National tour urges Canadians to help save Nahanni wilderness

Posted on November 7, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO - Justin Trudeau and Cathy Jones will join scientists and conservationists on stage at Toronto's Jane Mallett Theatre tonight to launch a cross-country tour that will encourage Canadians to help protect the Northwest Territories' spectacular Nahanni wilderness. The current boundaries of the Nahanni National Park Reserve - also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site - protect only a small part of the watershed, leaving a significant portion threatened by proposed mining in the area.

"The federal government needs to commit right now to protecting the entire watershed of this globally unique and delicate landscape," said the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Senior Conservation Advisor, Harvey Locke. "Allowing this type of development to proceed in this earthquake and flood-prone region is just too great a risk, and collectively we need to send that message out loud and clear."

Organized by CPAWS, the 17-city "Nahanni Forever" tour will run from November 2005 to January 2006. In addition to Locke, speakers and musicians involved at the various locations will include Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, renowned scientists Dr. Derek Ford and Dr. David Schindler, and Juno Award-winning singer/songwriters James Keelaghan and Connie Kaldor.

Justin Trudeau - whose father, the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, established the area as a national park reserve in 1972 - paddled the Nahanni in 2003 and was awestruck by its magnificence. "In some places, what's above the ground is worth more than what's below it. Nahanni is one of those places. Local First Nations want to protect their traditional lands in the Nahanni. It's time for the rest of us to join them," he said.

While the federal government committed to expanding Nahanni National Park Reserve in 2002, the process for assessing the boundary expansion is still underway and could take Parks Canada another year or more to complete - too late to stop some of the harm that industrial development might cause.

CPAWS is urging Canadians concerned about the Nahanni's fate to contact the Prime Minister and other Members of Parliament to demand an immediate commitment to protect the South Nahanni watershed. More information is available at www.cpaws.org. The "Nahanni Forever" national tour is part of CPAWS' ongoing efforts to conserve Canada's remaining wilderness.

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For further information, contact:
Lisa Robertson (613) 739-7032
or
Rhoda Boyd (613) 798-9138

CPAWS is a nationwide, non-profit conservation organization with chapters in every major region that are working to conserve Canada's wilderness. In partnership with local communities, industry and governments, CPAWS' staff and volunteers work to create new parks and protected areas, and to promote sustainable resource practices. Since 1963, CPAWS has helped to protect over 40 million hectares of Canadian wilderness.

Nahanni Forever is an initiative of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). CPAWS thanks its sponsors: Mountain Equipment Co-op and Nahanni River Adventures. It also thanks the Royal Canadian Geographic Society for co-hosting the Fraser Lectureship in Northern Studies at five southern Ontario universities as part of the tour.

Note: B-roll and still photographs are available.

View event details at: www.cpaws.org