Bucket List: Kouchibouguac

This community on the east coast of New Brunswick takes its name from the Kouchibouguac River, a Mi'kmaq word meaning "river of the long tides".  The modern town is an amalgamation of seven other small Acadian communities that were relocated in 1969 to allow for the formation of the nearby Kouchibouguac National Park.

Many residents were unhappy with the move, primarily due to the fact that their own ancestors had been part of the great Acadian expulsion in the mid-18th century.  Resistance to the park became so fierce that Parks Canada decided to change its own rules and allow certain people to continue living within the park's boundaries.

The park itself is 238 square kilometres in size (92 square miles), and is home to the second largest tern colony in North America, the endangered Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster, and many other animals and seabirds.  It's also famous for the long stretches of sand dunes and tidewater lagoons, boasting the warmest salt water beaches in Canada.

Parks Canada official site: www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nb/kouchibouguac

Tourism New Brunswick: www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/Products/Parks/KouchibouguacNationalPark