

Executive summary

Established in 1973, Gros Morne National Park protects the ecological integrity of the Western Newfoundland Highlands natural region and an eastern portion of the St. Lawrence Lowlands natural region. It is the only national park to represent the Western Newfoundland Highlands and is the largest protected area within this natural region. The park’s UNESCO ^{Footnote 1} World Heritage site inscription recognizes its exceptional natural beauty and outstanding examples of major stages in the earth’s geological evolution, illustrated by geological formations found within the park.

Tourism is an important contributor to the provincial economy of Newfoundland and Labrador and is a significant driver for the economies of the park’s eight enclave communities.  As a must-see travel destination, Gros Morne National Park serves as a major draw for visitors to the province with most of the national park’s visitors coming from other parts of Canada (nearly 60%) or from elsewhere in the world (29%).

This management plan replaces the 2009 management plan for Gros Morne National Park which provided management direction for maintaining and improving ecological integrity, delivering high quality, meaningful visitor experiences based on ecological and cultural heritage values, and building relationships with Indigenous partners, local residents and stakeholders.

While the overall ecological integrity of Gros Morne National Park is reported as being in fair to good condition, a 2017 State of the Park Assessment led to the identification of a number of key priorities that were considered during this plan review. They included actions aimed at improving the ecological integrity of the park through a continued focus on forest health with a sustained moose management program, enhanced efforts to prevent the extirpation of the Trout River salmon population, increased monitoring to understand stressors on Arctic hare, rock ptarmigan and caribou, managing visitor use in key areas of the park, as well as improvements to the condition of trails, privies, and way-finding to address visitor concerns. Continued asset recapitalization through future investments in visitor facilities (e.g., trail improvements), highways, marine structures, vehicular bridges, and an increased focus on integrating Indigenous perspectives into park management through collaboration were also identified as key priorities.

This management plan seeks to build upon the successful initiatives and collaborative relationships formed since 2009 while addressing the significant growth in visitation to, awareness of, and support for the park over the past decade. The next 10 years will see the national park, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders, continue a proactive approach towards sustainable tourism to ensure that future generations can enjoy this iconic Canadian destination without impairing the natural and cultural values that define it. This management direction has been developed through consultation and engagement with Indigenous partners, local communities, stakeholders and the general public. The vision, key strategies, objectives and targets reflect what was heard and provide a solid framework to guide future park management.

The three key strategies and area management approach for the 10-year management plan period focus on the following:

 

Key strategy 1:

Protecting a treasured landscape

The intent of this strategy is to ensure that the natural and cultural values of Gros Morne National Park are protected for the benefit of current and future generations. Maintaining and improving ecological integrity and protecting the Outstanding Universal Value for which this site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List will govern all park management decisions. Collaborative approaches with Indigenous partners, academic institutions and local communities in conservation and research will lead to an improved understanding of stressors on the ecosystems in the national park. This improved knowledge and environmental stewardship will position the national park as a key contributor to the health of the Gros Morne region.

Key strategy 2:

Achieving results together

This strategy recognizes that Gros Morne National Park is vital, not only to the protection of natural and cultural resources within its boundaries, but also to the livelihoods and lifestyles of local communities, and contributes significantly to the prosperity and sustainability of the region. The intent of this strategy is to focus on meaningful and inclusive engagement to build a greater sense of community responsibility, mutual understanding and ownership of problems and solutions, significantly enhancing Parks Canada’s ability to deliver on its mandate in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders.

Key strategy 3:

Revitalizing visitor experience in Gros Morne National Park

This strategy is focused on revitalizing visitor facilities and programming in collaboration with local communities and stakeholders. During the course of this management plan, visitor experience opportunities will be more welcoming with inclusive, accessible, quality facilities and services designed to address the current and emerging trends in visitation and the Canadian population. Investment will be targeted to meet the needs of these audiences while also incorporating, environmentally friendly practices and reducing operation/maintenance costs. The implementation of a Trail Concept Plan will focus on an improved, sustainable trail network that appeals to a wide range of visitors. 

Area management

Area management focuses on specific areas of the national park that have complex management challenges including important natural and/or cultural values, high visitation, public interest, significant infrastructure and multiple visitor experience opportunities. These areas often require careful consideration for maintenance of ecological integrity and to ensure high quality visitor experiences. In the case of Gros Morne National Park, two areas have been identified that require specific management objectives and targets in this management plan: Western Brook Pond Watershed and the Tablelands/Trout River Pond Area.

1.0 Introduction

Parks Canada manages one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and historic places in the world. The Agency’s mandate is to protect and present these places for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations. Future-oriented, strategic management of each national park, national marine conservation area, heritage canal and those national historic sites administered by Parks Canada supports the Agency’s vision:

The Canada National Parks Act and the Parks Canada Agency Act require Parks Canada to prepare a management plan for each national park. The Gros Morne National Park Management Plan, once approved by the Minister responsible for Parks Canada and tabled in Parliament, ensures Parks Canada’s accountability to Canadians, outlining how park management will achieve measurable results in support of the Agency’s mandate.

Parks Canada’s many stakeholders and partners, including the Gros Morne Co-operating Association which has been Parks Canada’s partner since 1993, as well as the Qalipu First Nation and Miawpukek First Nation, were involved in the preparation of this management plan. These key partners and others helped to shape the future direction of the national parkand have demonstrated an interest in continuing to work closely with Parks Canada to fulfill our mandate.The plan sets clear, strategic direction for the management and operation of Gros Morne National Park by articulating a vision, key strategies and objectives. Parks Canada will report annually on progress toward achieving the plan objectives and will review the plan every ten years or sooner as required.

This plan is not an end in and of itself. Parks Canada will maintain an open dialogue on the implementation of the management plan, to ensure that it remains relevant and meaningful.  The plan will serve as the focus for ongoing engagement regarding the management of Gros Morne National Park in years to come.

2.0 Significance of Gros Morne National Park

Established in 1973, Gros Morne National Park protects the ecological integrity of the Western Newfoundland Highlands natural region and an eastern portion of the St. Lawrence Lowlands natural region. It is the only national park to represent the Western Newfoundland Highlands and is the largest protected area within this natural region. The park’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List recognizes its exceptional natural beauty and outstanding examples of major stages in the earth’s geological evolution, illustrated by geological formations found within the park.

Gros Morne National Park is dominated by the Long Range Mountains, which rise abruptly from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to a plateau with elevations of over 800 m above sea level. The park includes more than 190 km of diverse coastline, a maritime climate, unique and varied geology, and dramatic topography shaped by periods of glaciation over the last 2 million years. Together, these factors have created a remarkable diversity of habitats and landforms, including an arctic-alpine environment on the plateau, boreal forest dominated by balsam fir on the slopes and inland valleys, a large area of serpentine barrens, extensive wetlands, dramatic coastal views, and many significant geological features.

The arctic-alpine plateau is a significant feature of the Western Newfoundland Highlands natural region and is well represented in the park. This extensive area supports numerous rare Arctic and alpine plants as well as some of the most southerly populations of rock ptarmigan and Arctic hare, and is an important calving ground for woodland caribou.

One of the most striking habitats and geological features in the Western Newfoundland Highlands natural region is the serpentine barrens. These barrens are well represented by the Tablelands in the southern section of the park. This area is underlain by ultramafic bedrock originating in the Earth’s mantle many kilometres below the surface. The major rock type, peridotite, has a high magnesium and iron content which is toxic to many plants and low in other nutrients required by most plants. As a result, the barrens are sparsely vegetated, and the plants that do survive form a unique botanical community comprised of species that can persist in spite of the harsh conditions.

The suite of rocks in Gros Morne is internationally significant and contributes greatly to the scientific community’s knowledge and understanding of plate tectonics. The Tablelands are one of the few places on Earth where a complete cross-section of rocks from the ocean’s crust and mantle are well exposed, accessible, and protected within a national park. Other features of geological significance include outstanding glacial features such as moraines, troughs and raised beaches; the Lookout Hills rock slump (the largest known in Canada); and several fossil sites including a section of cliff at Green Point that has been designated the Global Stratotype Section and Point for the base of the Ordovician system. This combination of globally important geological features was one of the key reasons that Gros Morne was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Gros Morne National Park contributes to conservation of the broader region by protecting critical and significant ecosystems. Western Brook is the region’s only scheduled salmon river whose watershed lies entirely within a protected area. The park also includes a diversity of wetlands including bogs, fens, salt marsh, alder swales and wet meadows characteristic of boreal ecosystems adapted to high precipitation and cool summers. The region is also home to a significant population of the imperilled Newfoundland marten. The return of a robust marten population in the park depends on maintaining healthy forests and preventing accidental snaring and trapping. Marten re-colonized the park from the Main River watershed, a Canadian Heritage River that flows from the mountainous northeastern boundary of the park. The Main River is protected as a provincial waterway park and is important when considering the connectivity of the park to regional ecosystems.

The Gros Morne region has been inhabited by Indigenous cultures going back at least 4,500 years. The Maritime Archaic were the earliest, followed by Groswater and Dorset peoples from the eastern Arctic. About 2,000 years ago, the Northern Peninsula once again became home to archaeologically distinct Indigenous cultures, including the ancestors of the Beothuk. Today, the Mi’kmaq identify the island of Newfoundland as part of their traditional Nation, home to both the Qalipu and Miawpukek First Nations. The first appearance of Europeans was circa AD 1000, when the Norse sailed these waters for a short time. In the 16th century, Basques carried out fisheries along this coast, followed by an extensive French migratory cod fishery from AD 1600 until 1904. Permanent European settlement in the area did not begin until the early 1800’s when the Bird and Co. of Dorset, England set up a trading post in Bonne Bay. This drew settlers from England, elsewhere from Newfoundland, and from among the migratory fishermen. Today, the descendants of both Mi’kmaq and the first settlers continue to live here.

3.0 Planning context

Located on the Northern Peninsula (Map 1: Regional Setting), the park encompasses 1,805 km² of the mountainous and coastal areas characteristic of Western Newfoundland. Eight communities lie adjacent to the park: Trout River, Woody Point, Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook, Norris Point, Rocky Harbour, Sally’s Cove, St. Paul’s, and Cow Head (Map 2: Local Setting). They are home to a total population of approximately 3,300 people. Deer Lake, the nearest regional service centre, lies 37 km to the south. Working with local communities to build and maintain positive working relationships is a priority for Parks Canada.

Over the four decades since Gros Morne was established the park has had to address a range of ecological and conservation challenges. Included among these were overbrowsing of vegetation by hyper-abundant, non-native moose; developing conservation-based guidelines for traditional harvesting activities; dealing with the legacy of historical and active landfills; and addressing the impacts of gull populations on other colonial waterbird species. Gros Morne has also seen success in addressing these and other challenges to the ecological integrity of the park. For example returns of Atlantic salmon in Western Brook have increased from fewer than 30 in the mid-1980s to 500-1,000; the number of pairs of common eiders nesting in the park has increased from only 3 in the early 1990s to over 400; American marten, which were once extirpated, have returned to the park and are increasing in numbers; and the moose population has been reduced through active management, allowing park forests to show strong signs of recovery. However some challenges are ongoing and new threats are emerging, including impacts of climate change on park ecosystems, potential development outside the boundary that could affect the park, protecting and recovering fish populations, and maintaining the moose population at an ecologically sustainable level.

Several utility corridors and roads passing through Gros Morne National Park serve adjacent communities as well as many others lying to the north of the park on the Northern Peninsula. In particular, Parks Canada is responsible for highway maintenance, including snow clearing, for 100 km of Route 431 and Route 430, which run through the national park. Route 430 is the only road access to the Northern Peninsula, linking Newfoundland to Labrador, via the southern Labrador ferry.

Under the Federal-Provincial Agreement ^{Footnote 2}, snowmobiling, traditional harvesting of timber for domestic use, and snaring of snowshoe hare continue to be permitted in select areas of the park, and commercial fishing is supported at eight fish landing and staging areas adjacent to the park.

Tourism is an important contributor to the provincial economy of Newfoundland and Labrador and is a significant driver for the economies of the park’s eight enclave communities.  As a must-see travel destination, Gros Morne National Park serves as a major draw for visitors to the province with most of the national park’s visitors coming from other parts of Canada (nearly 60%) or from elsewhere in the world (29%). ^{Footnote 3}  Gros Morne National Park is the most popular attraction in the Western region of the province, and the second-most popular destination for visitors to Newfoundland and Labrador, second only to St. John’s. Consequently, Parks Canada works closely with Tourism NL, Go Western Newfoundland and the Gros Morne Co-operating Association, as well as local communities, to promote the park and other tourism-related businesses and attractions.

As an anchor attraction in the tourism industry, Gros Morne National Park is featured prominently in provincial advertising and national promotions. It is not surprising, therefore, that visitation to the national park has increased significantly in recent years.  In 2018, visitation to the Visitor Centre and Discovery Centre grew by 35% over the average of the previous 4 years.  The increase in visitation is especially evident at the park’s iconic locations.  For example, between 2014 and 2018, the number of people taking the boat tour at Western Brook Pond went from 24,000 to almost 39,000.  Meanwhile the number of people walking the Tablelands Trail went from just over 13,000 to more than 35,000, representing increases of 62% and 169% respectively over 2014 levels.

There are two Mi’kmaq Bands on the Island of Newfoundland, the Miawpukek First Nation and the Qalipu First Nation. The Miawpukek First Nation reserve, the community of Conne River, is located on the south coast of the Island, 400 km from Gros Morne National Park. Miawpukek First Nation includes many off-reserve members as well. Members of Qalipu First Nation are located throughout the province, however its band offices and the majority of members reside on the west coast of the Island. Continuing to grow and improve relationships with Miawpukek First Nation and Qalipu First Nation communities is a priority for Gros Morne National Park and the Parks Canada Agency.

This management plan replaces the 2009 management plan for Gros Morne National Park which provided management direction for maintaining and improving ecological integrity, delivering high quality, meaningful visitor experiences based on ecological and cultural heritage values, and building relationships with Indigenous partners, local residents and stakeholders.  Since 2009, Gros Morne National Park has improved forest health through the management of a previously hyper-abundant moose population; finalized and implemented the Multi-species Action Plan for Gros Morne National Park of Canada; completed a Memorandum of Understanding with Qalipu First Nation for collaborative initiatives; improved the condition of  roads and bridges; upgraded some of the most popular trails; enhanced the camping offer through the introduction of diversified accommodations and addition of serviced sites; renewed the exhibit at Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse; and improved the experience at the Discovery Centre with a new exhibit focused on the reasons for the inscription onto the UNESCO World Heritage List..

While the overall ecological integrity of Gros Morne National Park is reported as being in fair to good condition, a 2017 State of the Park Assessment led to the identification of a number of key priorities that were considered during this plan review. They included actions aimed at improving the ecological integrity of the park through a continued focus on forest health with a sustained moose management program, enhanced efforts to prevent the extirpation of the Trout River salmon population, increased monitoring to understand stressors on Arctic hare, rock ptarmigan and caribou, managing visitor use in key areas of the park, as well as improvements to the condition of trails, privies, and way-finding to address visitor concerns. Continued asset recapitalization through future investments in highways, marine structures, vehicular bridges and visitor facilities (e.g., trail improvements), and an increased focus on integrating Indigenous perspectives into park management through collaboration were also identified as key priorities.

This management plan seeks to build upon the successful initiatives and collaborative relationships formed since 2009 while addressing the significant growth in visitation to, awareness of, and support for the park over the past decade. The next 10 years will see the national park, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders, continue a proactive approach towards sustainable tourism to ensure that future generations can enjoy this iconic Canadian destination without impairing the natural and cultural values that define it. This management direction has been developed through consultation and engagement with Indigenous partners, local communities, stakeholders and the general public. The vision, key strategies, objectives and targets reflect what was heard and provide a solid framework to guide future park management.

4.0 Vision

The vision presented below expresses the future desired state of Gros Morne National Park in 15 years, serving as a foundation for this management plan and for successive management plan reviews.

An internationally recognized icon of protected areas in Canada, Gros Morne National Park continues to emphasize protection of ecological integrity in all aspects of park management. The park welcomes visitors from around the world to explore, recreate and rejuvenate while immersing themselves in the stories, sights and sounds that are found nowhere else. Maintaining and improving ecological integrity is the foundation of a sustainable tourism ethic that protects the natural and cultural values of the Gros Morne region while providing an array of enriching experiences to a growing number of visitors. Collaboration with Indigenous partners and local communities is a hallmark of successful park management that is visible in the following ways:

• Forest health continues to improve and imperilled salmon populations are recovering;
• Threats to Caribou, Arctic hare, and species at risk in the national park are assessed and mitigations implemented;
• Indigenous partners and local residents collaborate closely with national park staff and share their culture, stories and warm hospitality with visitors;
• Whether hiking, biking, camping, taking photographs or just communing with nature, visitors find a variety of opportunities to make a personal connection to the landscape;
• Youth are engaged in leadership opportunities in science, outdoor recreation and community relations;
• Innovative infrastructure designs and green technology mitigate impacts on the environment and maintain ecological integrity;
• Visitors feel welcome and included, and are motivated to stay longer and begin planning their next visit before they have left the park;
• Visitors, partners, stakeholders, and communities are empowered to make environmentally friendly decisions that reduce their impact on the natural environment, such as supporting conscious waste management; and
• Quality visitor experiences are provided without impacts on ecosystems in the national park.

 

5.0 Key strategies

Three key strategies frame the management direction for Gros Morne National Park for the next 10 years. The key strategies and corresponding objectives and targets focus on achieving the vision for the park through an integrated approach to park management. Targets have been prioritized with specific dates where feasible. Targets will be achieved by the specified dates or earlier depending on opportunities, annual priorities and capacity of the national park. Where no date has been referenced, the target will be achieved within the period of the plan. In addition to the key strategies, which apply to the entire national park, Western Brook Pond and Tablelands / Trout River Pond present complex management scenarios and challenges; detailed objectives and targets for these two areas are presented in section 6.0. Annual management plan implementation updates will be provided to engage partners from Indigenous communities, local communities, stakeholders and the general public.

Key strategy 1

Key strategy 2

Key strategy 3

6.0 Area management

Area management focuses on specific areas of the national park that have complex management challenges including important natural and/or cultural values, high visitation, public interest, significant infrastructure and multiple visitor experience opportunities. These areas often require careful consideration for maintenance of ecological integrity and to ensure high quality visitor experiences. In the case of Gros Morne National Park, two areas have been identified that require specific management objectives and targets in this management plan: Western Brook Pond Watershed and the Tablelands/Trout River Pond Area.   

In the preparation of the area management approach, Parks Canada invited representatives from Indigenous and local communities, as well as the environmental, business, tourism and the arts sectors to discuss the future desired conditions of Western Brood Pond Watershed and the Tablelands/Trout River Pond Area. Discussions identified opportunities and challenges to be address over the next 5-10 years in order to achieve the future desired conditions. The outcomes of these discussions informed and strengthened the following management direction.

Western Brook Pond Watershed
The cliffs of Western Brook Pond are formed of 1.25 billion year-old Precambrian rock, the oldest in the park. The cliffs rise 670 m above sea level, buttressing Western Brook Pond and ornamented with high waterfalls spilling from the Long Range highlands. Shallow soils and surface bedrock mean that waters running off the plateau contribute little in terms of sediment or organic matter, so the water in Western Brook Pond is amongst the purest in the world. The watershed is also home to many iconic and culturally important species. Hundreds of Atlantic salmon and sea-run brook trout migrate upstream from the Gulf of St. Lawrence each year, while the river is home to Arctic char and dense populations of long-lived freshwater mussels and is a breeding site for imperilled harlequin ducks. Caribou also use habitats throughout the watershed, including wetlands, forests, and alpine barrens, and make seasonal migrations between the watershed’s highlands and coastal lowlands. Snow stays late into summer in the Long Range Highlands that form the upper reaches of the watershed, and these areas are home to isolated populations of many northern or alpine species including Arctic hare, rock ptarmigan, white-crowned sparrow, and numerous Arctic plants and mosses.

There are a number of trails of varying degrees of difficulty around Western Brook Pond. The Western Brook Pond trail is the most heavily used in the park with an excess of 40,000 users annually.  Recently, the trail has been enhanced to improve safety, accessibility and long term sustainability. The trail provides access to the increasingly popular boat tour which provides visitors an opportunity to experience the glacially carved fiord. This trail and boat tour provide access to the Hike up Western Brook Gorge, the Long Range Traverse, and the Northern Traverse. These challenging, single and/or multi-day unmarked hiking routes provide seasoned backpackers with an opportunity to experience the spectacular scenery of the Long Range Mountains.

The Long Range Traverse is the most popular of the backcountry traverses and visitor numbers in recent years have increased steadily from 335 in 2013 to 759 in 2017, and is now operating at or near capacity during July and August. The hiking route offers visitors an opportunity to experience true wilderness, solitude and self-reliance in an Arctic-alpine landscape with views of Gros Morne’s famous fiord lakes. This experience allows the visitor to be immersed in iconic elements of the park and provides opportunities to view native plants and wildlife characteristic of this eco-region with few encounters with other people. In order to maintain the sense of solitude, safeguard the wilderness character of the place, and protect highland ecosystems, daily limits are placed on the number of hikers on the Long Range and they are accommodated at five designated primitive backcountry campsites along this route.

Recent investments at Western Brook Pond have been largely focused on supporting visitor experiences associated with the boat tour. Enhanced parking capacity and trail, wharf and boathouse upgrades have addressed long-standing deficiencies.  Future investments will focus on the provision of a diverse visitor experience offer that includes opportunities to enjoy a refreshed interpretation program and a well-maintained trail system, while ensuring that the ecological integrity and wilderness character of the area are being safeguarded. Use of personal vehicles and tour buses will not be permitted on Western Brook Pond trail, nor will proposals for large-scale commercial development (i.e., hotels, restaurants, shops) or increased parking capacity be entertained. Activities outside the scope of the current boat tour contract will not be considered. Lower emission alternatives to the current diesel powered boats will be explored so that feasible changes can be implemented when a new contract is issued in 2027.

Tablelands/Trout River Pond area
Attracting both geologists and visitors from around the world, the Tablelands are the largest and most prominent geologic feature in the park and one of its most striking and unique natural landscapes. The Tablelands was once the lower most layer of an ancient ocean floor (or lithosphere).  Composed of an igneous rock called peridotite, it was a piece of the Earth’s upper mantle until pushed onto the Earth’s surface as continents collided 500 million years ago.  Today, it is one of the few places in the world where a sample of the Earth’s mantle is well exposed, preserved and accessible. The iron in the rock turns rusty as it weathers, giving the barren landscape its distinctive orange-brown colour.

Adjacent to the Tablelands, Trout River Pond and its surrounding cliffs expose the upper layers of the ancient ocean floor. Together, the Tablelands and these cliffs provide a rare exposure of a complete slice of an ancient ocean floor for geologic study. First recognized as ocean floor in the 1960’s, it became important evidence of plate tectonics and a reason for the park’s World Heritage designation.

Today, both the Tablelands and Trout River Pond offer opportunities to hike, explore, discover, or just enjoy the scenic beauty of a truly unique landscape. Nestled in this landscape, Trout River Pond offers opportunities for boating, camping, boat tours, and other aquatic activities. A campground and day use area are also located at Trout River Pond.

7.0 Zoning plan

Zoning system

Parks Canada uses a zoning system to classify land and water areas according to protection needs and the opportunities they offer park visitors. These zones ensure a range of visitor opportunities are provided in areas best suited for those activities, while protecting the attributes essential to a memorable visitor experience. The land-use zoning map (Map 3: Zoning Plan) illustrates the area zone designations. The Discovery Centre, Gateway Kiosk, and Administration buildings are outside the national park boundaries and therefore are not included in the zoning.

Amendments from the 2009 management plan include:

• The Zone I around Heather Pond contains one of the most significant botanical sites in the park. Through ecological integrity monitoring (2003, 2005, 2017), new mountain fern locations have been identified. As a result, the proposed area of Zone I has been increased by approximately 1 km².
• Some saltwater estuaries and intertidal areas were not included in previous zoning plans. The following areas are proposed for Zone 3 designation which is consistent with the adjacent land zoning:
• Intertidal Area between Shallow Bay and Belldowns Islands;
• A small cove east of The Barachois on the north side of St. Paul’s Inlet;
• Deer Arm Estuary;
• Southeast Arm Estuary;
• Lomond River Estuary; and
• Glenburnie Estuary.
• The inner (eastern) portion of St. Paul’s Inlet is within the national park. In the spirit and intent of the Federal-Provincial Agreement, St. Paul’s Inlet will not be zoned until such time as the area is no longer used for commercial fishing.
• Portions of zoning boundaries that were spatially inaccurate have been adjusted to reflect the spirit and intent of original zoning boundaries and to align with Domestic Harvest boundaries.  No significant change in the zoning areas has occurred through this exercise.
• Visitor nodes have been identified on the zoning map (Map 3: Zoning Plan) and in the accompanying text descriptions for clarity.

 

Zone I: Special Preservation Areas (6% of the park)

Zone I preserves areas of the park which contain or support unique, threatened or endangered natural or cultural features or are among the best examples of the features that represent a natural region. Preservation is the key consideration. Motorized access is not permitted. In cases where the fragility of the area precludes any public access, every effort will be made to provide visitors with off-site programs and exhibits interpreting the special characteristics of the zone. The Zone I areas in the park include:

 

1. Shallow Bay – Lower Head – the best example of one of the parks unique shoreline features, a sandy beach with extensive coastal sand dunes that are preserved in a natural state.
2. Stearin Island and White Rock Islets (Belldowns Island) – small, sparsely vegetated, and exposed coastal islands that are extremely important to breeding seabirds. The island has been recognized as a traditional nesting area for common terns and Arctic terns and supports a large nesting population of common eider ducks and a variety of gulls and other seabirds.
3. St. Paul’s Inlet Salt Marsh – the park’s largest example of a distinct mixture of temperate and Arctic saltmarsh plant species and important shorebird and waterfowl habitat.
4. Heather Pond (Island Pond) – the pond’s western shore contains the only eastern North American colony of the rare mountain fern  and is considered to be one of the most significant botanical sites in the park. The pond is a large, deep, ultra-oligotrophic lake that is low in nutrients and does not support fish but has a relatively high diversity of invertebrates. It is the best example of this type of ecosystem on the park’s alpine plateau.
5. Frontal Slope Southwest of Western Brook Pond – supports a rare successional community of white birch scrub-dwarf heath shrub of fire origin, and a rock barren community consisting of plants having arctic-alpine affinities.
6. Big Level – at an elevation of 700 to 800 m, this large arctic-alpine plateau with snow bed habitats supports numerous rare plants, woodland caribou calving grounds, and a number of Arctic hare, rock ptarmigan, horned larks and American pipits.
7. Killdevil Mountain – supports a high diversity of uncommon and rare plants, while a community of pioneer heath shrubs and even-aged white birch, both of fire origin, colonize the talus slopes.
8. Summit of the Tablelands – internationally significant, the unusual geology of this formation is largely responsible for its unique physiographic and botanical characteristics. The area is home to disjunct plant species characteristic of this formation, and contains an outstanding example of string fens, which is an important nesting area for greater yellowlegs in the park.

Zone II: Wilderness (60% of the park)

Zone II contains extensive areas that are good representations of the natural region’s mountain plateaus, steep mountain slopes, and lakes, which are conserved in a wilderness state. These areas offer opportunities for visitors to experience, first hand, the park’s ecosystems and require few, if any, services and facilities. Motorized access is not permitted. In much of Zone II, visitors have the opportunity to experience remoteness and solitude. Facilities are restricted to short trails, two ski-in cabins, primitive backcountry campsites and a research cabin. Visitor activities include hiking along the Long Range Traverse and the Northern Traverse, the Lookout Hills, Tablelands, and Stanleyville trails and backcountry snowshoeing and skiing. The Zone II areas in the park include:

1. The Alpine Plateau of the Long Range Mountains - composed of granite and gneiss. Heath-lichen tundra, balsam fir forest and tuckamore are the prominent plant communities. Small ponds and streams are numerous over the area. Rocky rubble is abundant beneath the numerous talus slopes of the fiord lakes and glacially carved valleys.
2. The Lomond Peninsula - a steep-sided rugged area, composed of sedimentary rocks such as limestone, dolomite, shale and sandstone. The plateau supports sedge bogs and fens, as well as balsam fir forest and heath lichen tundra.
3. The Lookout Hills - are a magnificent highland area composed of peridotite, gabbro and granite with precipitous cliffs descending to the waters of Bonne Bay. Forested slopes and expansive sedge fens dominate the plateau.
4. The Tablelands - have unique physiographic and botanical characteristics with disjunct plant species characteristic of this formation. This wilderness zone completely surrounds the Zone I area of the same name.

Zone III: Natural environment (33% of the national park)

The Zone III designation is intended to maintain the natural character of specified areas while encouraging the appreciation and enjoyment of natural and cultural heritage values through outdoor recreational activities requiring minimal services and facilities of a rustic nature. While motorized access may be allowed, it will be controlled.

The park’s Zone III areas include most of the coastal lowlands, representative of the Gulf of St. Lawrence Lowlands natural region; the steep frontal slopes of the Long Range Mountains around Bonne Bay; and the valleys south of Bonne Bay, Southeast Hills, and Western Brook Pond. Visitor facilities within this area include almost all of the park trail system including the trail to Western Brook Pond dockside day-use facility and groomed cross-country ski trails. The boathouse is an administrative facility to support the boat tour on Western Brook Pond.

Zone IV: Outdoor recreation (1% of the national park)

Zone IV areas are capable of accommodating a broad range of opportunities for understanding, appreciating and enjoying the park’s heritage values. Visitor opportunities and related essential services and facilities will be provided in ways that place minimal impact on the ecological integrity of the park. The defining feature of this zone is direct access by motorized vehicles. However, no private motorized access will be permitted to Western Brook Pond dockside day-use facility.

In Gros Morne National Park, Zone IV areas include front country facilities, rights-of-way along roads (including pull off and parking lots), and Trout River Pond which includes infrastructure to support the boat tour operation and public boat access. Zone IV visitor nodes include:

1. Five campgrounds: Shallow Bay, Green Point, Berry Hill, Lomond, and Trout River.
2. Ten day-use facilities: Shallow Bay, Western Brook, Western Brook Pond (Dockside), Bakers Brook, Deer Arm (Mattie Mitchell Trail), Mill Brook, Southeast Hills, Lomond, McKenzie Brook and Trout River Pond (Dockside).
3. Three major interpretive facilities: Broom Point, Lobster Cove Head, and the Visitor Reception Centre near Rocky Harbour.
4. The swimming pool at Rocky Harbour.
5. Killdevil Camp at Lomond.

Zone V: Park services

Zone V is applied to major park operation and administrative functions. There are no Zone V areas in the national park.

Non-conforming Uses
Due to considerations which were included in the Federal-Provincial Agreement to establish Gros Morne National Park, some zones support uses or activities that do not conform with the spirit and intentions of their zoning. Facilities and activities not consistent with park zoning for specific areas include:

• Utility corridors serving the park area and Northern Peninsula.
• Designated areas for domestic timber harvest and snaring of snowshoe hare.
• Areas for aggregate extraction.
• Forest access roads at Trout River and McKenzie’s Brook.
• Snowmobiling.

The Park Superintendent may authorize motorized access in any zone for administrative and operational purposes.

8.0 Summary of strategic environmental assessment

In accordance with The Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals (2010), a strategic environmental assessment is conducted on all management plans.  The purpose of strategic environmental assessment is to incorporate environmental considerations into the development of public policies, plans, and program proposals to support environmentally-sound decision making. Individual projects undertaken to implement management statement objectives at the site will be evaluated to determine if an impact assessment is required under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012, or successor legislation. 

The scope of the assessment included the area within the boundary of Gros Morne National Park and considered influences from potential external local and regional stressors outside of the park. The time frame considered in the assessment was ten years from the date of the plan, at which time the plan will be reviewed.  Valued components evaluated in the Strategic Environmental Assessment included marine and coastal habitat, Piping plover, seabirds, freshwater, Atlantic salmon, other salmonids, wetlands, forest vegetation, American marten, woodland caribou, Arctic hare, Rock ptarmigan, and alpine vegetation and terrain.

The management plan identifies various objectives to address cumulative effects to marine and coastal habitat, Atlantic salmon, other salmonids, American marten, piping plover, seabirds, rock ptarmigan and alpine vegetation. These include objectives for implementation of the Multi-species Action Plan (Objective 1.2) and consideration of climate change impacts (Objective 1.7). For fish, the management plan includes a target to achieve an increasing trend for the Trout River salmon population (Objective 1.3), and monitoring of salmonid populations and fisheries to improve the conservation of fish populations (Objective 1.3).  For marine and coastal habitat, management approaches for marine resources within St. Paul’s Inlet will be developed (Objective 2.4).  Other mitigation strategies are identified in the Strategic Environmental Assessment as required. For alpine vegetation and terrain this includes planning to mitigate impacts from increasing visitation.

The forest ecosystem has been altered by hyper-abundant moose. Measures of forest health are improving with management of the moose population.  For forest vegetation, Objective 1.1 identifies that the moose population will be actively managed for the purpose of maintaining or improving the ecological integrity of the forest ecosystem.

The Newfoundland population of woodland caribou has declined more than 60% since 2001, and is impacted by range-wide direct and indirect impacts from human activity. Objective 1.2 identifies that stressors affecting caribou will be researched and mitigations implemented where feasible. Other mitigations identified in the Strategic Environmental Assessment include collaboration with neighbouring land managers to prioritize conservation actions across caribou range through landscape planning.

For Arctic hare, further information is needed on the factors influencing recent declines in the Gros Morne National Park population including predation, climate change, snowmobiling, and winter visitor access to determine effective management approaches. Objective 1.2 identifies a timeline for initiating research on the decline of the Arctic hare population.

Parts of the Lomond River, Trout River and Eastern Arm watersheds in Gros Morne National Park originate outside the park in areas with forestry and cabin development.  The Strategic Environmental Assessment identifies that these activities are predicted to be a low risk to freshwater quality in Gros Morne National Park over the next 10 years ith continued management of these activities outside the park. Within Gros Morne National Park, impacts from water use, discharge to the receiving environment, and recreational activities on water are expected to be minimal.  The management plan identifies that a park-wide water quality measure will be added to Gros Morne National Park’s ecological integrity monitoring program (Western Brook Pond Watershed Objective 1).

For wetlands, infrastructure footprint is not near a level where cumulative effects to wetland vegetation need to be considered, however project impact assessment will examine project design to minimize footprint and impacts to rare plants and communities.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment also considers the two Outstanding Universal Value criteria for which Gros Morne National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, to ensure these are adequately protected by the management plan. Limited threats to the Outstanding Universal Value were identified.  Objective 1.6 identifies targets for working collaboratively to manage potential impacts to Outstanding Universal Value, and for identifying options to define the natural beauty and aesthetic importance component of Gros Morne National Park’s Outstanding Universal Value.   

Indigenous partners, stakeholders and the public were consulted on the draft management plan and summary of the draft Strategic Environmental Assessment. Feedback has been considered and incorporated into the Strategic Environmental Assessment and management plan as appropriate.

Appendix A – Activities permitted through the 1973 Federal-Provincial Agreement, amended, 1979.

1. Traditional domestic resource harvesting

Residents of outlying communities who were adults (at least 19 years of age) living in the park area on or before 13 August 1973 when the Federal-Provincial Agreement for Gros Morne National Park was signed, or who are children born to those adults prior to or after August 13, 1973 are eligible to participate in the domestic timber harvest and, snaring of snowshoe hare.

2. Provision of areas for snowmobiles

Snowmobiling in Gros Morne National Park, as per the 1973 Federal-Provincial Agreement, “will permit the use of snowmobiles in the park in accordance with national park regulations and operational policies where this use will not affect wildlife, vegetation or terrain, in accordance with park management plan.” Access to snowmobiling will be granted for public, commercial and residential use ^{Footnote 5} and, the policy and management for Over Snow Vehicles can be found in the 2005 Parks Canada Review of Oversnow Vehicle Use in National Parks.

3. Fish landing and staging areas

The 1973 Federal-Provincial Agreement Section 18 and Schedule “D” states, “The traditional rights of fishermen to land their catches shall not be disturbed whether such fishermen live within the boundaries of the proposed National Park or not.”, and “Making available to local commercial fishermen between Rocky Harbour and St. Paul’s access to coastal fishing areas, and the maintenance and improvement of landing and staging areas.” This was further clarified in 1983 through an exchange of letters between the Federal-Provincial Government that identified the fish landing staging areas as “eight fish landing and staging areas in Woody Cove, Lobster Cove, Little Brook, Baker’s Brook, Green Point, Martin’s Point, Gull Marsh and Western Brook.” The intent of the “fish landing and staging areas will continue to be used only for the purpose of local commercial fishing” and, “Parks Canada responsibility to these will provide and maintain access across Parks Canada lands to fish landing and staging areas for as long as such access is required. Management of these lands through Provincial regulations to ensure the use of private lands in the fish landing and staging areas for commercial fishing purposes only, no longer exists.”

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