Aren't They Worth It?

Did you know that over 600 species are at risk of extinction in Canada?

The polar bear is one of them. Last month, thanks in large part to thousands of letters sent by Nature Canada supporters asking Environment Minister Peter Kent to take fast action to protect polar bears, the polar bear was listed as a species of special concern under the Species At Risk Act.

Unfortunately, the polar bear is not alone. Other species threatened by human activities and facing declining numbers include the Boreal Woodland Caribou, Burrowing Owl, Greater Sage-Grouse and Wolverine.

In our watchdog role as an advocate for endangered species, Nature Canada closely reviews recovery strategies for species at risk to ensure the best possible protective measures are included. Over the past year, our recommendations helped improve recovery strategies for four species, including the Loggerhead Shrike, one of 27 endangered birds on the Species At Risk list.

This holiday season, help us reach our goal of raising $64,000 to protect endangered species - that's $100 for each listed species. Aren't they worth it?

We Need Your Voice: Help Protect the Boreal Woodland Caribou

Nicknamed ‘grey ghosts’ for their shy, elusive nature, Boreal Woodland Caribou can't elude encrouching industrial activity that's destroying its habitat.

Back in August, the federal government released a proposed a recovery strategy to boost the Boreal Woodland Caribou’s numbers. The Caribou is threatened by industrial activities that have caused some herds to be critically endangered – and the rest are under increasing pressure.


While it's an important step in the right direction, we need a strong strategy to ensure a return to vibrant Boreal Woodland Caribou populations across the country -- and this plan isn't it.  

The recovery strategy is available online and the public can comment until October 25. You can visit the Species at Risk Public Registry's web site to post your comments, or go our site to send a letter asking Environment Minister Peter Kent to take these measures:

1. Strengthen the goal

The proposed strategy allows a 40% chance that herds will continue to decline – this is an unacceptably weak threshold. Make it a strategy for recovery, not continued decline.

2. Protect more habitat

The proposal would keep, at most, only 65% of the caribou’s range intact, and as little as 5%. Much more than 65% of habitat needs to remain intact for self-sustaining caribou populations to thrive.

3. Don’t kill wolves instead of protecting caribou.

Indefinite killing of wolves, moose, and deer is not an acceptable alternative to protecting caribou habitat. This is not a sustainable solution – protecting intact habitat is the solution.

I strongly encourage you to speak up on behalf of the Boreal Woodland Caribou and ensure stronger measures are taken to protect this iconic species.

Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Project Threatens B.C.’s Fragile Ecosystems and Coastal Communities

More than two decades ago, the Exxon Valdez ran aground, spilling 40 million litres of crude oil into Prince William Sound and causing irreversible damage. Now, Enbridge Inc. wants to bring the same risk to B.C.'s pristine coastal waters and rainforest with its Northern Gateway Project.

Today, Enbridge Inc. is awaiting approval of a proposed pipeline that would carry oil from the tar sands to a port at Kitimat, British Columbia. After travelling nearly 1,170km through pristine wilderness and First Nations homelands, tar sands oil would be loaded on tankers bound for Pacific markets. To get there, they must first navigate the perilous northern B.C. coast, travelling the same waters where the Queen of the North ferry sank in 2006. An oil spill in this area would:

•    Cause irreversible harm to the livelihoods of many coastal and aboriginal communities
•    Fragment the Great Bear rainforest and the boreal forest, home to birds and other wildlife, including Caribou and Grizzly Bears
•    Expose 28 Important Bird Areas teeming with marine birds, fish and other animals to oil pollution from increased tanker traffic and an impossible-to-rule-out oil spill.

Nature Canada, and many stakeholders from First Nations to Members of Parliament, oppose the project on the grounds that it poses unacceptable risks to the ecosystems and coastal communities of British Columbia’s northern coast. In collaboration with BC Nature, we are preparing for the upcoming hearings on the Northern Gateway Project that will determine whether the pipeline is built. Our primary interest is the potential impacts of the project on wildlife (including birds) and their habitats. As joint interveners in the Joint Review Panel process we will be focusing on potential impacts on terrestrial wildlife and habitat along the pipeline route, with special attention to Woodland Caribou, and on terrestrial and marine birds and their habitat along the pipeline route and in the coastal waters through which the oil would be shipped (including Important Bird Areas).

We have hired three experts with in-depth knowledge and experience on these different aspects who are helping us review Enbridge’s application in order to verify whether it has accurately assessed the potential impacts of its proposed project. Our experts have so far identified many areas where the application is inconsistent, vague or has errors and omissions.

This past August, we submitted our questions to Enbridge as part of the information request step of the process. Enbridge will respond to these requests by October 6, and following a second round of information requests, we will file our written submission with the Joint Review Panel by December 23. In that submission, we will provide our own evidence regarding the project’s potential impact on Woodland Caribou, birds and Important Bird Areas, ensuring the Panel has the information it needs to understand the potential impact of the project on the ecosystems it proposes to alter so significantly.

Further down the line, our evidence will be reviewed by the Panel and our experts may need to defend our evidence when we reach final hearings in the summer of 2012. We will keep you up to date on our progress – so stay tuned! In the mean time, you can participate in the hearings by sending a letter to the Joint Review Panel by March 13, 2012, or making an oral statement at the community hearings (registration ends October 6).

 Want to learn more about the Northern Gateway Project? Visit our website!

Nature Canada Responds to Release of Government Recovery Strategy for Threatened Boreal Woodland Caribou

Nature Canada issued the following statement in response to the release today of the federal government’s proposed strategy to recover Canada’s threatened boreal woodland caribou.

“Nature Canada is pleased that the federal government has finally released its draft national recovery strategy for the threatened boreal woodland caribou. The majestic woodland caribou, nicknamed ‘grey ghosts’ for their shy, elusive nature, play a significant role within the forest ecosystem and are very important to many aboriginal communities.  Yet industrial activities in the caribou’s habitat have caused some herds to be critically endangered, and the rest are under increasing pressure.

“This recovery strategy is an important step towards developing a concerted effort to prevent further declines in populations and rebuild the populations that have been decimated by human activities. It is unfortunate that this recovery strategy was not published before the statutory deadline in 2007, or before a new deadline was imposed by court order. It is important to recognize that this recovery strategy is just a step towards protecting and recovering caribou. Much more remains to be done to actually reduce the harm that is being done to caribou every day.

“At first glance the strategy appears to include the key ingredients for success which Nature Canada has advocated for years, including an identification of the species’ critical habitat. We commend the many people who put in a lot of hard work to get this strategy to where it is today: scientists, public servants, and engaged stakeholders from industry and environmental organizations. Nature Canada will be reviewing the proposed strategy in detail over the next 60 days and working with government and other stakeholders to ensure Canada adopts a strong and effective strategy to ensure a return to vibrant woodland caribou populations across the country.”

The Government’s proposed boreal woodland caribou recovery strategy is available online at http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/document/dspDocument_e.cfm?documentID=2253

Court victory for caribou in Alberta!

Boreal Woodland Caribou are listed as Threatened under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). A recovery strategy, including the identification of critical habitat, was due in 2004. The herds in Alberta are particularly endangered as their habitat continues to disappear and degrade due to tar sands development. Fortunately, a court last week ordered the Minister of Environment to protect Woodland Caribou. The court concluded the minister's decision to deny emergency protection under the SARA had no basis and set a Sept 1st, 2011 deadline for Minister Kent to release a draft recovery strategy for the species.

This court decision was the result of lawsuits brought by Ecojustice on behalf of the Alberta Wilderness Association and the Pembina Institute, and by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Beaver Lake Cree Nation and the Enoch Cree Nation. Read more about the case here and here.

This is one more in a series of court decisions ordering the government to implement the Species at Risk Act. Let's hope no more court cases are needed; we need urgent action to protect caribou and other species at risk.

Show Your Plaid - Win an Eco-Adventure!

Want to support nature conservation and win an eco-adventure?

We've talked about Keith's Green Initiative in April posts, but for those who might have missed it, the initiative is a way for you to help nature and win great prizes. Alexander Keith's is helping Canadians go green by giving them the chance to win up to $1,000 each to donate to one of four deserving eco-charities.

How can you help?

SHARE the initiative on Facebook and Keith’s will donate $1 to Nature Canada, Waterkeepers Canada, Trees Ontario or NSLC Adopt-a-Stream.

PURCHASE specially-marked 24 IPA packs - and 15 -bottle mixer packs of Alexander Keith’s beer and receive a PIN that unlocks a donation amount between $0 and $1,000. Keith’s will donate this amount on your behalf to Nature Canada or one of three great causes. Enter your PIN on Keith’s Facebook page to reveal your donation and enter to win a Keith’s Eco-Adventure!

Burrowing Owl

How will your donation be used?

By choosing Nature Canada, your donation will help protect wilderness for the Burrowing Owl, Woodland Caribou and more than 600 other endangered species in Canada.

Just over $4,000 has been donated to Nature Canada so far – help us reach $5,000 this Victoria Day weekend!

Thank you for your support!

Canada's Sahtu Region: Conserving the Land and Waters of the North



Migrating Snow Geese by Stewart Marshall (via Flickr)

A land use plan for the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories has entered into its third draft, and with it comes hopes that important cultural and ecological zones will be protected before major industrial development begins.

In comments issued last month, Nature Canada recommended that several ecologically significant spaces, including three Important Bird Areas, be given special status as Conservation Zones.

The need to establish protected areas in the Northwest Territories is all the more important as communities there prepare for the possible advent of the Mackenzie Gas Project – one of the largest, most disruptive projects ever considered in Canada's north.

Important Bird Areas in the Sahtu Region

The Northwest Territories contains 17 Important Bird Areas, three of which are located inside the Sahtu Settlement Area: Lower Mackenzie River Islands IBA, Middle Mackenzie River Islands IBA, and Brackett Lake IBA. All three IBAs are currently designated as special management zones, and Nature Canada has recommended they be redesignated as conservation zones in the land use plan.

These IBAs represent important breeding habitat for significant concentrations of several species that could currently be left vulnerable to disturbance from development. The Lower Mackenzie River Islands IBA is a major stopover along the Western Central Flyway, hosting as many as 112,800 waterfowl and about half a million snow geese in spring.

The Middle Mackenzie River Islands IBA is visited by birds such as the Great White-fronted Goose, Canada Goose, Tundra Swans, as well as many duck species during annual spring migrations. Up to six percent of the global population of Snow Geese congregates here.

Brackett Lake IBA provides excellent breeding habitat for ducks and is used by roughly two percent of the Canadian White-fronted Goose population.

Edaííla and Colville Lake

Edaííla, also known as Caribou Point, is a very important area for the people of Déline, and the NWT as a whole. The area rests on a massive 8,700 square kilometre headland that divides the east side of Great Bear Lake and is a key site during the annual migration of the Bluenose-East herd of barren-ground caribou. The area holds critical cultural and ecological significance for the people of Délįne and other NWT and Nunavut communities and represents important caribou and fish habitats in the region. In fact, Edaííla encompasses the entire Grandin Plains ecoregion, spanning boreal forest, boreal transition and tundra habitat types.

There has long been substantial community interest in permanently protecting both the surface and subsurface areas of Edaííla. In fact, the people of Déline endorsed a failed proposal to designate Edaííla as a National Wildlife Area (NWA). Nature Canada has strongly recommend that Edaííla, in its entirety, be listed as a conservation zone to safeguard the ecological and cultural richness of the area for future generations, while ensuring that proposals to amend the Plan over time will not jeopardize the area.

Nature Canada has also recommended that the Colville Hills area, home to the community of Colville Lake and approximately 120 km northeast of Fort Good Hope, NWT, be designated a conservation zone, given that the region offers critical breeding habitat for a significant number of ducks.

The completion of a land use plan will give Sahtu residents a tool to balance cultural, economic and environmental interests – before major industrial activity begins. The plan will take effect upon approval by the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Government of Canada.

Learn more about the Sahtu Region and Nature Canada's recommendations about the latest draft of the land use plan.

Environmental Groups and First Nations take Legal Action Against the Federal Government to Protect Caribou

Yesterday, lawyers representing First Nations (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Enoch Cree First Nation and the Beaver Lake Cree Nation) and environmental groups (Alberta Wilderness Society and the Pembina Institute) filed two separate applications for a judicial review to require the immediate protection of woodland caribou in the tar sands producing regions of Alberta.

They are going to argue that the federal government, Environment Canada in particular, failed to protect the caribou herds of northern Alberta and that the Minister of Environment failed to issue an emergency order to protect caribou from further development in the area. In addition to this, a recovery plan for caribou under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) is long overdue – it should have been done in 2007.

First Nations, represented by lawyer Jack Woodward of BC law firm Woodward and Company, decided to take legal action after the government failed to address their concerns. In a letter they sent to Minister Prentice on July 15, they wrote that if the government had not ceased to give out development permits and developed an emergency plan for caribou by August 27 they would take legal action. Their letter had also included findings from a study carried out by Stan Boutin from the University of Alberta suggesting that caribou herds were facing extinction.

This is the second time First Nations have intervened this year with respect to lack of caribou protection. Earlier in March the West Moberly First Nations won a case against the BC Government to protect the Burnt Pine caribou herd from a proposed coal mine.

Court Ruling Against BC Government - Protection of the Caribou

On March 19, 2010 British Columbia’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the West Moberly First Nation’s petition against the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and First Coal Corporation’s proposed coal mine plan that would have had significant impacts on critical habitat of the nationally endangered Burnt Pine caribou herd in northeast BC. Treaty No.8, a northern treaty signed in 1899, played a significant role in the ruling given that the Crown failed to thoroughly consult the West Moberly petitioners and also failed to accommodate their rights – especially their hunting rights. In the words of the Honourable Justice Williamson:

‘The consultation was not sufficiently meaningful, and the accommodation put in place was not reasonable.’

Chief Roland Willson, of the West Moberly Nations, expressed his gratitude towards the court’s decision saying it was able to stop both the federal and BC governments from evading their obligations to protect the caribou under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA). The BC government was ordered to immediately put in place a ‘reasonable, active, program for the protection and augmentation of the Burnt Pine herd’. The lack of a satisfactory consultation for the proposed coal mine has led to a mandatory adequate consultation - except this time it is not for a coal mine but for the protection of the Burnt Pine caribou herd. They have 90 days to present this. The crown shall consult with the West Moberly people as well as ecologists and biologists from the Ministry of Environment whom are to be referred to by West Moberly.

Andrew Gage of West Coast Environmental Law said this ruling may be the cause of a series of similar events where First Nations intervene and push governments to protect species across the country.

There are currently ONLY 11 caribou left in the Burnt Pine herd. Hopefully, the new plans will make it possible to repopulate this herd.

The Reasons for Judgment can be found at the following link:

http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/SC/10/03/2010BCSC0359.htm

Our last "official" word on the Mackenzie Gas Project

Nature Canada has been involved in the review of the Mackenzie Gas Project since 2005. Last week, we made our last official intervention by submitting comments on the Joint Review Panel (JRP) recommendations to the National Energy Board (NEB) and the federal and territorial governments. The JRP concluded the Mackenzie Gas Project could be carried out without major negative impacts if all of its 176 recommendations were fully implemented.

I've commented before on the huge challenge of implementing the Panel's recommendations. However, if the National Energy Board determines the project is in the public interest and decides to approve it, the NEB and governments should take every measure to ensure all the JRP recommendations are indeed implemented fully. This is the essence of our comments to the NEB and the territorial and federal governments, which also include specific comments and recommendations relating to protected areas, Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and the Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

We also argue against the Proponents' recommendations that the NEB ignore a large part of the JRP recommendations. This would undermine the approach of sustainability that the region has chosen for its development. The Proponents show deep disregard of the JRP's efforts to ensure this basin-opening project is the foundation of the sustainable development of the region. Given this lack of commitment to sustainability, I can't imagine it could be in the public interest for the Mackenzie Gas Project to proceed. There's too much at stake.

Another show of disregard for sustainability came yesterday from the new Minister of Natural Resources, Christian Paradis. While acknowledging that he has a lot to learn still, he pointed to the Mackenzie Gas Project review as an example of the "red tape" he means to eliminate to facilitate industrial development projects. He also said he believes in balancing the environment with the economy. Perhaps among the things he has yet to learn is that there is no economy without the environment; and that if sustainable industrial development can be achieved it is only through, among many other things, careful assessment and planning. And yes, this takes time and it is not easy. There is too much at stake.

The NEB is considering a motion by Alternatives North for an economic update from the Proponents. If the NEB rules in favour of this motion, the hearings for final argument currently scheduled for April 2010, will likely be postponed.

Why does the Mackenzie Gas Project threaten the integrity of the Mackenzie valley? Read more and take action.

Nature Canada Welcomes Establishment of Mealy Mountains National Park

We did it! Thanks to your support, we're congratulating the governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador on their announcement today to preserve over 13,000 square kilometres of boreal habitat in eastern Canada.


Nature Canada has been working towards the establishment of a National Park in the Mealy Mountains for more than 15 years, and we couldn't have realized this success without all of our members who have written letters, signed petitions and joined campaigns to create this newest national park.


The National Park in the Mealy Mountains of Labrador will be the largest in eastern Canada. The permanent protection of such a large area of boreal forest ensures at-risk species like the Woodland Caribou and the Harlequin Duck have the habitat they need to survive.

Our Director of Conservation, Mara Kerry, is in Happy Valley-Goose Bay to celebrate this announcement with Environment Minister Jim Prentice and Charlene Johnson, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Minister of Environment and Conservation, who also announced a waterway provincial park to protect the Eagle River.


Welcome Mealy Mountains as Canada's newest national park!

Read our official news release here.

Photo by Garth Lenz