Kouchibouguac National Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Kouchibouguac National Park
iucn_category = II

---

caption = Location of "Kouchibouguac National Park" in Canada
locator_x = 237
locator_y = 170
location = New Brunswick, Canada
nearest_city = Miramichi, New Brunswick
lat_degrees = 46
lat_minutes = 50
lat_seconds = 59
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 64
long_minutes = 58
long_seconds = 01
long_direction = W
area = 239 km²
established = 1969
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = Parks Canada‎

Kouchibouguac National Park is located on the east coast of New Brunswick, north of the town of Richibucto. The park includes barrier islands, sand dunes, lagoons, salt marshes and forests. It provides habitat for seabirds, including the endangered Piping Plover, and the second largest tern colony in North America. Colonies of harbour seals and grey seals also inhabit the park's 25 kilometres of sand dunes. It is also home to the extremely rare and fragile Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster, though in 2006, storms eradicated most of the asters' colonies. The park's size is 238 km². Recreational activities in the park include swimming, cycling and hiking. In recent news, the park has reported sightings of the fisher marten in the area, making it one of the few places in New Brunswick that have fisher populations.

thumb|left|Kouchibouguac River, taken from the Tweedie trail inside the parkThe park was founded in 1969 in order to set aside sensitive sand dunes and bogs. While it was developed in the 1970s, Parks Canada encountered great difficulty expropriating land from several land owners (approximately 215 families). The most notable of these was Jackie Vautour, who still lives on his property.

Kellys Beach, a very long sand dune, is a popular attraction along with a number of bogs, a boardwalk trail, eight hiking trails, a network of bicycle trails, two campgrounds, canoe and boat launch and Cap-St-Louis fishing port. In the Summer months come meet the park interpreters for great education programs.

The park is named after the Kouchibouguac River. The river's name means "river of the long tides" in Mi'kmaq.

Other rivers that flow through the park include the:
*Black River
*Kouchibouguacis River
*Saint-Louis River

ee also

*National Parks of Canada
*List of National Parks of Canada
*List of New Brunswick parks

External links

* [http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nb/kouchibouguac/index_e.asp Parks Canada site]