MissionThe Provancher Société's mission is to contribute to the conservation of nature. Its main areas of intervention are the protection and management of natural environments, education and the dissemination of knowledge in the field of natural sciences.

Objectives

• Acquire, conserve and enhance natural environments;
• Raise awareness among associations, school groups and the general population about the protection and conservation of the physical environment, fauna and flora;
• Publish and inform scientists and the population in the various fields of activity of the natural sciences and popularize this knowledge;
• Promote the life and work of Father Léon Provancher.

ActivitiesThe activities of the Provancher Société are divided into four categories:

1. Regular activities

These activities include: the acquisition and management of its protected territories; the publication of the scientific journal “Le Naturaliste canadienne”; the rental of chalets for stays as well as the organization of guided tours to the Île-aux-Basques Natural and Historical Park; financing of various projects; membership and donation management; close exchanges with nature conservation, governmental and para-governmental organizations, as well as with private organizations pursuing the same goals.

2. Educational activities for young people

In order to raise awareness among young people of the importance that ecosystems play in our lives, the Provancher Société has entered into a collaboration agreement with the organization La Maison Léon-Provancher in Cap-Rouge, in order to carry out at the Marais Nature Reserve Léon-Provancher animation activities in natural sciences aimed at primary school students as well as early childhood centers (CPE).

Since 2018, educational tablets have been installed in the territory of the Marais-Léon-Provancher Nature Reserve. Activities are offered by the Société to schools and day camps and these tablets help young people in their discovery of nature.

The Provancher Société collaborates in the educational hunting program for young people aged 12 to 17. This program, provided by the Association of Waterfowlers of the Greater Quebec Region, offers young people comprehensive training in the different facets of waterfowl hunting. Those who have completed their training take part in an excursion to the Marais-Léon-Provancher Nature Reserve located in Neuville. This program is very successful and is now recognized for the quality of its content by several organizations in Canada and the United States.

3. Protection of natural environments

The Société Provancher owns several properties of which it ensures the conservation and development. These protected sites constitute spaces where nature evolves without any other interventions than those necessary for their educational and recreational development. Although modest, these territories still constitute a concrete contribution of the Société Provancher to the protection of Quebec's natural environments.

• The Natural and Historical Park of Île aux Basques
• The Razade Islands
• The Marais-Léon-Provancher Nature Reserve
• The Lac-Clair-de-Perthuis Nature Reserve
• Dumais Island (Kamouraska)
• The Napoleon-Alexandre-Comeau Historic Site

4. Acquisition of knowledge

Knowledge acquisition work is carried out by the Provancher Société. They relate in particular to inventories of fauna and flora in order to better understand the biodiversity of its territories as well as the control of invasive species. Through its collaboration with the Quebec Natural Heritage Data Center (CDPNQ), it also contributes to the acquisition of data on threatened or vulnerable species in Quebec.