Environment Canada
Minister's Office (Parliament Hill)
East Block, Room 163
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Prime Minister Harper:

I am writing to urge you to move forward on the commitment your government has made to protect wilderness in the Boreal Forest.

The Boreal Forest is the summer breeding ground for over 300 species of our most treasured birds, including the rapidly declining Lesser Yellowlegs and Olive-sided Flycatcher and the endangered Whooping Crane. This fragile area is also home to some of the world’s largest populations of caribou, wolves, and bear.

I am deeply concerned about the future of the area. The accelerating pace of energy development including the Mackenzie Gas Project and Alberta Tar Sands is threatening critical habitat and endangered species. The only way we can prevent irreversible damage to the Boreal is to establish community-supported protected areas in advance of pipeline development, and to place a moratorium on further Tar Sands projects until environmental issues have been addressed.

Your government has a number of proposals to establish new National Parks and other protected areas in the Northwest Territories. These proposals are widely supported by Aboriginal peoples, local communities, and conservation groups throughout North America. As a first step toward protection of the Boreal Forest, we would like to see action to advance the Northwest Territories Protected Area Strategy and specifically, to ensure immediate protection for the following sites:

1. Nahanni National Park
2. Sayhoue/Edacho National Historical Site
3. Edehzhie (Horn Plateau) National Wildlife Area
4. Thaydene Nene (East Arm, Great Slave Lake) National Park
5. Ts'ude'hliline Tuyetah (Ramparts) National Wildlife Area

There are other serious consequences that our environment could face if the area is disrupted, including expansion of the highly polluting Alberta Tar Sands. It is vital that Alberta Tar Sands development does not pollute our air, water, or land, and that carbon emissions are reduced.

I urge you to place a moratorium on expansion of the Tar Sands until environmental concerns and global warming are addressed.

For the sake of our wildlife and of our environment, I hope we can count on you to honor your government’s promises to protect the Boreal Forest.

Sincerely,

Paul Malouf
(source: Nature Canada)

cc: Environment Minister Baird
Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Prentice