Translated, nature sauvage means "wild nature."

Following the purchase of award-winning Québec Science in April, Montreal-based Vélo Québec Éditions launched Nature Sauvage last month, bringing the company’s title count up to four.

The launch was timed to coincide with the 20th birthday of Géo Plein Air, which focuses on human interaction with nature, covering activities such as cross-country skiing, cycling, hiking, mountain climbing and camping.

Nature Sauvage, meanwhile, is devoted to covering nature for its own sake, with a heavy emphasis on wildlife and natural photography. The 84-page debut carried stories on Mount Tremblant, salamanders, the Moisie River and beavers. The quarterly has a circulation of 30,000, with subscriptions sold for $17.95 and single copies priced at $5.95.

Ads for the Society for Nature and Parks Canada, Becel margarine, Quebec Parks and Atmosphere appear in the premiere, but Vélo president Gino Lepore says there are still a lot of untapped advertisers. “When you’re selling the first one, you don’t have anything to show,” he says. “We are satisfied with what we accomplished but we know we can do better and we can build on that.” A full-page ad is priced at $3,950.

Vélo, which has published the cycling magazine Vélo Mag for 28 years, along with several books and guides on cycling, nutrition, sports, science and the outdoors, is for now focusing on growing its existing brands, rather than moving on more acquisitions and launches. “We have to digest everything and make sure that it’s going in the right direction,” Lepore says.

Related links

• "Nature Sauvage: le noveau magazine de Vélo Québec" [Infopresse[