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.
(♪♪♪)