MUSQUODOBOIT HARBOUR,
N.S. -- June 24, 2009 -- The Honourable
Peter MacKay, Minister of Defence and Minister
of Atlantic Gateway, on behalf of the Minister
of the Environment, the Honourable Jim Prentice,
today joined representatives from the Nature
Conservancy of Canada to announce the future
conservation of 31 hectares of important
land on Bayer's Island, located within Musqodoboit
Harbour about 30 kilometres northeast
of Halifax. The purchase marks another achievement
under the Government of Canada's $225-million
Natural Areas Conservation Program.
"The Government
of Canada is proud of the results achieved
through the Natural Areas Conservation Program
since its inception two years ago, because
they greatly benefit our country's biodiversity,"
said Minister Prentice. "Prime Minister
Harper announced the creation of a partnership
with non-government conservation organizations
such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada
in 2007. Today, as part of this partnership,
we celebrate yet another important conservation
project that will continue to provide a
vital home for species such as osprey, bald
eagles and great blue herons."
Situated off the eastern
tip of Martinique Beach, Bayers Island is
a continuation of the Beach's tidal, cobble
beach and dune habitat complex. The Island's
coastal forest of spruce and balsam fir
is ideal for bird species such as osprey,
bald eagle and great blue heron, while its
surrounding mudflats and eelgrass beds support
vast numbers of staging waterfowl.
"Today's announcement
is just one more example of how our Government
is taking real action to protect Canada's
natural treasures with the help of partners
like the Nature Conservancy of Canada,"
said Minister MacKay. "The lands of
Bayer's Island will continue to provide
a healthy habitat where species can thrive."
The Government's Natural
Areas Conservation Program is an important
on-the-ground initiative that takes real
action to preserve Canada's environment
and conserve its precious natural heritage
for present and future generations. Since
its inception in 2007, the Program has allowed
the conservation of over 336 properties
totalling 103 hectares, protecting habitat
for over 74 species at risk.
+ More
The Government Of Canada
Partners With Nature Conservancy Of Canada
To Preserve The Lands Of Johnson's Mills
MONCTON, N.B. -- June
23, 2009 -- The Honourable Keith Ashfield,
Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities
Agency) on behalf of the Minister of the
Environment, the Honourable Jim Prentice,
today joined representatives from the Nature
Conservancy of Canada in announcing the
future conservation of over 57 hectares
of important land in Johnson's Mills, New
Brunswick. The purchase marks another achievement
under the Government of Canada's $225-million
Natural Areas Conservation Program.
"The Government
of Canada is proud of the results achieved
through the Natural Areas Conservation Program
since its inception two years ago, which
greatly benefit our country's biodiversity,"
said Minister Prentice. "Prime Minister
Harper announced the creation of a partnership
with non-government conservation organizations
such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada
in 2007. Today we celebrate another important
conservation project that will continue
to provide a vital habitat for species of
shorebirds such as the semipalmated sandpiper."
Each summer, over two
million shorebirds feed on the extensive
mudflats and mud shrimp of the Bay of Fundy,
including up to 75 per cent of the world
population of semipalmated sandpipers. The
mudflats and pebble beaches along the rugged
coast of Johnson's Mills in the Upper Bay
of Fundy are considered to be some of the
most important stopover and refuelling sites
for these shorebirds on their winter migration
from the Canadian Arctic to South America.
"Today's announcement
is just one more example of how our Government
is taking real action to protect Canada's
natural treasures with the help of partners
like the Nature Conservancy of Canada,"
said Minister Ashfield. "The lands
of Johnson's Mills will continue to provide
a healthy habitat where species can thrive."
The Government's Natural
Areas Conservation Program is an important
on-the-ground initiative that takes real
action to preserve Canada's environment
and conserve its precious natural heritage
for present and future generations. Since
its inception in 2007, the Program has allowed
for the conservation of over 336 properties
totalling more than 103 hectares, protecting
habitat for over 74 species at risk.
+ More
U TURN Towards Sustainable
Transportation: a New, Contemporary, Environmentally
Committed Exhibition at the Biosphère
MONTREAL, Que. -- June
22, 2009 -- As part of its LIVE GREEN and
Outdoors summer programming,Environment
Canada's Biosphère is pleased to
present U TURN, a major exhibition on sustainable,
environmentally friendly transportation,
from July 1 to October 31. This extensive
installation with a contemporary, non-traditional,
state-of-the-art design takes a fresh, new
and environmentally committed look at this
social phenomenon. To mark the opening of
the exhibition, the public is invited to
attend a free outdoor performance featuring
the contemporary dance troupe Auto-Fiction,
on July 3 at 1:00 pm.
The objective of U TURN
Towards Sustainable Transportation is to
encourage visitors to switch to more environmentally
friendly modes of transportation by making
them aware of the impact of personal motor
vehicles, particularly aging motor vehicles,
on the environment and public health. Occupying
300 square metres of the belvedere, U TURN
features four interactive zones (Cars at
the heart of our lives; Impact zone; Solutions,
actions and reflection; and On the road
to the future ) set up around a dissected
automobile, of which half the parts are
scattered about to give visitors a better
understanding of the ecological footprint
of an automobile.
Information on the National
Vehicle Scrappage Program, Retire Your Ride,
is also available. Vehicles manufactured
in 1995 or in earlier years emit 19 times
more pollutants than models manufactured
in 2004 and subsequent years.
Visible from outside
the Biosphère, a sphere three metres
in diameter represents the average production
of CO2 by an automobile in one hour, whereas
the volume of the Biosphère itself
represents the average production of CO2
by 50 automobiles in one year. The sphere
resembles the Apollo sounding balloons that
occupied the area during Expo 67. After
visitors make a few rather sobering observations,
they are encouraged to explore various alternatives,
behaviour changes and options for individual
and group action to improve the situation
in transportation. They are called upon
to take up the U TURN challenge. A travelling
version of the exhibition will tour Canada
starting in the fall.
For additional information
on the exhibition and the summer programming,
visit the Internet site at: www.biosphere.ec.gc.ca.
