CPAWS Manitoba

The health of wildlife and biodiversity is uneven in Canada’s national and provincial parks, says a new report prepared by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

In some cases species are at risk of dying out and biodiversity is faltering because habitat has not been adequately protected. In others, good progress has been made to protect wildlife.

The review “How is Wildlife faring in Canada’s Parks?” makes the case that parks are a cornerstone of Canada’s efforts to protect biodiversity – the variety of flora and fauna that make up an ecosystem. However, it notes that bigger, better managed parks, and more of them, are needed if parks are to fulfill their critical role in protecting Canada’s wildlife.

CPAWS prepared its third annual review of parks to mark Canada Parks Day, July 17. The organization focused on biodiversity this year because the United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity.

“Strengthening our parks system is a key component in protecting out treasured wildlife,” says Ron Thiessen, Executive Director of CPAWS Manitoba.

Large parks protect species

There are 500 species in Canada at risk of extinction and more at-risk species are identified every year.

“Canada has one of the best opportunities in the world to create large parks that protect species that need vast wilderness to survive,” said Thiessen.

CPAWS prescribes a range of measures, including:

• Creating new parks and expanding existing park boundaries;
• Maintaining and restoring wildlife movement corridors (so that wildlife have the large ranges they often need);
• Restricting roads and other damaging developments;
• Limiting recreational activities; and
• Practicing good park management focused on healthy ecosystems as a first priority.

Species struggle without adequate parks, good management

Among the good news stories highlighted in the report, where parks help protect vulnerable species, are the Ipswich savannah sparrow of Sable Island, the black dogfish of the Laurentian Channel of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the eastern wolf of Algonquin Park.

In Manitoba, moose need help in Nopiming provincial park. A moose hunting ban was recently put in place but a comprehensive plan needs to be designed to ensure their healthy future.

Little brown bats in Manitoba are in trouble and require habitat protection. The proposed Fisher Bay provincial park on the south basin of Lake Winnipeg set to be established this October could be a big part of the solution. At issue are the boundaries for the upcoming park. The concern is that politics may trump sound ecological-based boundaries.

“The International Year of Biodiversity is a good reminder that we need to focus on establishing new parks and properly managing existing parks to ensure our wildlife remains a healthy part of Canada’s landscape,” Thiessen asserted.

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Contact :

Ron Thiessen
Executive Director
CPAWS Manitoba
(204) 794 4971
ron@cpawsmb.org

Download the report

CPAWS' Ron Thiessen (left) delivers a CD containing almost 10,000 letters from concerned international citizens to Hugh McFadyen (right).

Today, copies of almost 10,000 letters from North Americans who support a World Heritage Site on the east side of Lake Winnipeg were delivered to the Manitoba legislature. The letters ask the province to maintain the quest for the prestigious international UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the ecologically and culturally significant region and to hold strong on its decision to not run a major hydro corridor through the area.

Representatives from three leading Manitoba environmental groups made a point of hand delivering copies of the letters to Manitoba Tory leader Hugh McFadyen, the main proponent for an east side hydro corridor routing. A major hydro transmission pathway through the region would jeopardize Manitoba’s chance of UNESCO granting a world heritage site.

The competition to achieve World Heritage Site designation is challenging as many apply, few are chosen. Manitoba needs to make its application the best it can be. Contrary to assertions that a major hydro route would not harm the world heritage site bid, in the past year UNESCO removed WHS status from a site in Germany because of inappropriate developments and warned others that status may be lost if proposed developments are given the go-ahead.

People across North America are recognizing the ecological and cultural values of the largest intact boreal forest on earth, and are standing up to ensure conservation opportunities aren’t lost to unchecked industrial developments. The Heart of the Boreal is one of the greatest storehouses of carbon, and greatest sources of fresh water on the planet. First Nations communities in the Heart of the Boreal are putting conservation and communities first by requesting protection for the lands and waters of the East Side.

Prior to the Manitoba government’s 2007 announcement that they would not allow a hydro line to be built through the East Side, 13,000 letters from Manitobans were sent to the province supporting conservation and the World heritage Site bid in the Heart of Boreal.

Today’s letters were delivered on a CD, together with blank sheets of paper visually representing the number of letters. Mr. McFadyen was encouraged to use the 100% post-consumer, recycled, non-chlorine-bleached paper in his office.

The Heart of the Boreal initiative is comprised of the Boreal Forest Network, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and the Wilderness Committee. The U.S. based Natural Resources Defense Council is working with the groups to assist in educating North Americans about the conservation opportunity on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

Contact:

Ron Thiessen, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, 204–794–4971, ron@cpawsmb.org
Eric Reder, the Wilderness Committee, 204–997-8584, eric@wildernesscommittee.mb.ca
Susanne McCrea, The Boreal Forest Network 204-297-0321, borealaction@gmail.com
Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, The Natural Resources Defense Council, 202-289-2366, sclefkowitz@nrdc.org

For photos, video and link to action, see Website: www.heartoftheboreal.ca
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• Send an electronic letter to support Manitoba's designation as a World Heritage site

Dr. Craig Willis, a wildlife biologist from the University of Winnipeg, shared his enthusiasm for the flying mammals to 25-30 youth at a special “Bat Talk” today sponsored by the Fisher River Cree Nation and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

“Bats are intriguing animals,” Dr. Willis said. “After all, what other mammal can fly?”

Willis explained why Manitoba is such a great place to study bats. He also plans to dispel some of the common myths. A bat would never get stuck in your hair – its sense of echolocation is too good for that. What is true is that Little Brown Bats love to eat insects – up to 500–1000 an hour!

Manitoba is prime territory for bats because of our large numbers of limestone caves. At least two species of bats hibernate in the caves, because they maintain constant temperature and humidity. “The Little Brown Bat, one common species, hibernates up to eight months at a stretch,” explained Willis.

• Read Entire Article

The Government of Manitoba won a 2009 Boreal Award for championing the proposed Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Site, announcing a $10M Trust Fund to support the leading First Nations, and for passing legislation for First Nations land planning and management of their traditional territories.

The Boreal Awards are chosen by a committee of the Boreal Leadership Council. The Council recognizes leadership, innovation, cooperation, and excellence among those who live and work in Canada’s Boreal Forest region. CPAWS Manitoba nominated the province for the award.

• Read the Full Press Release

Creating a new provincial park in Fisher Bay, Manitoba could provide a net gain of $38 million, says a new economic study released today at a press conference by CPAWS and Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN).  The Manitoba government has committed to establishing the park by October, 2010, but its boundaries have not yet been determined.

The new independent study by the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) says that the park, if it’s designed as proposed by Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN) and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), could provide economic benefits 18 times greater than if the area were harvested by logging, mining, and non-Aboriginal hunting.

The new park would prohibit industrial activities while upholding and respecting all Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. Just two hours north of Winnipeg, Fisher Bay has an ideal location and majestic landscape; creation of a park in this area offers numerous sustainable economic opportunities for local communities.

“Our community wants this park because it makes sense economically, ecologically, and culturally,” says Fisher River’s Chief David Crate. “By keeping the area natural we will maintain traditional subsistence activities and provide more than 100 jobs through avenues such as park management and eco- and cultural tourism ventures.”

The Province has stated it will consult with local communities, stakeholders, and the public to determine the park’s boundaries. FRCN and CPAWS are proposing boundaries based on the results and analysis of an ecological study performed in the region.

“We commend the Manitoba government for moving forward on establishing the park,” says CPAWS Manitoba Executive Director Ron Thiessen. “Now the challenge is to make sure it is designed according to the best ecological and cultural considerations, rather than political lines.”

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Fisher River's Chief David Crate - “By keeping the area natural we will maintain traditional subsistence activities and provide more than 100 jobs through avenues such as park management and eco- and cultural tourism ventures.”
CPAWS' Ron Thiessen - “We commend the Manitoba government for moving forward on establishing the park. Now the challenge is to make sure it is designed according to the best ecological and cultural considerations, rather than political lines.”

For more information:

Ron Thiessen – (204) 453-6346, (204) 794-4971, ron@cpawsmb.org

Chief David Crate – (204) 645-2171, (204) 781-8016, dcrate@mts.net

Angelique Xanthopolous (CIER) – axanthopolous@cier.ca

For more info about the proposed park including a map please go to - http://www.cpawsmb.org/conservation/fisherbay1.php

Please find Full Economic Study and Summary of Economic Study, attached below.

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is asking Premier Doer to "Make Forests Count" at the Governors' Global Climate Summit 2, On the Road to Copenhagen, which continues today and tomorrow in Los Angeles. To date, the Manitoba government has left protection of the Boreal Region's carbon stores out of its Climate Change Strategy. As the Boreal's forests and wetlands are the largest terrestrial storehouse of carbon on the planet, it's shocking the province has yet to include large-scale Boreal protection from industrial developments as part of its Climate Strategy.

Canada's Boreal stores more than 186 billion tons of carbon – 27 years' worth of global carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels! But when the Boreal Forest is developed or logged, its ability to absorb and store carbon is lost or reduced, which degrades its ability to help moderate our climate.

• Read the Full News Release

The recent accounts in the Winnipeg Free Press that Manitoba NDP leadership candidate Andrew Swan, if elected, will reconsider the party’s decision to run a major hydro corridor down the east side of Lake Winnipeg are false. It’s important to note that the reports in the Winnipeg Free Press indicating that Andrew Swan would revisit the BiPole III issue do not contain any direct quotes to that effect. Here is Andrew Swan’s response to the claims:

“I want to be crystal clear on the Bipole lll issue because I know how important it is to Manitoba’s future, said Swan. “After extensive consultation with stakeholders, the decision on the location of Bipole lll was made. I believed the decision was the right one then, and I believe it is the right one today. I look forward to hearing all ideas about how we can create a better future in all regions of Manitoba, and I am willing to work with all communities to see that happen.”

• Continue Reading >>

Today, the Manitoba Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) welcomes the release of a groundbreaking scientific report from Environment Canada on Boreal caribou. The report underscores the importance of protecting large areas of habitat from human-caused threats in the Boreal Forest. It also confirms that threats to woodland caribou need to be managed at the range-level and significant parts of those ranges need to be protected.

The Environment Canada report, titled Scientific Review for the Identification of Critical Habitat for Woodland Caribou, shows that woodland caribou are in worse trouble than what was previously thought, the groups says.

• Read full press release
• Read the Government Report
• Manitoba Backgrounder