Gwaii Haanas
On June 7 of this year, the Canadian government tabled (for a subsequent vote) an agreement that establishes a Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site in B.C.’s Gwaii Haanas (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). Following 25 years of discussion between the government and the Haida Nation, a co-managed interim management plan has been agreed upon.
As WWF Canada reports, National Marine Conservation Areas aim to protect marine ecosystems while allowing the area to be used in ecologically sustainable ways. To date, the Gwaii Haanas has been poorly managed, with a noticeable lack of consideration for ecological, cultural, and social values. The new Reserve will be co-managed with Parks Canada, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, and the Haida Nation, as well as local stakeholders.
The Gwaii Haanas is an important area ecologically, with over 3,000 species in a fairly untouched area. Gray and humpback whales, sea lions, dolphins and other mammals migrate through the area which is home to a variety of fish, seabirds and other marine life.
This particular area has been faced with rapidly declining numbers of sea life ranging from herring to prawns. However, after years of discussion between the Haida Nation and the Government, they have finally come to an agreement that will close approximately three percent of this area to fishing, as reported by the Times Colonist. As progress continues, environmental groups hope that these no-fishing areas will be expanded.
Parks Canada reports that the National Marine Reserve and Heritage Site will preserve approximately ten kilometres off the Reserve’s shore. In combination with the preexisting national reserve, the conservation area will set out to protect more than 5,000 square kilometres ranging from mountaintops to deep sea.
The shared responsibility model in Gwaii Haanas is unique in its effort to treat land and sea as a single system. As such, it provides a role model for other conservation and sustainability agreements across North America.
Also, as WWF suggests, our oceans are exposed to a triple threat consisting of poor management, overexploitation, and climate change. These are the primary causes for the reduction in the number of fish to what is believed to be beneath a sustainable level, which has negative impacts on coastal communities. The Gwaii Haanas agreement represents a trickle of hope for renewal and sustainability in our oceans. Now we are left to hope that the success of this National Marine Conservation Area will spur the development of many more!
Tags: Gwaii Haanas, Haida Heritage Site, Marine Conservation Area, Parks Canada, Queen Charlotte Islands, sustainability, WWF Canada
Happy Earth Hour
Saturday, March 27th, at 8:30 pm, join 3,100 cities across 121 countries and territories and turn out your lights. You will be joining them to send a strong message that more needs to be done to fight climate change.
World Wildlife Fund seems to be leading the way in offering climate friendly tips and tools for Earth Hour. WWF Canada is offering e-cards that you can use to remind your friends about Earth Hour. Some Canadian events can be found on the participating cities website.
Meanwhile, WWF-US has a web page that you can sign up on to help support your state in changing to a climate friendly color. You can watch a video that shows climate change and some of our world’s landmarks turning off their lights for Earth Hour. They also have a countdown clock.
The mothership, so to speak, is Earth Hour’s own website with links about every participating country.
This being the Friday File, it wouldn’t seem right to leave out an Earth Hour game (even though if you’re a regular reader of the Friday File you may have seen this little guy before!). Check it out at the game website.
Enjoy, and join in the worldwide Earth Hour fun!
Tags: Climate Change, Earth Hour, Earth Hour Game, ecards, WWF, WWF Canada, WWF US
Contest Winner Has Been Selected
A winner has been selected for the WWF Canada black-footed ferret adoption kit contest. Congratulations to Tim L. Walker of Barrie, Ontario, who has been notified and has accepted the prize.
Certified Financial Planner Corry L. Staff of Lynn Zlotnik Wealth Management randomly selected the winning name today. She was not shown the names – instead, she was presented with what appeared to her view to be blank pieces of paper. She shuffled them then drew one, turned it over and found Tim’s name on the other side.
Thank You to all of you who entered the contest. I wish I could present all of you with a kit! But please remember that the black-footed ferret kit, and other kits, are available on WWF Canada’s website.
Wildlife and Humanitarian Screensavers
For anyone who likes animals, having a wildlife screensaver on their monitor can make for a fun view every time they’re on their desktop. There’s a choice of screensavers out there, but since many organizations don’t have downloadable screensavers it can take some time to find one you like. The ones below are a few that I’ve found on the websites of some excellent wildlife conservation and humanitarian organizations. Most of these screensavers are free for downloading, but if you use one, please consider giving the organization a donation in return.
WWF US (& Canada)
World Wildlife Fund is one of our world’s most recognizable wildlife conservation groups. Established over 45 years ago, their focus is on protecting the future of nature. Aside from offering one of the most extensive online gift store item selections (WWF Canada has donated the black-footed ferret adoption kit for the current contest on this blog’s homepage), WWF US offers a range of wallpapers for your desktop including polar bears, snow leopards, panda bears, tigers, penguins, and many other scenes. All you have to do is sign up for their newsletter.
WWF – UK
WWF – UK offers two screensavers for download, one featuring a variety of adult animals and one with a selection of baby animals. PC and MAC versions.
Snow Leopard Trust
Since 1981, the Snow Leopard Trust has led the world in studying and protecting the endangered snow leopard. They offer a downloadable screensaver of photographs from finalists in their 2007 photo contest, as well as one featuring children’s creative and colorful posters from the 2008 poster contest. Screensavers for MAC are currently being developed.
African Wildlife Foundation
The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is the leading international conservation organization focused on protecting Africa’s wildlife and wild landscapes. For over 45 years, the organization has worked towards the future prosperity of Africa and its people. The AWF screensaver has over 15 different photographs of beautiful African wildlife. As well, if you don’t like a changing screensaver, they have a single picture screensaver of a gorilla and one of an African Elephant. Available for both PC and MAC.
Orangutan Foundation International
Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas’ foundation is dedicated to preserving and nurturing orangutans. OFI’s main focus is on continuing the research and conservation activities at the historic Camp Leakey site in the Tanjung Putting Reserve in Central Borneo. The site was named after Louis Leakey, the famous anthropologist who mentored and inspired Dr. Galdikas, Dr. Goodall and Dian Fossey. The Foundation offers a choice of four photographic orangutan wallpapers.
CARE Canada
For readers who prefer to have photographs of people as screensavers or wallpaper, check out CARE Canada. The organization is dedicated to defending dignity and fighting poverty by empowering women and girls, the world’s most vulnerable and greatest resource for change. This blog’s first homepage article was about one of CARE Canada’s programs. They offer several human-focused screensavers and wallpapers.
Conservation International
This leading international organization builds on science, partnerships and field demonstrations to care for nature as well as the well-being of humanity. They have 49 screensavers to choose from, featuring a wide range of human, animal and landscape subjects.
International Crane Foundation
This international organization is dedicated to crane conservation, field ecology, education, veterinary services, and site administration. They offer a screensaver which is a photograph of two grey-crowned cranes at dawn on the beach in South Africa. It’s a great photograph but it’s copyrighted so I won’t publish it here – you’ll have to go look at their website to see it.
The Ocean Project
If you prefer a changing photo that’s not on your desktop, you can enjoy a daily look at The Ocean Project’s Ocean Picture of the Day. A Newfoundland photo was up the day I looked, and although it took a moment to load it was worth the wait. It’s like a 30-second holiday by the sea!
A Few Sounds
For my readers who are more hearing-focussed than visually-oriented, check out the different North American Bird Sounds at the bottom of the Organizations list on Acres Land Trust. The Trust helps to protect the remaining natural habitats in northeast Indiana, southern Michigan and northwest Ohio, and to teach others the value of keeping natural areas intact.
Tags: African Wildlife, bird songs, CARE Canada, Conservation International, Crane, Ocean Project, Orangutan Foundation, screensavers, Snow Leopard, wallpaper, Wildlife, WWF Canada, WWF UK, WWF US
Win A WWF-Canada Black-Footed Ferret Adoption Kit
To help celebrate this historic Canadian wildlife conservation event/success story (see article below), WWF Canada has joined with VoicesForOurPlanet.com to offer a WWF-Canada black-footed ferret adoption kit to one lucky reader of this blog.
The lucky winner will receive a symbolic adoption kit, which includes:
• a high-quality cuddly black-footed ferret stuffed toy
• reusable gift bag, made from recycled plastic
• personalized adoption certificate
• letter that identifies you as the gift-giver
• report detailing the work that your symbolic adoption will support
All it takes to gain a chance to win is to email your name, location (city and province/state), and email address or phone number to voicesforourplanet@gmail.com. One entry per email address, please. Duplicate entries will be deleted.
The contest opens today, Monday, November 30, 2009, and will close at midnight Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, December 13, 2009. One winner will be randomly drawn on Monday December 14, 2009, and the winner’s name and location will be announced on this blog that day. We will contact the winner through the telephone number or email given in their email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address. In the event that the winner does not respond within this timeline, another winner will be randomly selected. The winner’s address will be given to WWF Canada so the gift certificate can be personalized and the adoption kit shipped to the winner. All other names and locations, and all email addresses and phone numbers, will remain confidential and will never be given or sold by VoicesForOurPlanet.com to any other organization.
Please note that the prize will be shipped by WWF Canada. VoicesForOurPlanet.com is not responsible for prizes that are lost or damaged once they are shipped. Entrants assume all liability for their participation in the contest, as well as receipt of and use of prizes.
This contest is open to residents of Canada and the United States only.
VoicesForOurPlanet.com reserves the right to clarify or change the rules, prizes and eligibility for a contest at any time, or to terminate a contest without notice. If this occurs, readers will be notified on this blog.
Thank you for your interest in the conservation success story of the black-footed ferret, and good luck in the contest!
Wildlife Adoption Kits
One reader who has entered this blog’s contest for a WWF-Canada black-footed ferret adoption kit has asked if there are other kits available. The answer is “yes”.
While the black-footed ferret is enjoying a success story, other wildlife species and habitats are being pushed towards extinction. WWF-Canada and WWF-US manage a number of programs that address these threats, with matching symbolic wildlife adoption kits that help raise much needed funds to support these programs.
The adoption kits, as well as other items, can be viewed and purchased through WWF-Canada’s online store. WWF-US’s adoption kits can be found at their online gift center.
Black-Footed Ferrets: A Conservation Success Story
Black-footed ferrets, once thought to be extinct, are turning into one of North America’s conservation success stories. History was made on October 2, 2009, when 34 black-footed ferrets were released in Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park. They are the first ferrets to live in the Canadian wilderness in over 70 years.
From considered extinct, to a known population of ten black-footed ferrets in 1985, these animals now number over 6,500 ferrets raised in captivity. Around 1,000 ferrets in total were living in the wild as of the fall of 2008, having been released on sites across the animal’s former range in the western and central US and northern Mexico. And now they are living in the Canadian prairies wilderness. What a great story in the making!
Since 2004, the Toronto Zoo, Parks Canada, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Calgary Zoo, WWF Canada and WWF US, amongst others, worked together on this conservation program with the goal of reintroducing black-footed ferrets into their traditional Canadian home range – from south of Calgary, Alberta to south of Regina, Saskatchewan, on the western prairies.
Some of the ferrets released in Canada were raised at the Toronto Zoo and then attended a Colorado camp in which they were trained to hunt wild prairie dogs, their main prey. The ferrets were released in Grasslands National Park because that’s where Canada’s largest population of prairie dogs lives. Following lots of research and planning, the groups involved and the ferrets were ready for release.
“The most exciting moment was taking part in a black-footed ferret release team,” Emily Giles, Conservation Program Coordinator, WWF Canada, explained to me last week. “We had the privilege of releasing six black-footed ferrets back into their Canadian home. It was very symbolic to take part in a release.” The event took place with members from various organizations in Canada and the US. “It symbolized the cross-border collaboration that was necessary to ensure this species’ long-term survival,” Emily explained. Nature doesn’t recognize borders, and many successful conservation programs include members from different countries and organizations. Complex situations like the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret – a top predator whose range spans the border of three countries –requires cross-border cooperation. Conservation and recovery of species at risk takes collaboration among governments, landowners, and NGO’s.
Reintroduced black-footed ferrets are now living in the wild in Canada, the US and Mexico, which gives conservationists great hope. “The black-footed ferret is a unique example in species recovery, because this is a species that was believed to be extinct globally, and miraculously was given a second chance for survival. It was completely wiped out from Canada, and [now] this animal can once again roam the Canadian prairies. The return of the black-footed ferret offers hope to the recovery of the grassland ecosystem, an ecosystem that has been dramatically altered from its natural state,” Emily explained.
Further, “it has shown conservationists that tough conservation goals can be achieved!” Emily continued. It also encourages endangered species breeding programs, since some of the animals released were born at the Toronto Zoo in Spring 2009. This release also highlights the importance of maintaining National Parks and protected places so species can be reintroduced. Not to mention it restores part of the national heritages of Canada, the US, and Mexico.
The ferrets will be monitored to estimate their population size, survival and reproduction. Annual population sizes, over-winter survival, spatial distribution, and litter production will all be important factors in ensuring the long-term success of the ferrets. The ultimate goal for the Canadian black-footed ferret recovery program is to have the population grow enough so that their endangered status can be downlisted and they settle once again into being a native species. Even with several North American black-footed ferret reintroduction sites being self-sustaining, these conservation achievements form only about 20% of the recovery plan’s target for wild ferret populations.
The black-footed ferret recovery strategy clearly indicates the critical habitat needed for the species’ recovery. Only a small fraction of Canada’s endangered species have recovery strategies with their critical habitat adequately defined. WWF-Canada, as well as other organizations, are working towards changing this and could use your support.
Tags: black footed ferret, captive breeding, Conservation, Grasslands National Park, Parks Canada, reintroduction, Wildlife, WWF Canada
A Few Planet Friendly Shopping Favorites
The year’s busiest shopping day in the US, Black Friday, is next week. When you’re considering what to get the special people in your life, remember that many charities offer fun and meaningful shopping opportunities. A lot of charities offer interesting gifts, with most for affordable prices. Knowing that you’re helping our planet while acquiring some neat goods is personally rewarding. Here are a few items that have caught my eye.
Both World Wildlife Fund US and Canada offer wildlife adoptions complete with stuffed toys. A friend of mine who has symbolically adopted several animals is quite happily living with WWF stuffed toys on her bookcase, fireplace mantle, and sofa!
Also, WWF Canada’s Unique Gifts and WWF US’ Extraordinary Gifts allow you to contribute money directly to specific projects. From moving bison to helping to provide Amazon families with a sustainable forest-based income, to helping link and grow isolated panda habitats with corridors of bamboo forest, to others, these gifts are truly meaningful.
Credit: Adopt a Stream Foundation
A little less money will buy many other charitable goods as well. For example, the Adopt a Stream Foundation offers The Streamkeeper’s Catalogue, which includes a cute Adopt A Stream button for $1, and a trendy Global Warming Mug that claims to actually show the adverse effects of global warming when you pour a hot liquid into the mug. They also have some cute beaver, owl, eagle, black bear, and hawk finger puppets.
If you want to support habitat, Conservation International helps you adopt an acre of rainforest, while the African Wildlife Foundation offers the chance to adopt African acres .
To carry your shopping items, grocery items, or other goods, several organizations offer canvas shopping bags. I’ve ordered one from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund with a handsome gorilla portrait on it, and one from Bornean Sun Bear Conservation with a cute sun bear on it with the words “Save the Sunbear”. Both bags are being mailed to me.
These charities also have other goods, and hundreds of other charities offer other affordable and creative goods at affordable prices that let you get your shopping done while supporting our planet. If you have any favorites, I’d love to hear about them.
Tags: Adopt a Stream, African Wildlife Foundation, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation, canvas bag, Conservation, Conservation International, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, green shopping, shopping, wild animals, WWF Canada, WWF US
WWF-Canada National Tour Launches November 4th
It’s already next week that WWF-Canada’s cross-Canada speaking tour “Oil and Ice” featuring award winning authors Andrew Nikiforuk (Tar Sands) and Ed Struzik (The Big Thaw) launches. Discussing the choices that will determine Canada’s future, the destiny of the Arctic, and lessons from the tar sands, the authors start their tour in Edmonton November 4th and Vancouver November 5th (at the Universities of Alberta and British Columbia, respectively).
The Arctic is warming alarmingly quickly, but there’s still time to make choices that alter the future and save it. ”Oil and Ice”s purpose is to stimulate discussion and debate about those choices. Struzik has witnessed the changes that are happening in the Arctic through his extensive time there, while Nikiforuk is an expert on the economics and influence of the tar sands.
The conversation will take place in 10 Canadian cities between November 4th and 20th. More information is available on WWF-Canada’s website.
Tags: Arctic, global warming, Oil and Ice, tar sands, WWF Canada
