Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Manitoba Chapter

On Monday, May 5th, a spectacle of portaging paddlers, campers, and adventurers repelled from the top of the Winnipeg’s Mountain Equipment Co-op building and invited passersby to add their voice to The Big Wild, a rising social movement that enables everyone who cares about Canada’s wilderness to voice their support for protecting it. The Big Wild’s vision is that Canada will protect at least half of our country’s wilderness from industrial development because scientists suggest that’s what is needed for our ecosystems to survive.

Please visit www.thebigwild.org

Check out the Winnipeg Big Wild event photo gallery

Protect Manitoba's Big Wild - East Side Lake Winnipeg

The threatened woodland caribou’s home on the vast east side of Lake Winnipeg is a spectacular wilderness area, rich with rushing rivers, aboriginal culture, and abundant wildlife. The area’s intact boreal forests and potential for sustainable local economies is at imminent risk from short-sighted, forest-destructive developments. This trend will continue unless the Manitoba government makes both conservation and communities its top priorities.

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Manitoba Caribou Recovery Strategy Review

Read the government's Caribou strategy

Read our Press Release

Manitoba's Caribou Strategy Will Fail to Save Threatened Species

Protecting large habitat areas required for survival

The Manitoba government has the right goals to recover its threatened boreal woodland caribou, but its current strategy will not achieve the recovery of the species. The province needs to take immediate action to identify critical habitats and protect large areas of boreal forest.

Send a letter to Premier Gary Doer

Overcoming the shortcomings of the current strategy will require that the Manitoba government:

Act in the short term to create new protected areas in woodland caribou range, including the First Nations land protection requests on the east side of lake Winnipeg.
Identify (describe and map) the critical habitat of woodland caribou in Manitoba.
Address the principal causes of loss of woodland caribou habitat in Manitoba: logging, mining, hydroelectric development.
Live up to its commitment in the Woodland Caribou Conservation Strategy for Manitoba (2000) that "Habitat considered critical for the continued viability of a woodland caribou range will be protected by legal designation. No development will occur within these protected areas."

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Protecting Colour-changing Lake - Little Limestone

Province seeks public input about expiring protection

The Manitoba government is holding an open house tomorrow (November 13th) to seek public input about extending protection of Little Limestone Lake and surrounding lands. The area is presently protected from all industrial developments until January 19, 2008 while consultations continue about the future of what the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) deems "Manitoba's most amazing lake."

Threatened Species Habitat Protected on East Side of Lake Winnipeg

Forestry operations off-limits in important woodland caribou habitat

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and forestry corporation Tembec have negotiated a minimum 50-year halt on logging in an area used extensively by woodland caribou on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. Habitat protection is key to maintaining populations of this threatened species, as they are extremely sensitive to human developments.

"This is good news for caribou. CPAWS looks forward to our ongoing efforts with Tembec to increase protections for caribou," stated Ron Thiessen, Executive Director of the CPAWS Manitoba chapter. "Healthy boreal forests are critical to caribou survival."

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Healthy east side forests best for all

CPAWS commends our provincial government and Manitoba Hydro for their commitments to keep the proposed major hydro corridor away from the intact boreal forest on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

Upholding the region's ecological integrity is critical to maintaining traditional activities for local communities as well as emerging sustainable economic opportunities such as eco and cultural tourism - two of the fastest growing industries in the world. Keeping Manitoba's east side forests healthy and whole is also paramount to the survival of the area's majestic and threatened woodland caribou.

The east side of Lake Winnipeg is part of the world's largest section of boreal forest. By securing huge swaths of the boreal from industrial developments, we protect the ecological services we all require. The boreal forest is Earth's largest source of fresh water, and the northern lungs of the planet. It also stores tons of carbon, which helps slow down climate change.

Working with local communities and all Manitobans to establish a large, protected areas network in the vast east side wilderness will be a positive step forward for future generations of wildlife and people. The Manitoba government can show us how strong its commitment is to a World Heritage Site in the region by immediately granting First Nations land protection requests of almost 2 million hectares - an area 50 times the size of Winnipeg.

Thank Premier Doer for standing firm on protecting the east side.

Fisher River Chief David Crate and Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers discuss the proposed park.

First Nation Calls for Park
Special Report Released Today

"I'm very much looking forward, through our provincial government, working toward the permanent protection of the Fisher Bay park reserve."
Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers

The Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN) is proposing a scenic wilderness park four times the size of Winnipeg (160,000 ha) be created to permanently safeguard the area from all industrial developments. This initiative is part of the community's journey to protect nature, culture, and economic opportunity.

"Securing the area in its natural state will ensure that traditional activities can continue and will allow us to build our local economy with eco- and cultural tourism ventures," said the FRCN Chief David Crate. "It's a good way to make sure our treaty rights are upheld and abundant wildlife populations remain strong."