Your Letters

This month, a reader wonders what Nature Canada is doing to protect the Mackenzie Valley, while another is inspired to launch a petition on the oil development in the boreal forest. A reader is also concerned about bear deaths in her community, and one has an alternative to the choices we offered in our latest Quick Poll on drilling inside wildlife areas.

Dear Nature Canada,

Re: Mackenzie Valley Gas Project

Just wondering what my donation is going to specifically, and what your plan of contention is with the Canadian gov't on this matter.

Thanks,

Adam Malamis

Hello Adam,

Donor support has ensured that Nature Canada has been an active participant in the hearings of the Joint Review Panel investigating the merits of the Mackenzie Gas Project (most recently in November 2007, when Carla Sbert , Nature Canada's conservation program manager, traveled to Inuvik to present our final recommendations. Read a summary.

Donor support has also helped make our public campaign possible, resulting in thousands of letters from people across the country urging the federal government to preserve a healthy boreal ecosystem in the North. Read details about the project and the environmental impact of the pipeline project. For a chilling example, read this month's article on mass bird deaths.

Our argument has been that the Mackenzie Gas Project should be rejected, for three reasons, listed here:

What will donor support make possible in the months ahead? We are expecting the release of the Joint Review Panel’s report in 2009, with its recommendations. Nature Canada is preparing to provide a strong, science-based response to the report’s recommendations, and advocate with federal policymakers to try to influence the government's response to the report. We’ll also work to ensure that the National Energy Board and the Prime Minister’s Office clearly understands our position. (The NEB will make a decision on whether the project is in the public interest, once it has received the JRP's report, and the response from the Government of Canada.)

As well, whether to open the boreal forest to development is ultimately a political decision, and until a final decision is made, we will continue our public campaign, encouraging citizens to make their voices heard by elected officials.

Hello Nature Canada,

Re: Welcome Wildlife to Your Backyard, April 2008 issue

Thank you for your newsletter. Looking through it a question has come to mind. With the heading 'welcome wildlife into your backyard', I can't help but think of the bears that pass through my yard to a river nearby. Each year they make the descent from the mountain that eventually opens up to local backyards. My community is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, and all forms of wildlife make their way to the rivers.

From an article in my local paper, 11 black bears and 0 grizzlies were shot. Local Bear Aware programs continue to preach to the community to prevent
bears from being shot. Why 11 black bears and no grizzlies. Through a news report I had seen on CTV last summer, I was told the Queens guards in England will stop using the synthetic fiber black hats they wear with their uniforms and return to using real black bear fur. The synthetic version makes the guards sweat. Hmm, where could Britain possibly attain the black fur? Perhaps I should challenge you to investigate this matter.

For some reason black bears are not being relocated. The solution seems to be continually reported that they are disposed of, they are problem bears due to residents lack of cleaning up their yards or simply not reporting a sighting. Due to so many bears being killed, many residents are now stopping to report a sighting for fear the bear will end up dead. I had seen a mother with two cubs, one brown and one black pass through and communicated to neighbors of the bears where abouts. Later I found out that local road construction forced the trio to pass to the other side of the river. Unfortunately this path would take the bears closer to town and near a High School. High school students playing near a ball field next to the river, treed the cubs. Rcmp killed all the bears.

If the cubs were treed, why kill them? There are many places in BC that could have taken them in and re-entered them into the wildlife. What are we doing to our wildlife locally?

Sincerely,
Sheila Makarewicz

Hi Nature Canada

Re: Development in the Boreal Forest

I receive your newsletter and am thankful for all the awareness and action you encourage.

I've written an article and created a petition regarding the oil industry in Alberta and some of the resulting destruction of the taiga, boreal forest and so forth.

The article is here:
http://www.realitysandwich.com/war_mid_west

The Petition is here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/befriend-a-biome

Please spread the word, the article and the petition.

all the best to you

Morgan

Hello Nature Canada,

Re: Quick Poll - Should Drilling be Allowed in Protected Areas?

In response to your online poll, may I suggest another alternative? I'd offer: Yes, if a company can prove it won't harm the environment and can show an equal (dollar for dollar) off-setting investment in R&D for an alternative energy source technology.

Keep up the good work.

Mitchell Toews

Questions? Comments? Send your letters to Nature Canada at info@naturecanada.ca.