Wildlife and plants
The Domaine Saint-Bernard owes its richness to the  diversity of the land. The Rivière du Diable, whose name hints  at its navigable challenges springs from the Lac des Herbes in Mont-Tremblant National Park that borders the site to the north. The Saint-Bernard and Onontio summits, go 380 meters , rise on each side of a plain that formerly served as a pasture. The quiet waters of Lac Raynaud, named in honour of the first owner, complete the picture. After the great fire of 1902,  create for us, 100 years later, the magnificent landscape the forest regenerated itself that we see today.
The Domaine provides the ideal environmental conditions to offer a vast diversity of Laurentian flora and flora
You’ll see  interpretive nature panels along the Domaine trails, and panels in the Wheeler Nature Centre. Enjoy your discoveries!

Habitats

The Domaine Saint-Bernard, covering an area of 1500 acres has an exceptionally rich habitat where the following  tree species can be found:

• 19% evergreen, 69% deciduous species (27% sugar maples, 42% white birch and poplar), 12 % variety of plains and swamp species

The forests, plains, lakes and ponds are home as well to many kinds of animals and plants. The following list whereas not complete will give you an idea . Birds have their own section, see Feathered friends .

The forest and grassland fauna Virginia deer, American hare, red and black squirrel, chipmunk, beaver, raccoon, woodchuck, deer mouse, meadow or common vole, shrew, bat, striped skunk, American marten, porcupine, red fox, wolf, black bear, lynx. In Lakes and ponds Fish; amphibians (frogs, toads, reptiles). Insects: Monarch butterflies, polygones, painted ladies and red admirals, chrysophanes, pine whites, giant silkworm moths, grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders, bees and wasps, black flies and mosquitoes.

Forest & grassland plants: Trees: white birch, yellow birch, poplar, maple, balsam fir, spruce, beech wood, black cherry, red oak, hemlock, white pine, larch, cedar. Plants: gold-thread, false wintergreen, winter green chickweed,  wild sarsaparilla, twinflower, manthème du Canada, American hepatica, spotted wintergreen, Jack-in-the-pulpit, trillium, bird-foot violet, Canada milk-vetch, Queen’s Anne’s lace, milkweed, rudbeckia, common mullein, asters, common yarrow, thistles. Mushrooms: amanita, russula and milky, waxy cap, oyster mushroom, clitocybe, trich, inky cap, paxillus, chanterelle, polypore (pore fungus). Lakes and ponds water-lilies, yellow pond-lilies, bladderwort, knotweed and smartweed, cattail, marsh-marigold, reeds.

 

Plantations

In 1956, the Christian brothers received a donation of  thousands of red pines, for a plantation project extending for many years , spruces and a numerous of red oak. 130,000 trees of different species were planted. During the same period many roads and trails were created to allow the organized development of the property.  The numerous lakes, rivers and streams insured fire protection for the forest. In 1968, 4000  red oak, larch, walnut, black cherry and  chestnut deeds were planted throughout the territory. Under the care of the Christians brother, the Domaine Saint-Bernard won the title of Ferme Forestière Nationale  and received, between 1956 and 1976, four awards of excellence in the competition of the Ordre du Mérite Forestier, including a bronze medal in 1971, silver in 1975 and gold in 1976.
Faithful to the tradition established under the Brothers, in 2002 the Fiducie – with the help of Scouts and Air Cadets – planted more than 500 trees received from the Ministry of Natural Resources.  In 2007, 3500 red oaks and white pines were planted in collaboration of a regeneration program offered by the CLD des Laurentides.
 Our feathered friends
In spring 2002, the Club d'ornithologie des Hautes-Laurentides installed bird houses for the eastern bluebird. The Club d’ornithologie has identified 60 different bird species on the Domaine Saint-Bernard.
Here are a few of those identified: black-capped chickadee, American robin, common redpoll, red-eyed vireo, common yellowthroat (a warbler), common yellow-shafted flicker, boreal waxwing, pileated woodpecker, Eastern bluebird, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, evening grosbeak, red-breasted nuthatch, rose-breasted grosbeak, ruby-throated hummingbird, wood thrush, blue jay, Baltimore oriole, American goldfinch.
For more detail, visit the website Club d'ornithologie