Collection…

The most striking event of the year with regard to the animal collection was certainly the death of our chimpanzee Benji and the departure of his companion, Tobi, for the Fauna Foundation at Carignan, near Montreal. Tobi’s transfer to this internationally renowned centre marks the end of the CCBB tropical animal collection and confirms the centre in its vocation of presenting the plant life and wildlife of the Borealie.

In 2002, there were close to 100 births at the Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity, the most remarkable including that of two new wolverines, of a trumpeter swan and of a number of musk oxen. In fact, the extremely lucrative sale to the Moscow Zoo of two of the three musk oxen born in the spring took up a large part of our schedule. Although the cervidae market is only slowly recovering from the problems of foot-and-mouth disease and of chronic wasting disease, we have noticed a slight increase in demand in 2002.

Another much talked-about event was the arrival, in January 2002, of our two stars, the polar bears Aurora and Nakita, who delight their visitors. Another excellent addition to our collection was the arrival of three harbour seals, replacing the grey seals. Other new residents are expected in 2003. 
 
Research

Once again this year, the scientific credibility of the Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity has gone up a notch, thanks to our many projects and cooperative ventures. Interviews, articles, colloquiums have all helped promote the CCBB as a science-oriented institution. Clearly, the presence of well-known researchers on our Scientific Committee has largely contributed to the growth of our reputation.

The major research concern for the CCBB remains the Program for Breeding Wolverines in Captivity. Our institution is the only one in Quebec that breeds this species and studies its breeding behaviour thanks to subsidized video equipment and has, thus, become the benchmark for this species amongst zoological institutions. A training period in Finland allowed our people to meet world specialists in the breeding and custody of wolverines. The people we met have become allies and international contacts for the CCBB. Additionally, the appointment of the Biologist-Conservator as Canadian wolverine registrar means that journalists and other people wishing for information on this species now come to the CCBB for their information. 

Another important project is the cooperation between the CCBB, the FAPAQ and the Montreal Biodome with respect to the Quebec network of acoustic bat inventories. In June, the Biologist-Conservator offered a training program in several regions of Quebec in order to allow volunteers to record the presence of bats on Quebec territory, thus providing essential data for enhanced conservation of the species. As a result, a local team of volunteers, all employees of the CCBB, has been created and has taken part in provincial data collections.

Another project that took place in 2002 was the revitalization of the Nature Trail Park, thanks to a cooperative venture with the Société sylvicole de Chambord. Reforestation was effected and, under the terms of a scientific protocol, measures were taken which, once analyzed, will certainly provide interesting results concerning the level of grazing pressure stress created by the presence of so many cervidae within one single territory.

In cooperation with UQAC, a student evaluated the impact of different types of enrichment on the level of exposure of our coyotes. The result of her research led to considerable improvement of animal visibility and, consequently, a higher level of visitor satisfaction. 
These were the major research events in 2002. A number of other projects were on the program and will continue to be so in 2003, more especially the implementation of the new Internet site, with its high-quality scientific content. All these achievements continue to promote the integration of the CCBB with the scientific world outside, an essential stage in the achievement of our great project.

Sylvie Bouchard
Biologist-Conservator

Gilaine Truchon (1,2,3,4)
PRESIDENT

Businesswoman, Saint-Félicien
Jocelyne Tremblay (1,3,4,5)
VICE-PRESIDENT Financial security advisor - Clarica and President of the Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity (CCBB) Inc. Foundation

Sandra Bouchard (1)
VICE-PRESIDENT 
Lawyer

Martin Laforge (1,2,3,4)
GENERAL MANAGER
(up to October 31, 2002) 
Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity (CCBB) Inc.

Jean-Pierre Boivin
DIRECTOR
INTERIM GENERAL MANAGER
(since November 1,  2002) 
Teacher at the Dolbeau seminary

Robert Collard (4)
DIRECTOR 
Owner - Ferme Saint-Félicien

Bertrand Côté (1,2,3)
DIRECTOR 
Mayor, City of Saint-Félicien and businessman

Jacques Dubuc (2,3)
DIRECTOR 
Assistant to the Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs
Alcan Primary Metal Group

Gilles Lapointe (1,2)
DIRECTOR  
Director of Studies, Saint-Félicien CEGEP
 

(1) Member of the Executive Committee
(2) Member of the Development Committee
(3) Member of the Funding Committee
(4) Member of the Foundation

Contents of the atrium educational and scientific section
The boreal adventure...

The “Wild” Zoo of St-Félicien experience is unique. There are no cages, and wildlife and plant life cohabit within the same habitat, a presence shared by human beings using the Nature Trail Park… and all this requires that visitors make an effort to observe and listen to the activities going on within the intense microcosm of nature to which we are introducing them.

It is rare, when in the wilderness, that visitors can make such close contact with its constituent elements. It is necessary, however, that they take time to observe, to open up their senses and discover the wealth that surrounds them, and to realize that they, too, are part of this vast world, no more no less than are the insects, mushrooms, birds or animals which have succeeded in adapting themselves to their environment and developing behavioural patterns that allow them to live and survive there.

The moment you arrive at the “Wild” Zoo of St-Félicien, you will be in our care and we will introduce you to the various aspects of biodiversity and prepare you for contact with nature as seen in that part of the site that can be visited on foot, and in the Nature Trail Park.
 
When one talks about biodiversity, one is talking of life in all its forms, whether visible or invisible, great or small, human, animal, vegetable or microbial, for example. If you are to hear the sound of biodiversity, you must first distance yourself from the noises of the city and the stress of the workplace, put on your explorer’s costume and once more become a child discovering the world for the first time. Because, indeed, what we are offering you is another FIRST adventure… an adventure that is never the same from one day to another, from one season to the next.

In order to prepare the visitor to live out this experience as fully as possible, we have created a ‘welcome’ facility that will first allow you to situate yourself within the boreal context and to explore it in greater depth. These are the objectives we have set ourselves for our multisensory theme film, our programming and our support services. To achieve these objectives, a little over $1.5 million out of an overall budget of 12.5 million dollars was devoted to the multisensory theme film, to the Discovery Room, to the Documentation Centre, to the NetZoo Centre and to the mural displays throughout the building. We also called upon the resourcefulness of a number of teams who were required, within a fixed time and budget, to make reliable interpretation and research tools available to the local communities and visitors as a whole. 

Our objective is to provide our clientele with the most interesting year-round programming possible, as of June 2003.

Annabelle Laliberté, Museologist

Message from the president

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!

Readiness, a simple word that conveys the essential of the message I wish to address to the members of the Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity (CCBB).

Readiness is a concept that accurately reflects the state of mind of the men and women working within the organization in order to ensure the implementation of the major objectives and schedules drawn up at the beginning of the 2003 season.

• By an extension of the zoological vocation to an ecological mission.
  
• By the setting up of a reception infrastructure.
  
• By the development of a world market share.
  
• By a fully endorsed scientific mission.
  
• By the replacing of our finances on a healthy footing.

This vision has become reality thanks to energetic planning by management and by the designer team’s flexibility and ability to adapt to change.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Mr. Martin Laforge for his contribution over the twenty-three years he has spent with the organization, including the last fourteen years as General Manager. He has positioned the “Wild” Zoo of St-Félicien as one of the major tourist attractions in Quebec and has gone well beyond the call of duty in his work for what is now an organization with worldwide recognition.

However, such recognition is not eternal. As we know, we are constantly called upon to innovate. One reason for this is that, unfortunately, good ideas are too easily borrowed. Moreover, because of our geographical situation, far from the axis of the St. Lawrence River, we are obliged to constantly “surprise” our tourist clientele. This we did, when we built the Nature Trail Park. This is what we did again when we took our courage in both hands and established the “WILD” ZOO as our new orientation. Again, this is what we are currently doing with the CCBB project.

Our achievements would not have been possible without the exceptional contribution of visionary administrators such as Martin Laforge. I would like to remind you, at this time, that the very idea of a Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity derived from the “Nature Culture Space” project presented by the General Manager in 1999. The first message supporting the idea underlying the project came form the Chair of Tourism at the University of Quebec at Montreal, which, in a report dealing with the Quebec zoological facility and animal park network, made the following comments regarding the “Wild” Zoo of St-Félicien: “client growth will depend, amongst other things, on the zoo’s having an ever more dynamic presence on the tourist market and on the commitment by its managers to promote innovative programs of research and of conservation of endangered species. Such orientations will be backed up by the implementation of the project to add reception areas and the construction of a new facility where the Northern Crossroad concept will be developed.” Aditionally, we asked the North-American Tourism Research Institute Inc. (NATRI) to evaluate the relevancy of our project, to carry out a market analysis and to prepare a business plan. Not only did NATRI acknowledge the relevancy of the project, it also insisted that it was “imperative that we take action as soon as reasonably possible in order to maintain the Zoo of St-Félicien’s valuable head start and occupy the still available niche of biodiversity and sustainable development based on recreotourism.” On the strength of these professional opinions, Mr. Laforge and his team expanded the “Nature Culture Space” project into the Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity project. The “Borealie” is not the CCBB. It is merely one of its phases or constituent parts. Mr. Laforge kindly remained with us until the completion of Phase 1. This is why I wish to express my gratitude to the man whom the review Commerce, in its January 2001 number, acknowledged as one of the evangelizers of tourism in Quebec, and as a leader of one of the driving forces of Quebec tourism, thanks to the quality of his achievements and his vision for the future of tourism in Quebec.

Now, we must continue with the work started, and this is why we are taking advantage of this opportunity to welcome Mr. Jean-Pierre Boivin, who has been our interim General Manager since last November. His educational background, his experience in municipal affairs and his eight years as a Director of our Corporation have ensured a harmonious transition and a functional continuation of the site’s operations.

I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the constant efforts of our employees.

I also wish to thank all my colleagues on the Board of Directors and CCBB management who have offered me their support and trust over the present year. And I am happy  to welcome the new members joining our Board, members whose diverse curricula and experiences will be a priceless contribution to the future of the Corporation.

The “Wild” Zoo of St-Félicien owes its creation to the resourcefulness and dynamism of the people who live here. We should remember that our reputation has been built up over the past 42 years thanks to the loyalty of our members, a loyalty that has not weakened in all that time and which is a source of motivation for today’s Directors. You will therefore allow me to thank most warmly last year’s Honorary President, Mr. Robert Lamontagne, for having accepted a task that now draws to its close. And again I am happy to comply with this great tradition by inviting a member to take on the honorary presidency for the coming year. To this end, we have chosen someone who has given us fifteen years as a Director and whom we know as an eminent citizen. It is for this reason that I ask Mr. Paul Leclerc to accept the title of Honorary President for 2003, so that he may be with us in this inaugural year.

Additionally, I would ask all the members of the Corporation to continue to provide practical support to the next Board of Directors and to the team of the “Wild” Zoo, so that this organization, of which we are so proud, may continue to surprise our competitors to the point where they will wish to be just like us…

More than ever I am convinced that meeting challenges and being at the cutting edge of change is part of our corporate culture.

Gilaine Truchon
President

Message from the interim general manager

Madam President,
Members of the General Assembly and of the Board of Directors,
Members of the personnel of the Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is from quite a different perspective, that of interim General Manager, that I am participating in this 42nd annual general meeting. The transition to a senior position in the organization was made easier not only by the fact that I have been a member of the Board of Directors since 1994, but above all by the confidence placed in me by the members of that Board and the welcome offered me by the employees as a whole at the time of these management changes.

I wish, therefore, to sum up the situation and the decisions taken over the fiscal period ended on September 30, 2002, when Mr. Martin Laforge occupied this position. I will also be talking of the challenges that await us over the coming year and further on down the road.

Compared with other sectors, the tourist industry has certain characteristics which make it more of a risk. As we have come to know and to control more efficiently our main items of expenditure from year to year, so has our work of rationalization become more and more effective. However, this is not the case when dealing with income that comes principally from our attendance figures, since our visitors are affected by a range of factors that include rival products, alternative products or, simply, the weather conditions.

Consequently, attendance figures for the past year, up to the summer, were 172,654, which represents a drop of 6% compared with the previous year. Though this shortfall is less than the average loss suffered in the region or by certain other lead products, these figures are worrisome. This means that we should adopt new development and marketing strategies to deal with the situation and regain a clientele in excess of 200,000 visitors if we are to ensure the viability of our organization.

Our financial statements for last year show a surplus after depreciation of $218,604. You will all remember that last May, the Government of Quebec announced a grant of $5 million, which will be paid into the CCBB to assist in the construction of the Atrium, cover our operating deficit and constitute an operating budget to support our operations and our development. It was this grant which allowed us to conclude the period with an operating surplus.

The joint efforts of the two upper levels of government have to a great extent met our expectations and allayed our concerns with regard to the need to replace the organization’ finances on a healthy footing. The Corporation now needs to comply with the letters of agreement that have been signed. It is our responsibility more especially to seek and pay that part of our financing which comes from non-government sources. In this respect, I would like to emphasize the work done by our fund-raising campaign president, Mr. Jacques Dubuc.  Mr. Dubuc has built up an excellent team in order to ensure the success of this campaign and thus allow the CCBB to implement Phase I of the project, the construction of the Borealium.
 
An optimistic and forward looking projection

Even if we are part of a major industry, we are constantly made aware that winning is never guaranteed in advance. The survival of the St-Félicien facility will always depend on innovation and on the search for new development projects.

We are heading in the right direction. What used to be the Zoo of St-Félicien has become more than 40 years later a Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity, which in its turn will mutate one day into something else. World tourism trends tell us that the changes we have made so far are and will be successful, and that they had become essential to our long-term survival.

Our future, and more especially the upcoming development phases, should be determined both by our vision of what we are and by the way we manage our organization. Future development is essential to the implementation of the project for a true Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity. Our next task will be the re-planning of the grizzly bear and bighorn habitats, in order to make them more like their natural habitats and more attractive for visitors. Amongst our short-term priorities, we might mention the development of a new ecotourism adventure concept, to be realized in the sector of inter-municipal public lands (IPL), and the redevelopment of the old section formerly occupied by exotic animals. Additionally, we will be carrying out consolidation work on existing facilities, including part of the Nature Trail Park.

Our greatest strength lies in the exclusive nature of the niche which we are exploiting. When we add to this the skill of our work teams and the background of our organization, we are in a position to be both distinctive and successful and to realize the ambitions of all those who support us.

Before closing this report, I would like to warmly thank all those who are involved directly or indirectly with the CCBB. I include here our employees, who devote themselves to our cause, often under difficult conditions. And, of course, the members of the  Board of Directors (a volunteer force), from whom we ask so much in order to fully realize the destiny of the Centre for Conservation of Boreal Biodiversity.

Jean-Pierre Boivin
Interim General Manager

Animal health department

I am pleased to be here to talk about the events of the year 2002. Since I only took up my duties in the month of August 2002, I should limit myself to our more recent activities.

Globalization, the shipping of goods overseas, trips to exotic destinations sometimes bring us more than we really want. This is how the West Nile virus (WNV) came to our country. Birds being natural reservoirs, it was easy for this virus to spread and even to reach Quebec. A monitoring program has been in existence since the year 2000. Close to 1700 mosquito pools, which are the principal transmission sources, have been analyzed at the Winnipeg laboratory. Samples were also taken at the Zoo of St-Félicien, but, fortunately, results were negative. Additionally, four cervidae that died on the site were analyzed. These were not virus carriers. But this does not make us any less worried as regards this virus which is likely, sooner or later, to turn up in this area. There are vaccines, but their efficiency is not yet proven. The good news is that intensive research projects currently taking place in zoos are aimed at creating an effective vaccine, since indeed the virus appears to affect all species. This will be a hot issue for the Animal Health team, especially when the mosquitoes come back to us in the spring of 2003. 

Every three years, since 1991, all our cervidae must take the tuberculination test to confirm that our herds are free of bovine tuberculosis, after which we are allowed to sell any surplus cervidae. To be able to do this, we needed to refurbish our restraint infrastructures. A sum of $10,000 was, therefore, invested in improving safety for both animals and intervenors. In December 2002, we began our work and tested some thirty caribou and mule deer and all the tests proved negative. We expect to complete the work in April 2003. It is a lengthy job that requires the cooperation of the entire Animal Health team and the keepers.  

Apart from these tests, our days are fully occupied by the routine work of taking care of minor and major injuries. But we always put a great deal of passion and energy into monitoring the well-being of each animal in our beautiful northern Zoo!

Dr. Josée Tremblay
Veterinary Practitioner

Management team

Martin Laforge  General Manager
Martyne Beaucage Catering Manager
Sandra Bergeron  Veterinary Practitioner
Sylvie Bouchard  Biologist-Conservator
Natalie d’Entremont Facilitating Officer and Educational Assistant
Danny Gagnon  Wildlife Manager and Developmental Assistant
Lauraine Gagnon  Manager, Client Services and Market Development
Sonia Gagnon  Gift Shops Manager
Yves Guay  Product Manager
Annabelle Laliberté Education and Museographical Development Branch
François Lavoie  Operations Controller and Coordinator
Rock Marchand  Admissions Department Officer
André Tremblay  Animal Keepers Overseer
Pauline T. Langevin Management Secretary