Lichen Lake (Opawica River)
Lichen Lake is a freshwater body crossed by the Opawica River in the southeastern part of Eeyou Istchee James Bay (Municipality), in Jamésie, in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. This lake extends into the townships of La Ronde, Marin, Margry, Lespérance, Lesueur and Le Tac. Forestry is the main economic activity of the sector. Recreational tourism activities come second with a navigable water body of across Lake Lichen, plus an extension of with the Wachigabau Lake. Lake Lichen is formed by an enlargement of the Opawica River  and integrates into Wachigabau Lake which includes a dam at its mouth. The northwestern portion of the Lichen Lake hydrographic slope is accessible through the forest road route 113 passing north-west of Opawica Lake and connecting Chibougamau to Lebel-sur-Quévillon. The north side of the lake is accessible via the Canadian National Railway which passes over a strip of land between Opawica Lake and Wachigabau Lake. The surface of Lichen Lake is usually frozen from early November to mid-May, however, safe ice movement is generally from mid-November to mid-April. Geography. Formed by a widening of  the Opawica River, this lake has a length of , a maximum width of and an altitude of . The shape of the lake looks like a big Z spilled and lying on its side. The southwestern part of the lake has an extension of where the Céré Lake outlet discharges. Lichen Lake is mainly fed by: The Opawica River from the East first crosses the Lichen Lakes and Wachigabau before discharging into Opawica Lake via two entry points which are located at each end of Gull Island (length: ; width: ). This island and the two peninsulas (one extending westward on from the  east shore, and the other from the west stretching on ) form a strip of land of in length that runs the full length of the Canadian National railway. The mouth of this lake Lichen is located north of the western part of the lake, in the canton of Lespérance, that is to say: The main hydrographic slopes near Lake Lichen are: From the dam at the mouth of Opawica Lake, the course of the Opawica River flows over first northeasterly to an elbow river, then northwest to its confluence with the Chibougamau River. This confluence of these two rivers becomes  the head of the Waswanipi River. Toponymy. Lichen is a plant material growing in northern or semi-northern environments. This plant is popular with large mammals (including caribou) is resistant despite poor weather conditions. Plant names are often used in North America. The toponym "Lac Lichen" was made official on December 5, 1968 by the Commission de toponymie du Québec.