Government of Canada Takes Action to Protect Aquatic Habitat and Shorelines
Along the Trent-Severn Waterway

Working to Preserve an Important National Historic Site of Canada

PETERBOROUGH, ON, Nov. 13 /CNW Telbec/ - On behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice , Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada , Mr. Dean Del Mastro , Member of Parliament for Peterborough and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, today announced that the government through Parks Canada is investing $1.8 million over the next five years toward an aquatic and shoreline habitat conservation program for the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada . This investment is another demonstration of Parks Canada's international leadership in the area of ecological management and restoration.

"I am pleased to announce this investment to support this environmental protection, restoration and presentation program for species at risk and wetlands along the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of Canada ," said MP Del Mastro . "Our government is committed to protect the environment and biodiversity so Canadians can have an opportunity to experience, enjoy and understand these special places, now and for future generations."

Today's announcement is part of Parks Canada's Action on the Ground Program, a nation-wide initiative to engage Canadians in a range of conservation activities that promote the ecological integrity of Canada's national parks and national historic sites.

"I am delighted to see Parks Canada's Action on the Ground Program finding public support along the Trent-Severn Waterway," said Minister Prentice. "Protecting the environment and species at risk is our shared responsibility. This is exactly the type of project that yields long-lasting results and has the potential to encourage local residents and visitors to do their part to help protect the environment."

A substantial number of federally listed species at risk are increasingly vulnerable due to shoreline development pressure along the Trent-Severn Waterway. Utilizing this investment, Parks Canada's "Leaders on the Landscape" program hopes to create a lasting ethic of aquatic shoreline conservation through the development of a priority rating system and restoration initiatives that utilize traditional aboriginal knowledge and a program of outreach, training and education. The initiative will help protect 40 species and 230 wetlands in the more than 5000 hectares along the Waterway.

"These projects are fascinating examples of what is possible when the Government of Canada , local organizations and Canadians partner up to solve problems and achieve mutual goals, said Mr. Barry Devolin , member of Parliament for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock."

Canada's national parks and national historic sites resonate for Canadians as significant symbols of our natural heritage. These protected areas provide opportunities for Canadians to experience, discover, understand and appreciate their natural heritage. They help conserve biodiversity for generations to come; they generate economic benefits to adjacent communities all across the country; and they can serve as living laboratories to help us to understand the state of our ecosystems.

(Also available on the Internet at www.pc.gc.ca under Media Room.)

For further information: Frédéric Baril, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of the Environment, [phone]; Sara Atkins, Manager, External Relations, Central Ontario Field Unit, Parks Canada, [phone]