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April
8, 1999
For release at 11:30 a.m.
100
New Conservation Projects Announced as Part of Natural
Legacy 2000
Toronto - In Toronto today, four of Canada’s largest
conservation organizations - Ducks Unlimited Canada, World
Wildlife Fund Canada, The Nature Conservancy of Canada,
and the Canadian Nature Federation - were joined by the
Hon. Herb Gray, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, and the
Hon. Christine Stewart, federal Minister of the Environment,
to announce new community conservation projects from coast
to coast. The 1999 project line-up is part of a nationwide
conservation program, Natural Legacy 2000, which received
$10 million in funding from the Canada Millennium Partnership
Program.
“The
Government of Canada is proud to support Natural Legacy
2000 and its efforts to engage Canadians in marking the
millennium in an important way,” said the Honourable
Herb Gray, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. “Today’s
announcement highlights projects from the Gulf islands
of British Columbia through Ontario’s Niagara River
to the wetlands of Atlantic Canada. By conserving our
own rich natural heritage through these projects, we are
ensuring that we have a natural legacy to leave our children
and our children’s children.”
“Canadians
of all walks of life will participate in conservation
through Natural Legacy 2000,” said the Honourable
Christine Stewart, Minister of the Environment. “Citizen
engagement in stewardship initiatives is key, because
at the end of the day, this is the work that produces
tangible results on the ground. We can proudly applaud
this initiative, one that is testament to the decades
of partnering between the Government of Canada and organizations
such as the Natural Legacy 2000 contingent.”
“It’s
great to have four of Canada’s leading nature conservation
groups working together to protect this country’s
species and spaces as a base for the next thousand years,”
said Monte Hummel, President of World Wildlife Fund Canada
(WWF). Mr. Hummel announced that WWF will fund 71 projects
across Canada in 1999 through its Endangered Species Recovery
Fund and the Local Action Fund. “Through practical
field work and local efforts across the country,”
said Mr. Hummel, “these projects will help protect
some of our most spectacular wildlife and wilderness areas
currently at risk.”
Don
Young, Executive Vice-President of Ducks Unlimited Canada
(DU), announced that DU has conserved over 100,000 acres
of wetlands and associated upland habitat across Canada
in conjunction with Natural Legacy 2000 and other funding
partners. Said Mr. Young, “Ducks Unlimited has a
strong history of partnerships with the public and private
sectors. Natural Legacy 2000 enables us to work with government
and private landowners to do what we do best -conserve
valuable habitat for wildlife.”
“Over
50% of Canada’s imperiled species are found on the
10% of the land base that is privately owned" said
John Lounds, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy
of Canada (NCC), in announcing NCC’s programs to
secure ecologically significant lands through donations
and conservation agreements. "Under Natural Legacy
2000, we are working with individual landowners and local
communities to protect these lands forever.” Mr.
Lounds recognized some recent ecological gifts made by
Ontario landowners that are helping NCC reach its goal
of securing 20,000 hectares (almost 50,000 acres) by the
end of March, 2001.
“On
both public and private lands, we’re addressing the
heart of conservation through Natural Legacy 2000 - habitat
protection and community involvement,” said Julie
Gelfand, Executive Director of the Canadian Nature Federation
(CNF). “Natural Legacy 2000 projects help Canadians
conserve habitat for wildlife. It’s that simple.”
Ms. Gelfand announced research, conservation planning
and Community Action Fund projects for Important Bird
Areas (IBAs) such as Ontario’s Niagara River and
Saskatchewan’s Redberry Lake. Through Natural Legacy
2000, the CNF is delivering the Canadian IBA program in
partnership with Bird Studies Canada.
“From
Scott Islands, BC, to Murray River, PEI, Natural Legacy
2000 is helping communities become active stewards of
their local environments,” said the Hon. Herb Gray
in closing. “The Canada Millennium Partnership Program
is pleased to support this ambitious nationwide initiative.”
The
announcement was made at 11:00 a.m. today in Toronto’s
Radisson Admiral Hotel.
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Background and contact information is available here.
For further information:
Bob Kindrachuk (cell phone): 204-781-7982
Danielle Thibault, Millennium Bureau of Canada, 613-995-2154
Brigitte Nolet, Office of the Minister of the Environment,
819-997-1441
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