Simon Octeau near lac des Battures
Young Verdunite raises awareness about Boisé St. Paul
Simon Octeau offering guided visits until mid November
Visitors to the Island’s Boisé St. Paul, wishing to find out more about the area’s natural beauty, are in luck. Until the middle of November (weather permitting), 21-year-old Simon Octeau, will be offering guided visits, during the weekends.
Born and raised in Verdun, Simon is a second year environmental geography student, at Université de Montréal, who started working for Héritage Laurentian, this past summer. The non-profit organization is well known to Island residents, thanks to its partnership with the Verdun borough, and aims to protect and manage the area’s natural habitats.
Simon was hired to do park maintenance, patrol and protect the park and create awareness among visitors, but recently took the initiative to take it one step further and start offering guided tours of the woodlands. On a chance visit to the Boisé St. Paul, two weekends ago, this journalist came upon Simon providing information to a number of visitors, who were enjoying a sunny fall day at lac des Battures and struck up a conversation with him. The ducks were in fine form, cormorants could be seen perched on trees in the distance and a heron was in the process of trying to catch lunch. A number of fascinated visitors -- young and old-- were inquiring and Simon was providing them the answers.
A love for nature sparks a great initiative
“A friend of mine suggested that I do a walking tour and so I started a few weekends ago,� explains the young Verdunite. “I like to share my general knowledge with people who come by to enjoy the area’s beauty. I tell them about the flora and the fauna, I identify the plants, if we’re lucky and spot a few rare birds, I’ll point them out to them, and I make sure that people know it’s not ok to stray off the pathways and feed the ducks,� adds Simon.
Héritage Laurentien approves
When contacted by Le Magazine, Simon’s boss, director of operations and biologist, Jacques Duquette, was slightly surprised about his young employee’s initiative, but pleased, nonetheless.
“I think it’s great that he thought to do this and I have great confidence in him,� stated Mr. Duquette. The biologist stressed that most visitors are respectful of the forest, yet there are still the occasional ones who forget to stay on the pathways and don’t put their dogs on a leash, and that’s why awareness is important.
“We’re always on the look out for more volunteers to patrol the area. If someone’s interested, all they have to do is call 514-367-6540.� You can always send suggestions and comments to info@heritagelaurentien.org.
Guided tours on weekend
Weather permitting, Simon intends to continue offering these 30-minute bilingual guided tours until mid November. They will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday, at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Those interested, simply have to show up at the entrance to the woodland, next to lac des Battures (near the parc Adrien D. Archambault soccer field).
“The biggest threat to this area’s natural habitat is ongoing development,� states Simon. “There is a perpetual weakening of our ecosystem taking place and people need to be aware of what they have, so they can protect it,� concludes the young student with conviction. A walk in the woods, this coming weekend, is certainly a step in the right direction.
Météo: Montréal, 22 mai 2008 / 12°C
/ Faible averse de pluie
/ Vents: 9 Km/h / Humidité relative: 67 % 
par Toula Foscolos 
Steven Guilbeault - 
