Press Release/Communiqué
Lesser
Slave Lake Region Joins International Network of Important
Bird Areas
June 03, 2000
For Immediate Release
Slave
Lake, AB— The
Lesser Slave Lake Region received international recognition
today as a globally significant Important Bird Area
(IBA), joining BirdLife International's global network
of IBA sites. The site dedication is part of the Lesser
Slave Lake's 6th Annual Songbird Festival.
The Lesser
Slave Lake Region hosts an incredible diversity of
birds, counting over 200 species of waterbirds and
landbirds. "This important area demonstrates
the great opportunity for wildlife conservation and
community education to work hand-in-hand noted Marc
Johnson, Conservation Campaign Manager for the Canadian
Nature Federation, "We are pleased to be able
to recognize the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory
for their important conservation efforts at this national
treasure. The Observatory has received funding from
the Canadian Nature Federation's Community Action
Fund, a national bird conservation granting program
which has similarly funded 47 community conservation
initiatives across the country this year.
"By
identifying sites of national importance to Canadian
bird populations, the Canadian Nature Federation,
through the Important Bird Areas Community Action
Fund program, is engaging communities to implement
the priorities it has identified to protect birds
and their habitats for the new millennium, said the
Honourable Herb Gray, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
responsible for the Government of Canada's millennium
initiative.
This program
is part of Natural Legacy 2000, which the Government
of Canada is supporting with a contribution of $10
million nationally through the Canada Millennium Partnership
Program (CMPP), which funds up to one third of eligible
costs of projects that meet its criteria. Out of this
amount, the Canadian Nature Federation, which is responsible
for the IBA program, receives $1,250,000.
The Lesser
Slave Lake Bird Observatory animates a host of bird
education initiatives, including bird banding demonstrations,
working with school groups, public interpretative
programs, and numerous conservation initiatives. "The
Songbird Festival is the most exciting time of the
year for us, providing a forum to celebrate the large
number of migratory bird species that make Lesser
Slave Lake their temporary home during the spring
noted Bob Deacon, Chairperson of the Lesser Slave
Lake Bird Observatory, "While we have always
known and appreciated the uniqueness of this area,
we are honoured by the dedication of the Lesser Slave
Lake Region as part of an international network of
Important Bird Areas.
George
Newton, Important Bird Areas Community Conservation
Planner for the Federation of Alberta Naturalists,
is working with local communities to develop conservation
plans for a number of Important Bird Areas throughout
Alberta, including the Lesser Slave Lake Region. George
says, "It's exciting to see the IBA program take
wing in Alberta as more IBAs are celebrated, the profile
and status of Alberta's birds is heightened.
The Important
Bird Areas Program is being delivered in Canada by
the Canadian Nature Federation and Bird Studies Canada,
and in Alberta by the Federation of Alberta Naturalists.
These three organizations will continue to work with
the surrounding communities to develop appropriate
action strategies to ensure that bird populations
remain healthy into the next millennium.
For more
information on Natural Legacy 2000 or on the Government
of Canada's Millennium Partnership Program, visit
the Canada and the Millennium Web site at www.millennium.gc.ca
or call 1-800-O-Canada.
For more
information, please contact:
Frank Fraser,
Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park (780) 849-7166
George Newton, IBA Community Conservation Planner
(780) 422-5582
Marc Johnson, Canadian Nature Federation (613) 562-8208
ext. 227
Marcel Gaumond, Millennium Bureau of Canada (613)
943-3239
