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

STRATHROY, ON, Nov. 12 /CNW/ - Bev Shipley, Member of Parliament for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, on behalf of Canada's Environment Minister, John Baird, today announced funding from the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. In total, $130,500 in federal funding will support environmental acti
on 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, our local partners are taking action to help ensure that area lands are managed with the environment in mind," said MP Shipley. "The Habitat Stewardship Program funding announced today demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to supporting Canadians who are taking on community level projects for our environment."

"These projects will help to protect Canada's rich biodiversity for generations to come, said Minister Baird. "The Government of Canada is proud to support both the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and the Carolinian Canada Coalition 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."

The Habitat Stewardship Program funding will enable the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority to implement a landowner incentive program. Through collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, this program will encourage the adoption of best management practices on farms in order to reduce runoff, which encourages algae growth, and to help prevent sedimentation.

"Environment Canada's funding support for the Sydenham River Species At Risk Program has been vital in educating local residents and children about the important aquatic habitat provided by the Sydenham River, and in assisting local landowners in completing eco-friendly projects on their properties to support this essential habitat," said Andy Bruziewicz, chair of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority's board of directors.

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 Environment Canada's website at http://www.ec.gc.ca/.

(Également offert en français)

For further information:

Media Relations Environment Canada 819-934-8008 1-888-908-8008
Media Relations Fisheries and Oceans Canada 613-990-7537	Nancy Bishay Press Secretary Fisheries and Oceans Canada 613-992-3474
Environment Canada's Twitter page: http://twitter.com/environmentca
Environment Canada's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/environmentcan