EnviroNewsandIssues Newsletter - Edition 5

National Wildlife Week Urges Canadians to Embrace Protected Areas

OTTAWA, April 8 - Canadians are celebrating National Wildlife Week (NWW) from April 10 - 16, 2005 with wildlife festivals in communities across the country. Special NWW events will be taking place in countless schools, libraries, malls and museums - all focusing on this year's theme

"Explore and Embrace a Special Wild Place."

This year the theme focuses on Canada's special wild places where people connect with nature - whether it's a busy birdfeeder in your own backyard or an officially protected area like a national park. These places are asimportant to your well-being as they are to the survival of all the wild plants and animals that live there.

"For nearly 40 years NWW has been helping Canadians learn about wildlife and the environment. It's a time to celebrate Canada's rich natural heritage," said the Canadian Wildlife Federation Executive Vice President, Colin Maxwell.

"This year we're encouraging Canadians to familiarize themselves with a special wild place and learn why some areas need to be protected."

Protected areas are legally established areas on both land and in water that are regulated and managed for conservation objectives. They include parks, wildlife and forest reserves, wilderness and other areas designatedthrough federal, provincial, and territorial legislations.

During the week, Canadians will have an opportunity to learn about the importance of protected areas to themselves and the many species of wildlife that call it home. Protected areas not only represent important habitat for wildlife, they also provide Canadians with recreational opportunities and soulful natural encounters.

The CWF sponsors NWW each year in cooperation with federal, provincial, and territorial wildlife agencies, Parks Canada, and the Canadian Museum of Nature. "We are also pleased to welcome TD Bank Financial Group to this year's campaign," said Maxwell. "TD Bank has been a long time advocate for the environment through their TD Friends of the Environment Foundation which has over 120 local chapters across the country."

A contribution of $25,000 from TD Bank Financial Group will be used toward the production and distribution of National Wildlife Week educational kits. The CWF sends kits to Canadian schools as part of the NWW program. The kits contain lesson plans and resource materials focusing on the NWW theme.

Through this exciting education program, CWF is helping to raise young Canadians' awareness of the importance of wildlife conservation issues.

Schools and youth groups that initiate habitat improvement projects in their schoolyards or communities may also be eligible for funding. Judging by the number of projects and the thousands of hectares of habitat that have alreadybeen improved for wildlife in celebration of NWW, the future looks bright for many wild species and spaces.

For more information about National Wildlife Week, please call 1-800-563- WILD or visit CWF's Web site at www.cwf-fcf.org About Canadian Wildlife Federation: CWF is dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, sponsoring research, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending legislative changes, and cooperating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians may live in harmony with nature.

Visit www.cwf-fcf.org for more information.