The two lakes belvedere

Scattered with terminals and fun games, this interpretive trail invites you on a discovery on the secrets of the water cycle (infiltration, evaporation, recovery, etc.) in a limestone massif such as the Jura massif.

With its nest hidden from view, this water bird feeds on larvae, insects, molluscs and small fish... by walking under water. In March or April, 4 to 6 eggs are placed by the female in a dome-shaped nest made up of moss, dry grass and leaves. After 14 to 16 days incubation by the female, both parents busy themselves for around one month with feeding their chicks, after which they will take flight.

“At the beginning of the century, the municipality of Frasne ordered works to develop the gallery in order to harvest the water (Fournier). There are still traces of such development with the dry-stone walls. This is a lasting emergence with a siphon 15 metres from the entrance. The siphon is partially obstructed by the earthworks for the road that passes just overhead. The flooded gallery was recognised on 16 June 1974 by the Groupe Lémanique de Plongée Souterraine over 43 m, less than 10 m deep. This source is still harvested, and the waters run clear, even at average water levels." (Fournier E. Spelunca 5e campagne 1902-1903 p 27 SHAG 1977 Enfonçure no 3 p 26 GLPS 1976 Info-Plongée no 1)

This is a natural adaptation of common river trout. Adults spend the warmer period of the year when streams lack water in the coolness of lakes. In the autumn, the return to the streams to lay their eggs. Eggs hatch at the end of the winter. The riparian Trout population in the lakes of Saint-Point and Remoray have sharply declined since the 70s/80s. The quality of water in the lakes as well as the physical qualities of streams in which they would reproduce has now largely deteriorated.

In the foreground of this belvedere is the Lake of Remoray and its crown of peat bogs, classed as a National Natural Reserve since 1980; in the background, the Lake of Saint-Point, one of the largest natural lakes in France. A true sanctuary for biodiversity, the Reserve of the Lake of Remoray is home to a remarkable range of fauna and flora, particularly in relation to its humid environments: Common snipe, water rail, fringed pink, bird’s-eye primrose, violet copper, dark whiteface, etc. However, be careful, access to the heart of the Reserve is prohibited; this remarkable natural heritage can also be discovered at the Reserve House in Labergement-Sainte-Marie. Learn more about the National Natural Reserve of the Lake of Remoray: www.maisondelareserve.fr

This animal lives mainly by day, in smaller or larger herds depending on the season (there tend to be more of them in the winter than in summer). Mating season is between the end of October and the end of January, during which period males are very aggressive, challenging each other with their horns and sometimes resulting in deadly falls depending on where the fight takes place. After a gestation period of around 23 weeks, females birth one or two kids, who will stay by their side until they are one year old.