GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK.
A MAGNIFICENT LANDSCAPE
ON THE RUGGED WESTERN COAST
OF NEWFOUNDLAND.
FROM MOUNTAINS AND MEADOWS,
TO FORESTS AND FJORDS,
IT'S A PLACE FEW PEOPLE HAVE
SEEN WITH THEIR OWN EYES.
A PLACE OF AWE-INSPIRING
NATURAL BEAUTY.
EXPOSING A RARE CHAPTER
IN THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH,
500 MILLION YEARS IN THE MAKING.
A WILD AND REMOTE PARADISE
FOR HIKERS AND EXPLORERS.
AN ANCIENT BOREAL
FOREST AT RISK,
FROM A MAJESTIC GIANT
AMONG THE TREES.
; THAT'S A
NICE BULL
THAT WE SEE ON
THE LEFT HAND SIDE
OF THE CHOPPER HERE.
; AND A RARELY
SEEN VIEW
OF ONE
OF THE WORLD'S GEOGRAPHIC
WONDERS.
(♪♪♪)
(♪♪♪)
GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK.
A PICTURE-PERFECT WONDER
STRETCHING ACROSS MORE THAN
1100 MILES OF
WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND.
PART OF THE TOWERING
LONG RANGE MOUNTAINS,
AN OUTLYING EXPANSE OF THE
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN CHAIN,
FORMED MORE THAN A
BILLION YEARS AGO.
; REALLY WHAT
MAKES
GROS MORNE
SUCH A UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL
LANDSCAPE IN EASTERN
CANADA IS THE DIVERSITY
OF BIG BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES.
; THE MARITIME
ARCHAIC
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
WERE THE FIRST TO SETTLE
THESE LANDS 5000 YEARS AGO.
OTHER ABORIGINAL GROUPS
FOLLOWED
AND DEPENDED HEAVILY ON
MARINE LIFE FOR SURVIVAL.
BY THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY
EUROPEAN SETTLERS HAD ARRIVED.
THEY FACED HARSH SEAS AND
UNFORGIVING CLIMATE.
BUT SLOWLY, FISHING AND LOGGING
BECAME A VIABLE WAY OF LIFE.
(♪♪♪)
IN 1973, THE GOVERNMENT
DESIGNATED THE REGION
A NATIONAL PARK.
HERE, IN THE NORTHERN
SECTION OF THE PARK,
IS A MIGHTY
GLACIER-CARVED FJORD.
SOARING CLIFFS,
STRAIGHT FROM THE PAGES OF
TOLKIEN'S MIDDLE EARTH.
WESTERN BROOK POND.
ENVELOPED BY A
SHEER GRANITE ROCK FACE,
RISING MORE THAN 1900 FEET,
HIGHER THAN MOST OF THE
WORLD'S TALLEST SKYSCRAPERS.
CARVED OUT FROM THE PLAIN
BY GLACIERS
MORE THAN 10,000 YEARS AGO.
AS GLACIERS MELTED, LAND
THAT WAS ONCE TRAPPED IN ICE
BOUNCED BACK,
REACHING SOARING HEIGHTS,
AND CUTTING OFF THE
FJORD FROM THE SEA.
THE RESULT: A LONG AND NARROW
POND, 18 MILES IN LENGTH
BRIMMING WITH PRISTINE
FRESH WATER.
A TYPICAL BODY OF WATER IS
FILLED WITH DISSOLVED NUTRIENTS
SUCH AS SEDIMENT, PLANT MATTER,
CHEMICALS AND POLLUTION.
BUT WESTERN BROOK POND
IS DIFFERENT.
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
HAS CLASSIFIED IT
AS ULTRALIGOTROPHIC.
THAT MEANS IT HAS SUCH A MINIMAL
ACCUMULATION OF NUTRIENTS
AND SUCH A HIGH CONCENTRATION
OF OXYGEN
THAT IT'S CONSIDERED AMONG
THE PUREST FRESH WATER
IN THE WORLD.
(♪♪♪)
HIGH ABOVE WESTERN BROOK POND,
WATERFALLS CASCADE
DOWN GRANITE CLIFFS.
THE TALLEST, THE SPLENDIDLY
NAMED PISSING MARE FALLS.
AT MORE THAN 1100 FEET, ONE
OF THE HIGHEST WATERFALLS
IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.
(♪♪♪)
[WATER RUSHING DOWN THE ROCKS]
THE FALLS OF WESTERN BROOK
POND PLUNGE FROM THE LAKES,
PONDS AND STREAMS FOUND ON
THE HIGHER BACK-COUNTRY PLAINS.
A CONSTANT RUSH OF WATER
ERODES A TUMBLE OF
ROCKS ON THE HIGHLAND.
(♪♪♪)
HERE ON THE BARRENS, A DENSE
TANGLE OF PLANTS AND SHRUBS,
PRIMARILY LESS THREE FEET HIGH,
HAVE ADAPTED TO FIERCE WINDS,
AND SOIL LOW IN NUTRIENTS.
(♪♪♪)
AT THE TOP OF THE FALLS
IS THE PLATEAU.
NATURE TRAILS,
SEEMINGLY UNTOUCHED,
STRETCH OVER A HEADLAND
OF COASTAL BOGS,
AND ROLLING HILLS, SWIRLING
WITH MOSS AND LICHEN,
AND LEADING TO EVEN
MORE NATURAL WONDERS.
(♪♪♪)
HEADING SOUTH FROM
WESTERN BROOK POND
TO THE MOST WESTERLY STRETCH
OF NEWFOUNDLAND.
STARK CLIFFS,
RISING MORE THAN 1100 FEET ABOVE
A WILD AND RUGGED COASTLINE,
STARE BRAVELY OUT AT THE
GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE.
THIS IS ONE OF GROS MORNE'S
SCENIC GEMS:
GREEN GARDENS.
(♪♪♪)
LIVING UP TO ITS NAME,
GREEN GARDENS IS A
VERDANT, GRASSY EXPANSE,
TOWERING OVER DEEP BLUE WATERS
THAT ONCE OVERFLOWED WITH COD.
CENTURIES OF OVER-FISHING LED
TO SEVERELY DEPLETED STOCKS,
AND A MORATORIUM ON COD
FISHING WAS INTRODUCED IN 2002.
(♪♪♪)
HUDDLED AMID THOUSANDS OF
MILES OF REMOTE COASTLINE,
GREEN GARDENS IS A
THREE-MILE EXPANSE,
GROUND DOWN OVER TIME BY WIND,
AND THE RAGES OF THE SEA.
MILLIONS OF YEARS OF EROSION
HAVE CREATED A
STUNNING PANORAMA.
VOLCANIC ROCK FORMATIONS,
HARBORING COVES AND INLETS,
THAT HAVE
SURVIVED THE CENTURIES.
(♪♪♪)
BUT ITS STRIKING GEOLOGICAL
FEATURES ARE IMPOSING
UNWAVERING AND CONSTANT.
(♪♪♪)
HERE IS A FERTILE VOLCANIC
COASTLINE, USUALLY SEEN ONLY
BY THE MIGRATORY BIRDS
THAT NEST ON THESE SHORES.
IN THE DISTANCE,
AN ANCIENT SEA STACK,
ONCE PART OF THE HEADLAND,
POINTS TO THE SKY.
IN DEFIANCE OF THE WIND
AND SAVAGE SEA.
(♪♪♪)
[WIND AND WAVES]
(♪♪♪)
HIGH ABOVE THE SHORELINE,
CRAGGY CLIFFS GIVE WAY
TO LUSH, ROLLING HILLS.
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,
THESE SEASIDE MEADOWS
WERE USED BY RESIDENTS OF
NEIGHBORING TROUT RIVER
AS SUMMER GRAZING
FOR LIVESTOCK.
EVEN TODAY, FREE-RANGE
SHEEP ROAM THESE CLIFFS,
JUST AS THEY DID MORE
THAN 150 YEARS AGO,
HERE ON THE
OUTSKIRTS OF CIVILIZATION.
(♪♪♪)
[WIND WHISTLING
THROUGH MOUNTAINS]
(♪♪♪)
SOUTH OF GROS MORNE'S
RAPIDLY RISING COASTLINE,
A BARREN, OTHER-WORLDLY
LANDSCAPE
HOLDS THE SECRET TO THE
EVOLUTION OF THE EARTH.
A PLACE WHERE ANCIENT
GEOLOGICAL FORCES
HAVE LAID BARE
THE EARTH'S SKELETON:
THE TABLELANDS.
(♪♪♪)
IT WAS HERE THAT GEOLOGISTS
PROVED ONE OF THE MOST
FAR-REACHING SCIENTIFIC
THEORIES OF MODERN TIMES:
THE THEORY OF PLATE TECTONICS.
; WE NOW
UNDERSTAND
THAT
PLATE TECTONICS ARE THE FORCES
THAT SHAPE ALL THE
EARTH'S CONTINENTS.
THE PLANET IS BROKEN INTO
LARGE SOLID PLATES OF CRUST
THAT ARE CONSTANTLY
MOVING OVER THE MANTLE.
THEY'RE RIPPING APART IN PLACES,
THEY'RE COLLIDING
IN OTHER PLACES
AND WHERE CONTINENTS COLLIDE,
MOUNTAIN CHAINS ARE BUILT,
AS OCEANS ARE DESTROYED.
; THESE
MOUNTAINOUS
ROCKS TOWER
MORE THAN 2000 FEET
ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
ROUGH AND BARREN,
THE TABLELANDS FORMED
AT THE BOTTOM OF AN OCEAN FLOOR
NEARLY 500 MILLION YEARS AGO.
AS THE CONTINENTS
CLOSED AND COLLIDED
THEY SQUEEZED THE OCEAN
FLOOR BETWEEN THEM
PUSHING THESE HUGE SWATHS OF
ROCK UPWARD FROM THE DEPTHS.
TODAY THESE INCREDIBLE
ROCK FORMATIONS
ARE SO PERFECTLY PRESERVED,
GEOLOGISTS FROM
ALL OVER THE WORLD
COME TO GROS MORNE
TO STUDY THEM.
THE TABLELANDS ARE ONE
OF THE FEW PLACES IN THE WORLD
WHERE THE EARTH'S MANTLE,
NORMALLY FOUND FAR BELOW
THE SURFACE, IS REVEALED.
; SCIENTISTS NOW
UNDERSTAND THAT THE WORLD
HAS THREE MAIN LAYERS.
THERE IS THE CORE OF THE
EARTH, SOLID NICKEL AND IRON,
SURROUNDED BY
MOLTEN NICKEL AND IRON,
AND THERE IS THE MIDDLE
PART WE CALL EARTH'S MANTLE.
SMOOSHY ROCK YOU COULD SAY,
MOVING CONSTANTLY VERY SLOWLY,
AND WE LIVE ON THE OUTER CRUST,
THAT THIN VENEER OF BRITTLE
ROCK THAT WE KNOW.
THE MANTLE IS WHAT IS EXPOSED
HERE THAT THE TABLELANDS,
FORMED PREDOMINATELY BY A ROCK
THAT WE CALL PERIDOTITE.
THIS ROCK IS TOXIC TO PLANTS,
CREATING A LANDSCAPE
BARREN OF LIFE.
(♪♪♪)
; THESE ROCKS,
WHICH
ONCE LAY
UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH,
REVEAL THE PLANET'S GEOLOGICAL
TIMELINE, ONE OF THE REASONS THE
UNITED NATIONS' EDUCATION,
SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL
ORGANIZATION DESIGNATED
GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK
A WORLD HERITAGE SITE IN 1987.
(♪♪♪)
; WE SEE ALL THE
ELEMENTS,
THE MAJOR ELEMENTS
OF AN OCEAN THAT NO LONGER
EXIST FOUND IN OUR PARK.
WE SEE EARTH'S MANTLE
THRUST UP ON TOP OF THE
CANADIAN SHIELD, AS WELL
AS THE OCEANIC CRUST.
WE SEE DEEP WATER SEDIMENTS
BULLDOZED ON TOP OF
THAT CANADIAN SHIELD.
AND WE ALSO SEE THE SHALLOW
WATER AND BEACH SEDIMENTS
OF THAT ANCIENT OCEAN
THAT WAS DESTROYED
WHEN THE CONTINENTS WERE BUILT.
; BITTEN AND
SHAPED BY
GLACIERS
OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS,
THE TABLELANDS OFFER A UNIQUE
OPPORTUNITY FOR HIKERS
TO TREK ACROSS WHAT
WAS ONCE AN OCEAN FLOOR.
; IT'S LIKE
TAKING A
STEP BACK IN THE WORLD
AND SEEING THE
WORLD AS IT WAS FORMED.
IT'S LIKE WALKING
THROUGH THE HEAVENS ITSELF.
ALRIGHT, WE SHOULD HAVE
ABOUT FOUR DAYS OF FOOD.
WE'VE WALKED ALL OVER
THE APPALACHIAN RANGE
AND YOU WILL NEVER FIND
ANOTHER SPOT LIKE THIS.
WHERE YOU HAVE THESE TOWERING
BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURES OF
DIFFERENT ROCKS COMING OUT OF
THE GROUND, COLLIDING TOGETHER,
AND JUST MAGNIFICENT VIEWPOINTS
WITH BEAUTIFUL FJORDS
COMING OUT OF LAND
AND OUT OF THE SEA.
; WINDING THROUGH
GROS MORNE
ARE MORE THAN 60 MILES
OF HIKING TRAILS, FROM
EASY HALF-HOUR STROLLS
THROUGH THE COASTAL LOWLANDS,
TO CHALLENGING MULTI-DAY,
BACKCOUNTRY TREKS THROUGH THE
LONG RANGE MOUNTAINS.
; WHEN IT COMES
TO DOING
THE BIG BACKPACKING EXPEDITIONS
IN THE PARK, LIKE THE
LONG RANGE TRAVERSE,
THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN
PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN LOST.
THERE ARE WILDLIFE TRAILS
LIKE CARIBOU TRAILS UP THERE
THAT CAN LEAD YOU OFF COURSE.
SO YOUR NAVIGATION SKILLS
HAVE TO BE REALLY STRONG,
AND WITHOUT THAT YOU COULD
GET YOURSELF INTO TROUBLE.
PEOPLE HAVE NEEDED TO BE
RESCUED, THAT'S FOR SURE.
(♪♪♪)
; NORTH OF THE
BARREN,
DESERT-LIKE TERRAIN OF THE
TABLELANDS,
LIES A FAR DIFFERENT STORY.
UNDER AN EVER-CHANGING SKY
IS SCENIC BONNE BAY.
(♪♪♪)
FURTHER NORTH AND INLAND
IS THE COASTAL FOREST
OF BAKERS BROOK FALLS.
TTHIS IS THE MOST EASTERLY EDGE
OF CANADA'S BOREAL FOREST,
AN ESSENTIAL PIECE OF GROS
MORNE'S COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM.
BUT THESE FORESTS, SO CRUCIAL
IN COUNTERING THE EFFECTS
OF CLIMATE CHANGE, FACE A
NEW AND UNEXPECTED RISK.
; WHAT YOU ARE
LOOKING
AT HERE IS AN EXAMPLE
OF WHAT'S HAPPENED
AFTER AN INSECT DISTURBANCE.
THAT IS WHAT DRIVES OUR
FORCE HERE AT GROS MORNE
NATIONAL PARK.
INSECTS AND WIND DISTURBANCE
WILL KNOCK DOWN OLDER TREES
AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOUNG TREES TO GROW.
WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE IS THAT
THOSE TREES WERE KNOCKED DOWN
ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO AND
NOTHING HAS REGENERATED
SINCE THAT TIME, AND THAT
IS DIRECTLY A RESULT
OF MOOSE BROWSING.
THE MOOSE ARE SUPPRESSING THE
NEXT GENERATION OF FOREST
FROM GROWING UP.
MOOSE WERE INTRODUCED TO
HOWLEY, NEWFOUNDLAND
IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY.
THEY WERE BROUGHT OVER
FROM NEW BRUNSWICK AS
A FOOD SOURCE FOR THE
ISLAND'S RESIDENTS,
MOOSE FOUND A STEADY
DIET AMONG THE
BALSAM, BIRCH AND FIR TREES.
THEY ALSO FOUND
FEW NATURAL PREDATORS.
AND, ONCE GROS MORNE NATIONAL
PARK WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1973,
PROTECTION FROM HUNTERS.
TODAY, THERE ARE ABOUT
5000 MOOSE IN GROS MORNE,
ONE OF THE HIGHEST
CONCENTRATIONS OF THESE ANIMALS
IN NORTH AMERICA.
; WE HAVE VERY
HIGH
DENSITIES
OF MOOSE IN THE NATIONAL PARK
LARGELY BECAUSE THERE HAS
BEEN NO HUNTING OF THEM
SINCE THE PARK WAS ESTABLISHED.
5000 MOOSE IN A FAIRLY SMALL
AREA CAN EAT A LOT OF FOOD.
; ONE MOOSE
CAN EAT
UP TO 55 POUNDS A DAY.
BUT ANY PLANTS SHORT ENOUGH
TO BE AT A COMFORTABLE BROWSING
HEIGHT ARE YOUNG PLANTS,
WHICH THE MOOSE EAT BEFORE
THEY GET A CHANCE TO GROW
AND FULFILL THEIR VITAL FUNCTION
IN REPLENISHING THE FOREST.
; IN
NEWFOUNDLAND WE
REALLY DON'T HAVE
A SIGNIFICANT PREDATOR
OF MOOSE.
BLACK BEARS WILL TAKE SOME OF
THE MOOSE CALVES, BUT WOLVES,
WHICH WERE ONCE ON THE ISLAND
UP UNTIL THE EARLY 1900S,
THEY WERE EXTIRPATED; REALLY THE
ONLY THING KEEPING THE MOOSE
POPULATIONS IN CHECK OUTSIDE
OF THE NATIONAL PARK HAS BEEN
HUNTING.
; FACED WITH THE
DESTRUCTION
OF ABOUT 25 SQUARE MILES,
OR 10 PERCENT OF GROS
MORNE'S FOREST,
PARKS CANADA MADE A
DIFFICULT DECISION IN 2011
TO ALLOW THE LICENSED HUNTING
OF MOOSE IN GROS MORNE.
; WE'RE ABOUT TO
COMPLETE
A FULL PARK-WIDE SURVEY THIS
WINTER
TO GIVE US A SPECIFIC
ANSWER AS TO HOW MANY MOOSE
ARE LEFT IN THE PARK NOW AFTER
THIS FOUR YEARS OF HUNTING.
SO FAR WE KNOW ABOUT 1600
MOOSE HAVE BEEN REMOVED
FROM GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK,
AND WE ARE STARTING TO SEE
INDICATIONS THAT THE PLANTS
ARE STARTING TO REGENERATE
SOMEWHAT BETTER,
AND WE ARE SEEING
LOWER MOOSE DENSITIES
IN AREAS WE'VE LOOKED.
WHETHER OR NOT THAT WILL BE
EFFECTIVE ACROSS THE WHOLE PARK
IS SOMETHING THAT
REMAINS TO BE SEEN
AND SOMETHING THAT WE'LL HAVE
TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON
THROUGH TIME.
(♪♪♪)
; PARKS
OFFICIALS HAVE
PLANTED MORE TREES,
WORK TO CONTROL INVASIVE WEEDS
AND COLLARED AND MONITORED
MOOSE WITHIN THE PARK.
[HELICOPTER ROTORS WHIRRING]
[♪♪♪]
; THE PURPOSE OF
OUR
PROGRAM IS
TO STUDY BASIC MOOSE ECOLOGY.
WHERE MOOSE ARE MOVING,
WHAT HABITATS THEY ARE USING,
IF THEY'RE MIGRATING
DURING SEASONS
TO DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE PARK,
AND ALSO IT IS A QUESTION OF HOW
HUNTING MAY BE AFFECTING MOOSE.
IS HUNTING ACTIVITY CHANGING
THE WAY THEY USE THE PARK?
(♪♪♪)
SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO
NOW IS GET IN THE CHOPPER
AND WE'RE GOING TO GO
TRACK A FEW MOOSE
AND SEE IF WE CAN
FIND THEM ALL TODAY.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOME MOOSE
THAT WERE RADIO-COLLARED
THREE YEARS AGO; WE'VE BEEN
OBSERVING THEIR MOVEMENT
THROUGH THE PARK AND ANY
EFFECT THAT HUNTING HAS HAD
ON THEIR DISTRIBUTION AND THE
WAY THEY'RE USING HABITAT.
THAT'S A NICE BULL THAT WE
SEE OFF THE LEFT HAND SIDE
OF THE CHOPPER HERE.
HE IS NOT A COLLARED ONE,
WE ONLY COLLARED COWS
WHEN WE WERE DOING
OUR WORK THIS YEAR.
BUT WE JUST CAME ACROSS HIM
ON THE WAY BY.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THIS TIME OF
YEAR DURING THE RUT THEY'RE
ACTUALLY NOT VERY INTIMIDATED
BY THE HELICOPTER HERE,
LOOKS LIKE HE JUST WANTS
US TO MOVE AWAY REALLY
IS WHAT HE'S TELLING US.
PARKS OFFICIALS ARE CONFIDENT
THE PROGRAM WILL MAKE
A DIFFERENCE IN THE AREAS
ACCESSIBLE TO HUNTERS,
TO KEEP THE CYCLE OF
FOREST REGENERATION
FROM BEING FURTHER BROKEN.
(♪♪♪)
CONTINUING SOUTH ALONG
THE WESTERN COASTLINE
OF GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK,
AND INTO THE SHELTERED FORESTS
OF LOMOND, THE SITE
OF WHAT WAS ONCE
A 19TH CENTURY
LOGGING COMMUNITY.
HERE, LOGGERS WORKED LONG DAYS,
MANUALLY HARVESTING
SPRUCE AND FIR TREES,
WITH AXES AND BUCKSAWS,
THEN HAULING THE HEAVY
LOGS OUT OF THE WOODS
ON HORSE-DRAWN SLEDS.
(♪♪♪)
TWISTING UP FROM LOMOND,
THROUGH A LUSH GREEN FOREST,
AN EARLY AUTUMN SUN
PIERCES THE CLOUDS.
OFF ON THE HORIZON
IS THE GATEWAY TO THE
GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE,
THE SOUTH ARM OF BONNE BAY.
(♪♪♪)
650 FEET DEEP,
BONNE BAY SEPARATES THE
GREAT NORTHERN PENINSULA
FROM THE REST OF THE
ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND.
AS THE FRENCH WORD
'BONNE' SUGGESTS,
BONNE BAY WAS KNOWN TO FRENCH,
BASQUE AND ENGLISH EXPLORERS,
FOR ITS SPECTACULAR
SUN-MOTTLED BEAUTY.
ONE SUCH NAVIGATOR,
CAPTAIN JAMES COOK,
CHARTED THE BAY IN 1767.
STRETCHING INLAND FOR
MORE THAN 12 MILES,
ITS TWO LONG ARMS OFFERED
WEARY SHIPS SHELTER
FROM THE HARSH WEATHER OF
THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE.
(♪♪♪)
NESTLED HERE, AT THE JUNCTION
OF THE SOUTH ARM AND EAST ARM
OF BONNE BAY, IS THE PICTURESQUE
TOWN OF NORRIS POINT.
NAMED AFTER ONE OF ITS
FIRST SETTLERS, NEDDIE NORRIS.
HE ARRIVED HERE
AROUND 1780,
BUT LEFT NO TRACE,
AND NO DESCENDANTS.
; LIFE WAS VERY
HARD
I GUESS
FOR THE PEOPLE BACK THEN,
NO ROADS. EVERYTHING
THAT WAS BROUGHT ASHORE
HAD TO BE -- COME FROM THE
OCEAN.
YOU JUST KNOW WHAT
YOU HAD TO DO TO SURVIVE
AND THAT'S WHAT
THE PEOPLE DID.
(♪♪♪)
; ACROSS THE BAY
FROM
NORRIS POINT, WHAT WAS ONCE AN
ANCIENT SEABED JUTS
RAGGEDLY OFF THE COASTLINE,
325 FEET HIGH.
SHAG CLIFF, NAMED FOR
THE CORMORANT, OR SHAG,
ONE OF MORE THAN 200 BIRD
SPECIES FOUND IN GROS MORNE.
(♪♪♪)
BEYOND THE ENTRANCE TO
THE FJORD OF BONNE BAY,
A CENTURY-OLD SENTINEL
STANDS GUARD
ATOP A ROCKY PEAK:
LOBSTER COVE HEAD LIGHTHOUSE.
THE LIGHTHOUSE HAS GUIDED SHIPS
IN AND OUT OF BONNE BAY,
SINCE 1897, BEFORE THE DAYS
OF ROADS AND HIGHWAYS.
ON A CLEAR DAY, THE LIGHT FROM
LOBSTER COVE HEAD LIGHTHOUSE
CAN BE SEEN MORE THAN TWELVE
NAUTICAL MILES OFF SHORE,
PROTECTING TRAVELERS, AND
THOSE WHO MAKE THEIR LIVING
FROM THE SEA.
; WE ARE INSHORE
FISHER
PEOPLE,
AND WE JUST ENJOY THE FISH HERE,
WE ENJOY THE LIFE, WE
ENJOY LISTENING TO
THE SCREECHING OF THE
GULLS IN THE MORNING.
WHEN YOU FISH OFF
THE WATERS HERE,
YOU'RE OFF THE
GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE,
AND SOMETIMES IT
CAN GET A BIT ROUGH
BUT YOU ENDURE IT AND YOU
KNOW THAT YOU'RE OUT THERE
TO MAKE A LIVING, AND
THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
[WAVES BREAKING ON THE SHORE]
; GREAT CLOUDS
SPREAD
OVER BONNE BAY IN THE LAST
LIGHT OF DAY.
(♪♪♪)
IN THE DISTANCE, HARDENED
MOUNTAINS, SILHOUETTED AGAINST
A GUNMETAL SKY, A SYMBOL
OF THIS RUGGED LANDSCAPE.
(♪♪♪)
[WAVES BREAKING ON THE SHORE]
(♪♪♪)
FURTHER INLAND FROM BONNE BAY,
NEAR THE SOUTHERN TIP OF THE
PARK, LIES ONE OF NEWFOUNDLAND'S
MOST PRISTINE VIEWS:
TROUT RIVER POND.
(♪♪♪)
TO THE SOUTH, A LOW GENTLE
VALLEY OF DENSE GREEN FOREST,
WHITE SPRUCE AND BALSAM FIR
BATTERED BY OFFSHORE
WIND AND SALT SPRAY.
LOOMING IN THE NORTH,
ONE OF GROS MORNE'S
MOST-SPECTACULAR VIEWS:
THE BARREN BEAUTY
OF THE TABLELANDS.
(♪♪♪)
FURTHER INLAND, A LUSH
LOWLAND FOREST GIVES WAY
TO MAJESTIC OLD CROW,
ACCESSED BY HIKERS VIA
THE JAMES CALLAGHAN TRAIL.
AT MORE THAN 1800 FEET,
ITS SUMMIT CAN
QUICKLY BECOME SHROUDED
IN THE THICK SWIRLS OF FOG
THAT CAN DISORIENT AND
THREATEN THE SAFETY OF HIKERS.
(♪♪♪)
ACROSS THE GULCH IS
THE SECOND-HIGHEST PEAK
ON THE ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND:
GROS MORNE MOUNTAIN.
(♪♪♪)
RISING AMONG THE CLOUDS
AT MORE THAN 2600 FEET,
THE MOUNTAIN'S
IMPOSING SOLITUDE
IS REFLECTED IN ITS NAME:
GROS MORNE, BIG LONE MOUNTAIN.
(♪♪♪)
HIGH UP THE MOUNTAIN
IS A UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM
WITHIN GROS MORNE, AN
ARCTIC TUNDRA LANDSCAPE,
MUCH FARTHER SOUTH
THAN EXPECTED.
(♪♪♪)
ADDING TO THE ARCTIC FEEL, A
SMALL HERD OF WOODLAND CARIBOU
FEED IN THE GRASSY BOGLANDS.
CARIBOU ARE NATIVE TO THE
ISLAND AND TO GROS MORNE.
THEIR POPULATION HAS
DWINDLED IN RECENT YEARS,
LIKELY BECAUSE OF A
DIMINISHED FOOD SUPPLY
AND THE COYOTES THAT
SOMETIMES HUNT THEM.
(♪♪♪)
; WE HAVE A
REALLY
BROAD DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE
HERE IN GROS MORNE
NATIONAL PARK.
WE HAVE A LOT OF
BOREAL FOREST WILDLIFE,
WE ALSO HAVE SOME
ARCTIC WILDLIFE
THAT JUST CREEP DOWN
INTO THE REGION.
SO THINGS LIKE ARCTIC HARE,
ROCK PTARMIGAN,
A LOT OF THESE SPECIES THAT
WE'RE NOT USED TO SEEING
THIS FAR SOUTH.
CARIBOU ARE AN
INTERESTING SPECIES.
THEY'RE A SPECIES THAT
LIVES ENTIRELY WITHIN
THE ISLE OF NEWFOUNDLAND
THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE.
THEY MOVE AROUND WITHIN
THE ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO ACCESS
DIFFERENT HABITAT TYPES.
GROS MORNE IS A GOOD PLACE FOR
THESE CARIBOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE
A WHOLE RANGE OF DIFFERENT
HABITAT TYPES WITHIN THE PARK
THAT ARE PROTECTED AND ARE
RELATIVELY FREE OF DISTURBANCE,
SO THINGS LIKE ALL TERRAIN
VEHICLES AND THAT TYPE OF
DISTURBANCE THEY MIGHT ENCOUNTER
IN THE BROADER LANDSCAPE.
(♪♪♪)
SO A CARIBOU CAN LIVE IT'S LIFE
HERE, SPEND A LARGE PART OF ITS
SUMMER AND FALL IN THE LOWLANDS
WHERE IT CAN HAVE GOOD GRAZING.
THEY CAN GO TO THE HIGHLANDS
AND THE MOUNTAINS TO HAVE THEIR
CALVES LATER AND
DURING THE SUMMER.
SO THEY REALLY CAN
MEET A LOT OF THEIR NEEDS
OR ALL THEIR NEEDS
WITHIN THIS PARK.
(♪♪♪)
MOOSE HERE IN THE PARK
ARE OFTEN SEEN BY HIKERS.
YOU CAN ENCOUNTER THEM
ON TRAILS.
IF YOU ENCOUNTER
A MOOSE ON A TRAIL
IN GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK,
IT'S USUALLY NOT A BIG DEAL.
YOU CAN JUST BASICALLY
STEP ASIDE AND LET IT GO ABOUT
WHERE IT'S GOING TO GO AND IT
WILL MIND IT'S OWN BUSINESS
AND WANDER OFF ON ITS OWN.
THAT SAID THEY ARE A BIG ANIMAL
AND THEY'RE A WILD ANIMAL;
WE'VE NEVER HAD
ANY REAL PROBLEMS
WITH AGGRESSIVE ENCOUNTERS
BETWEEN PEOPLE AND MOOSE
BUT A STANDARD LEVEL OF CAUTION
AROUND ANY WILD ANIMAL,
ESPECIALLY ONE AS BIG AS THAT.
; FROM THE MOOSE
OF
THE LONG RANGE MOUNTAINS...
TO THE NAKED SURREAL
LANDSCAPE OF THE TABLELANDS,
GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK IS A
NATURAL AND GEOLOGICAL TREASURE.
; THE LANDSCAPE
OF
GROS MORNE
IS A SAVAGE, WILD LANDSCAPE.
THE DIVERSITY OF THE
LANDSCAPE...
THE INCREDIBLE BEAUTY OF
THE MOUNTAINS AND THE SEA
CONSTANTLY JUXTAPOSED
UNDER HARSH NORTHERN LIGHT
THAT'S CONSTANTLY CHANGING.
AND WE HAVE OUR FJORDS,
DRAMATIC PONDS SURROUNDED
BY SHEER CLIFFS
THAT RISE UP TO 800 METERS.
FOR A SMALL PLACE,
AN INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY
OF COLOR, FORM AND LIGHT.
(♪♪♪)
; GROS MORNE
HOLDS
THE KEY
TO UNLOCKING THE
EVOLUTION OF THE EARTH.
A DELICATE BALANCE
IS BEING STRUCK HERE,
BETWEEN ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST MAGNIFICENT MAMMALS,
AND THE FUTURE OF AN
ANCIENT BOREAL FOREST.
SOARING WATERFALLS.
ARCTIC ALPINE PLATEAUS.
AND LUSH COASTAL HILLS,
MAKE THIS AN IDEAL
HAVEN FOR EXPLORERS.
A WILD FRONTIER,
HERE AT THE HEART
OF CANADA'S RUGGED
EASTERN COAST.
; PEOPLE
CERTAINLY
DO LOVE TO COME BACK
TO GROS MORNE AGAIN AND AGAIN.
THERE'S SUCH INCREDIBLE VARIETY
HERE IN TERMS OF THE LANDSCAPES,
YOU'D NEVER GET TO
EXPLORE IT ALL IN ONE TRIP.
; YOU CAN'T LOOK
IN A
DIRECTION
AND BE UNHAPPY WITH
YOUR SURROUNDINGS.
EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK
IS DIFFERENT
AND MAGNIFICENT, AMAZING.
IT TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY,
EVERY TIME, EVERY DAY.
(♪♪♪)
(♪♪♪)
