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Generations of Jaillets

“The Dune will always be our hidden treasure," says Joanne Jaillet, park manager at La Dune de Bouctouche.

Joanne’s career at La Dune spans 24 years, but her affection for the area runs even deeper. The Jaillet family home, built in 1948 and where Joanne currently resides, is only 500 meters away. As a result, the family spends much of their time along one of the few great remaining sand dunes on the northeastern coastline of North America.

Joanne Jaillet and family 2004

Her father, a professional fisherman and father of 17 children, used the Dune as a source of food for his family and animals for years. 

Smelt fishing on the Dune in winter was an important income source and when the weather was bad, he slept in small camps on the dunes because the horses were unable to traverse the snow. Her father also fished for clams with several of his children, bar clams for canning and soft-shell clams to be crushed up and used as fertilizer and hen feed. To this day, Joanne and her siblings enjoy traditional clam fishing. 

The family also hunted birds and harvested seaweed, cranberries, and hay on these ecologically diverse, ever-shifting Dunes.

Joanne’s vision and love for the park has only grown since she began working there. She takes pride in educating both young schoolchildren and summer tourists in this fragile ecosystem of the Dune. We sat down with her to learn more about her history.

“What made you want to work at La Dune?”

After becoming a single mother, I came back to live in the family home to take care of my father. This was a great opportunity for me because I was only a few minutes from my job and my father was able to watch over my daughter when needed. Also, the Dune was a very familiar place for me and my knowledge of fishing favored this job.

“Did your family play a role in your love of the park?”

My father certainly had an impact on my upbringing. He too has always respected the survival of this environment because he was blessed with the resources that this environment brought him to feed his family.

“How does it feel knowing you’re working to let future generations of Jaillets enjoy La Dune?” 

To this day, the Jaillet children and grandchildren use the walkway for exercise. The grandchildren are often present at the activities organized at the Dune and the adults still go bar clam fishing every spring. It’s tradition in the Jaillet family and a piece of the Jaillet history that Joanne hopes will continue for generations to come.

Joanne and baby 2011

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