GOVERNMENT OF CANADA INVESTING IN COMMUNITY ACTION TO PRESERVE LOCAL HABITAT
AND SPECIES AT RISK IN ONTARIO

CHATHAM-KENT, ON, Nov. 3 /CNW/ - Dave Van Kesteren, Member of Parliament for Chatham-Kent—Essex, on behalf of Canada's Environment Minister, the Honourable Jim Prentice, today announced funding from the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. In total, $42,000 in federal funding will support environmental action focusing on conservation and protection of species at risk and their habitats, helping to preserve Canada's biodiversity.

"As part of the International Year of Biodiversity, it is our common goal that we as Canadians do as much as we can to ensure healthy ecosystems and habitat conservation," said MP Van Kesteren. "A variety of species at risk and their habitats are endangered or threatened. I am proud that the activities that have been supported through the Habitat Stewardship Program will help to protect species at risk."

"These projects will help to protect Canada's rich biodiversity for generations to come," said Minister Prentice. "The Government of Canada is proud to support the Essex County Stewardship Network through the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. Your actions, large or small, will help to protect the abundance and variety of life that is part of our natural heritage."

One of the three projects receiving funding through the Habitat Stewardship Program is being led by the Essex County Stewardship Network. As part of its continued work with species at risk, the Network will continue to maintain and monitor 23 artificial eastern foxsnake nests placed on a landscape to assess their effectiveness more accurately.  The Network's ultimate goal is to encourage private landowners to build and house artificial nests on their properties, actively involving landowners in foxsnake conservation and providing safe nesting opportunities for female foxsnakes.

"Habitat Stewardship Program funding has provided significant help for us to engage and continue working with willing landowners," said Brett Groves, stewardship coordinator with the Essex County Stewardship Network. "These partnerships have benefited and will continue to benefit species at risk in such a way as to enable the creation of much-needed habitat linkages within Essex County."

The goal of the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk is to contribute to the recovery and protection of species listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern under the Species at Risk Act. 

Projects that will receive funding this year include stewardship actions to conserve habitat for plant species at risk, negotiations with landowners to develop voluntary Land Care Agreements, targeted educational outreach efforts to reduce the entanglement of species at risk in fishing gear, and the enhancement of water quality and aquatic habitat on private lands to benefit aquatic species at risk. They will be undertaken with many partners such as agricultural producers, private landowners, and commercial fishers. These projects will benefit many species at risk, including the North Atlantic right whale, Steller sea lion, swift fox, and small white leek.

The Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk is administered by Environment Canada and managed cooperatively with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Parks Canada Agency. More information on the Species at Risk Act and the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk can be found on the Internet at: http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/ or http://www.ec.gc.ca/hsp-pih/default.asp?lang=En&n=59BF488F-1.

For more information and to view a backgrounder on this announcement, please visit the Web site of Environment Canada, at http://www.ec.gc.ca/.

(Également offert en français)

                                                   

For further information:

For more information, please see the attached backgrounder or contact:

Pascale Boulay Press Secretary Office of the Minister of the Environment 819-997-1441						Media Relations Environment Canada 819-934-8008 1-888-908-8008
Canada's Environment Minister Twitter page: http://twitter.com/jimprentice						Environment Canada's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/environmentcan