The Yamaska River (, ) is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in southern

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. Sourcing water within the

Eastern Townships The Eastern Townships (, ) is a historical administrative region in southeastern Quebec, Canada. It lies between the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, St. Lawrence Lowlands and the American border, and extends from Granby, Quebec, Granby in ...

, it ends its journey in

Lake Saint-Pierre Lake Saint Pierre (, ; ) is a lake in Quebec, Canada, a widening of the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières. It is located downstream, and northeast, of Montreal; and upstream, and southwest, of Quebec City. The end of t ...

where it is a tributary to the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

; altogether it is long. Crossing nearly twenty municipalities in its course, it is intrinsically linked to life around it as it is a primary source of fresh water where it passes; due to human use and adaptation, the river and its banks have become heavily altered over time, beginning around the time the first European settlers arrived to modern days. Before exploitation, the river was rich with life. Urban, industrial, and intensive agricultural use have made it one of the most polluted rivers in Quebec, especially from agricultural waste and pesticides; nevertheless, many municipalities use it as their source for

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

.Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs Québec, ''Bassin versant de la rivière Yamaska – Modifier nos pratiques agricoles... la priorité'', 1997
Online version
Although the number of species of living

organism An organism is any life, living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Many criteria, few of them widely accepted, have be ...

s has greatly decreased, a tenacious

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

still thrives along many parts of the Yamaska, some efforts are made by the

citizens Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...

of various municipalities to alter human impact on the

environments Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

that connect to the stream. The Yamaska is used for recreational activities such as fishing and many navigate its waters, though it is not used for swimming. For many years the pollution issue has spawned

environmental concern The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the ...

in places such as Granby, where citizens, environmental experts, municipal councilors, as well as groups and organizations work on conservation, study, inventory, and communication of ways to change an

individual An individual is one that exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of living as an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) as a person unique from other people and possessing one's own needs or g ...

's impact on the river's health. These actions have led to the increase of

community art Community art, also known as social art, community-engaged art, community-based art, and, rarely, dialogical art, is the practice of art based in—and generated in—a community setting. It is closely related to social practice and social turn. ...

and events aiming to speak for those who cannot, mainly animals and plants.

Toponymy

The name Yamaska appeared in the 17th century, beforehand it was named "R''ivière de Gennes''" (French for River of Gennes) by

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

in 1609. When the lands known as s''eigneurie de Yamaska'' were granted to Michel Leneuf de la Vallière de Beaubassin, Michel Leneuf de La Vallière, the river's name was instead "''rivière des Savanes''". The word "Yamaska" could be sourced to

Abenakis The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predomin ...

meaning "there are rushes off the coast" or "there is much hay", from ''yam'' or ''iyamitaw'', respectively meaning ''off shore'' and ''much'', and ''askaw'', meaning ''hay'' or ''rushes''. This

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

name references '' baie de Lavalilière'' (Lavallière Bay), at the river's mouth where vegetation grows abundantly in a

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

. The name could also be from Algonquian ''hia muskeg'', it means "river of the

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

s" or "river with muddy waters". Because of the nebulous Amerindian origin, this naming has been deformed (often in the form of ''Maska'' or ''Masca'', after which the inhabitants of

Saint-Hyacinthe Saint-Hyacinthe ( , ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie regi ...

are named). It was officially named ''Rivière Yamaska'' 5 December 1968.

Geography

Hydrography

The

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the Yamaska measures ; its average debit at the end is of , this is considered relatively slow compared to Richelieu at and Saint-François at rivers, the nearest streams; it is however subject to seasonal fluctuations (with a record flow of in the spring (linked to the snowmelt) and in the fall (caused by precipitation), and minimums of in winter and summer.Atlas of Canada from the Department of Natural Resources Canada - Characteristics extracted from the geographic map, the database and site instrumentation - accessed on = May 11, 2020.
/ref> There are few bodies of water in the Yamaska's basin, only six are larger than one square kilometer, of these only three are natural: Brome, Roxton, and

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

lakes.

River's Course

Starting at an elevation of north of lac Brome, it flows westward until it reaches

Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...

; this section is at the feet of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

, it receives two tributaries: '' North Yamaska River'' (''French: Rivière Yamaska Nord'') passing through Granby, and Yamaska South East River draining

Cowansville Cowansville is a town in south-central Quebec, Canada, located on Lac Davignon north of the U.S. border. It is the seat of Brome-Missisquoi, a regional county municipality. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 15,234. In recent year ...

, after which it turns northward and enters the ''

Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, or simply St. Lawrence Lowlands, is a physiographic region of Eastern Canada that comprises a section of southern Ontario bounded on the north by the Canadian Shield and by three of the Great Lakes — Lake Hu ...

'' (lowlands of the

Saint-Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258. ...

) and meets its main tributary ''Rivière Noire'' (Black River) at Saint-Damase, passing through its biggest agglomeration,

; it continues towards its mouth at

Lake Saint Pierre Lake Saint Pierre (, ; ) is a lake in Quebec, Canada, a widening of the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières. It is located downstream, and northeast, of Montreal; and upstream, and southwest, of Quebec City. The end of t ...

, West of Saint François Bay.

Tributaries

Among its main tributaries are Noire, South-East Yamaska, and North Yamaska rivers.

Left tributaries (West Shore)

Rivière Pot au Beurre (Yamaska River tributary) Rivière, La Rivière, or Les Rivières (French for "river") may refer to: Places Belgium * Rivière, Profondeville, a village Canada * La Rivière, Manitoba, a community * Les Rivières (Quebec City), a borough France * La Rivière, Giron ...

* Le Petit Chenail (Yamaska River tributary) ** Saint-Louis River * Salvail River *

South-West Yamaska River The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

* Yamaska South East River

Right tributaries (East Shore)

* North Yamaska River * Rivière à la-Barbe *

Noire River Noire River or Rivière Noire may refer to: North America * Grande rivière Noire or Big Black River (Saint John River tributary), in Maine, United States, and Quebec, Canada * Noire River (L'Assomption River tributary), Matawinie, Lanaudière, Q ...

Rivière le Renne The rivière le Renne (''English: Reindeer River'') is a tributary of the Yamaska River, which flows in the municipalities of Maricourt, Sainte-Christine, Acton Vale, Saint-Nazaire-d'Acton, of Saint-Théodore-d'Acton, in the Acton Regional C ...

** Jaune River ** Rouge River * Chibouet River * David River

Regional County Municipalities and local municipalities crossed

* Brome-Missisquoi: Lac-Brome,

Bromont Bromont () is a city in southern Quebec, Canada, at the base of Mont Brome; it is in the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality. The Bromont area and its resort, Ski Bromont, is well known as a tourist destination for its downhill skiing, ...

, Brigham,

* La Haute-Yamaska:

Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby is a municipality in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, located within La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. The population as of the 2011 Canadian Census was 3,125. Before Octo ...

, Granby * Rouville:

Ange-Gardien Ange-Gardien () is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located within the Rouville Regional County Municipality in the province's Montérégie region. The population as of the 2016 Canadian Census was 2,699. It was constituted ...

Saint-Césaire Saint-Césaire () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), southwestern France. In the 1970s, a Neanderthal skeleton was found near Saint-Césaire.

* Les Maskoutains: Saint-Damase,

Saint-Barnabé-Sud Saint-Barnabé-Sud () is a municipality in southwestern Quebec in the Regional County Municipality of Les Maskoutains. The population as of the 2021 Canadian Census was 962. It is the birthplace of historian Jean-Baptiste-Arthur Allaire. Demog ...

Saint-Simon Saint-Simon or Saint Simon can refer to: Places Canada *Saint-Simon, New Brunswick, a settlement in Gloucester County, New Brunswick * Saint-Simon, Quebec, a municipality in southwestern Quebec on the Yamaska River in Les Maskoutains Regional Cou ...

, Saint-Hugues, Saint-Louis,

Saint-Marcel-de-Richelieu Saint-Marcel-de-Richelieu () is a municipality in southwestern Quebec, Canada in the Regional County Municipality of Les Maskoutains. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 507. Demographics Population Language Communities * Sain ...

* Pierre-De Saurel: Saint-Aimé,

Massueville Massueville is a village municipality in Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 547. It is named after Gaspard-Aimé Massue, landowner (1812–1875). The village is an e ...

, Saint-David, Yamaska * Nicolet-Yamaska:

Saint-François-du-Lac Saint-François-du-Lac () is a community in the Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 1,957. It is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence and ...

Biodiversity

A varied

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

and

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

exists along the Yamaska, reflecting the various regions it traverses; species of birds, fish,

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

s, reptiles,

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s, insect,

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

and many more populate its waters, banks, and surrounding marshes. Pollution has greatly affected the nature that used to thrive in and around the river, reducing the number of species of fish from 70 to 33 between 1963 and 2003; to counter this the Quebec

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

proceeds to implement fish in the river to increase fishing as a sport. The main fish cruising its waters are

white sucker The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii'') is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is common ...

(''Castostomus commersonii'') and

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family, including the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives the barbs and barbels, among others. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family, and t ...

; more polluted areas are occupied by

brown bullhead The brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus'') is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas'') and yellow bullhead (' ...

(''Ameiurus nebulosus''). Species sought after for fishing include

muskellunge The muskellunge (''Esox masquinongy''), often shortened to muskie, musky, ski, or lunge, is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name ...

(''Esox masquinongy''), ''

Esox ''Esox'' is a genus of freshwater fish commonly known as pike or pickerel. It is the type genus of the family (biology), family Esocidae. The type species of the genus is ''Esox lucius'', the northern pike. ''Esox'' have a fossil record exten ...

'',

black bass Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psy ...

(''Micropterus sp.''), ''

Sander A sander is a power tool used to smooth surfaces by abrasion with sandpaper. Sanders have a means to attach the sandpaper and a mechanism to move it rapidly contained within a housing with means to handhold it or fix it to a workbench. Woodw ...

'',

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill fr ...

(''Perca flavescens''),

pumpkinseed The pumpkinseed (''Lepomis gibbosus''), also referred to as sun perch, pond perch, common sunfish, punkie, sunfish, sunny, and kivver, is a small to medium–sized freshwater fish of the genus ''Lepomis'' (true sunfishes), from the sunfish fami ...

(''Lepomis gibbosus'') and mud cat. Over the years the species added to the river for increase sport are the

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

(''Salmo trutta''),

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

(''Oncorynchus mykiss''), muskellunge, ''Sander'', yellow perch, brown bullhead,

smallmouth bass The smallmouth bass (''Micropterus dolomieu'') is a species of freshwater fish in the Centrarchidae, sunfish family (biology), family (Centrarchidae) of the order (biology), order Centrarchiformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Micropterus ...

(''Micropterus dolomieu''), and

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada. Two ecological forms of brook trout h ...

(''Salvelinus fontinalis''). Chutes YamaskaGranby

Inventories carried at

Mont Yamaska Mont Yamaska (; 'Mount Yamaska; in Abenaki, Wigwômadenek)) is part of the Monteregian Hills in southern Quebec. Its summit stands above sea level. This mountain is largely covered with deciduous forest dominated by sugar maple. Some apple orchar ...

allowed to observe over fifteen species of amphibians and even reptiles (such as the

painted turtle The painted turtle (''Chrysemys picta'') is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in relatively slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They have been shown ...

(''Chrysemys picta'') and Common Garter Snake (''Thamnophis sirtalis'')). Common amphibians inventoried in the river are the dusky salamander (''Desmognathus fucus''),

wood frog ''Lithobates sylvaticus'' or ''Rana sylvatica'', commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several nota ...

(''Rana sylvatica''), and the green frog (''Rana clamitans''). The Baie Lavalilière (Sainte-Anne-de-Sorel, Québec), located near the mouth of the river, is considered a very rich habitat for amphibians, although

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

bullfrog ''Bullfrog'' is a common English language term to refer to large, aggressive frogs, regardless of species. Examples of bullfrogs include: Frog species Americas *Helmeted water toad (''Calyptocephalella gayi''), endemic to Chile *American bullf ...

(''Rana catesbeiana''),

northern leopard frog ''Lithobates pipiens''Integrated Taxonomic Information System nternet2012''Lithobates pipiens'' pdated 2012 Sept; cited 2012 Dec 26Available from: www.itis.gov/ formerly ''Rana pipiens'', commonly known as the northern leopard frog, is a s ...

(''Rana pipiens''), and green frog limit their population.

Citizen Collective Art Movement

11 May 2013 saw the inauguration of two collective artworks "''URGENCE YAMASKA''" (Yamaska Emergency) and "''LA YAMASKA, C'EST NOUS...''" (The Yamaska, it is us...), during the community art project Art-Yamaska; the art is said to be issue of a collective reflection about the river's health and depicts several clear environmental messages. The project aims education of ecological awareness linked to the Yamaska's health. Along with the artwork's public

exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing *Exposition (narrative), background information in a story * Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut alb ...

on Granby's water

pumping station Pumping stations, also called pumphouses, are public utility buildings containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are critical in a variety of infrastructure systems, such as water supply, Land reclamation, ...

, the project included poetry

reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, a photography exposition, and several

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

and

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

workshops, culminating in festivities on the river's celebration day in 2013. Since their installment, the collective murals have gained much renown and visibility due to their location just off a popular cycling network (a large portion of it within meters of the river). In May 2015, a new artful message followed in the Art-Yamaska project with the creation of "''Qu'es-tu devenu Yamaska?''" (What have you become, Yamaska?) a few kilometers downstream the same cycling track as the previous mural. Once more, workshops were organized by the art and creativity non-profit organization ''Atelier 19'' to allow a group of

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

to invent an environmental message to be posted underneath and on the sides of Patrick-Hackett bridge; the place is famous for its

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...

in the form of

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

art, the message is thus expressed conjointly and with inspiration from that art movement.

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Montérégie Rivers of Centre-du-Québec Saint-Hyacinthe Tributaries of the Saint Lawrence River Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality Granby, Quebec Rouville Regional County Municipality Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality