March 19^th 2026

Approval process

1. Approval by the Gault Executive Committee:

• All research and teaching projects must be registered and approved by the Gault Executive Committee by completing a research permit application. This process must be repeated each year.
• No research or teaching activities should compromise the ecological integrity of the ecosystems.
• Experimental manipulations must be limited and should not have any long-term impact on the ecosystem.

2. Additional approvals:

• Use of animals: Any project involving animals must be approved by McGill University's Animal Compliance Office. Projects from external universities must include a copy of their institution's protocol approval.
• Animal capture: In addition to the approval process outlined in section A, you must obtain and submit to the office a permit for the capture of wild animals for scientific, educational, or wildlife management (SEG) purposes from the Government of Québec.
• Human participants: Any research project or field course involving contact, surveys, or any other data collection from human participants (visitors, employees, etc.) must receive approval from McGill’s Research Ethics Board a) to ensure the protection of participants’ rights and well-being.
• Chemical products: The use, handling, or storage of chemical products within the facilities of the Gault Nature Reserve is strictly regulated. Anyone planning to use chemical products must have completed the required laboratory safety training provided by McGill University prior to the start of their work. List of trainings required. All chemical products must be declared to the Gault Nature Reserve in advance of their use. Any introduction of additional chemical products after the initial approval must also be reported to the Gault Nature Reserve in advance of their use.

Application processing time

The Gault Executive Committee reviews research permit applications as they are submitted. However, additional information may be requested. We strongly encourage you to submit your application several weeks before the planned start of your work. Please also allow additional time for obtaining any required permits (see point 2 above).

Every day in the field

Field check-in (presence form)

The presence form must be completed at least 24 hours before each visit. It allows us to:

• Grant you access to the site for the day;
• Locate you in case of an emergency;
• Process special requests (e.g., package deliveries, technical needs). Please allow extra time for evaluation, we will contact you by email;
• Compile data on the use of our research infrastructure.

Field check-out

When you leave the station, the laboratory, or your field site at the end of a workday, you must notify us by texting 514-944-9504.

If you plan to remain in the field beyond the site's closing time, you must notify us in advance using the emergency number.

Safety rules

1. Lyme disease: You must wear appropriate clothing to protect yourself from tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease. Take the time to read and share the 5 anti-tick tactics. If you are responsible for a group, it is your responsibility to inform all participants about the presence of ticks in Montérégie and the preventive measures to take before and after their activity in natural environments Learn more about prevention here.

2. Motorized boats: If you plan to use a motorized boat, please send a valid copy of your boating license in advance. For more information, visit the Transport Canada website.

3. Incidents: Any incidents or accidents that occur during your stay at Gault must be reported to McGill using the appropriate form. Incidents and accidents involving individuals from other institutions must follow their institution's procedures and inform the management of the Gault Nature Reserve.

4. Working outside of regular opening hours: If you plan on working in the field or in a laboratory outside of Gault's opening hours, you must specify it in your presence form and contact the on-call person at 514-944-9504.

Directory and emergency contacts

For any emergency requiring first responders (police, fire, or ambulance): 9-1-1

VERY IMPORTANT : Please remember that outside of regular hours, the gate is closed. Therefore, it is important to send someone (if possible) to open the gate and direct first responders.

For assistance outside of opening hours:

• Gault assistance line (24/7): 514-944-9504
• McGill Security Service: 514-398-3000

IMPORTANT: Cellular service may be limited depending on the area and the provider.

Rules specific to the public sector

1. Activities must not interfere with the visitor experience.
2. Our team must be informed of any site or equipment visible from the trails.
3. To help promote the mission of the Reserve, we ask that you take the time to answer any questions from the public regarding your research.
4. On the trails, groups must be divided into subgroups of 10 people.

Deliveries

• All packages must be clearly labelled.
• You must notify us of the delivery date and the designated storage location as soon as possible using the presence form.
• Deliveries with oversized vehicles: Any delivery requiring the use of oversized vehicles must be communicated and coordinated with our staff in advance to ensure proper access and storage management.

Citation and recognition guidelines

For any type of publication (blog, journal article, conference paper, etc), poster, or image using data collected at Gault Nature Reserve, the author(s) should include Gault Nature Reserve of McGill University in the Methods section;

For any type of Meeting or Conference abstract whereby the abstract is the only text published, the author(s) should include Gault Nature Reserve of McGill University in the abstract.

When feasible, Gault Nature Reserve of McGill University should be included in the abstract of any other type of deliverable or product.

To access a high resolution logo please contact: science@reservegault.ca.

Examples

These data are based on work done at the Gault Nature Reserve of McGill University.

or

This work was performed (in part) at the Gault Nature Reserve of McGill University.