Guest guest Posted April 23, 2001 Report Share Posted April 23, 2001 *** Upcoming Animal Rights Events *** * Mon. April 23, 2001 - Freedom for Animals meeting cancelled * Thurs. April 26 - Toronto Protest to Protect Grizzly Bear Habitat * Mon. April 30 - Free presentation with Dr. Neal Barnard, president of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine * Letter writing action alert - don't let the Harris government clearcut Ontario! * Sun. May 20 - Marineland protest ********************************************************************* TORONTO PROTEST - Thurs. April 26th Protect Grizzly Bear Habitat -- Come out to say NO to CP Hotels and help protect Lake Louise On Thurs. April 26th join the Banff Environmental Action and Research Society (BEAR Society) for a loud and proud protest outside Canadian Pacific's AGM at the Fairmont Royal York at 100 Front St. W, beginning at 8:30 a.m. What's happening at Lake Louise? Canadian Pacific Hotels (now called Fairmont Hotels) is planning to build a massive 150,000 square foot, 7-storey convention centre beside their hotel, the Chateau Lake Louise in Banff National Park. What's the problem? Banff National Park is by far the most developed national park in North America. A landmark 1996 study on Banff National Park concluded that " if current trends and pressures are allowed to continue, they will threaten the qualities that make Banff a national park " including grizzly bears, spectacular forests and great hiking opportunities. What's the big deal about a convention centre? It's a death by a thousands cuts. Incremental development, like one more convention centre eats away at the foundation of Banff's ecological systems. Wildlife cannot co-exist with large scale human development, as study after study shows. Lake Louise is excellent grizzly habitat. Grizzly bear biologist Steven Herrero predicts increased development in the Lake Louise area will further harm an already highly stressed grizzly bear population. Parks Canada and CP Hotels say they will close hiking trails around Lake Louise if the added thousands of tourists from the convention centre proves damaging to the park wildlife. More money for CP, less access to Banff for you and me. It is wrong to continue developing our national parks for corporate profit. Our national parks are places where the protection of ecological integrity is paramount. These are places where we enjoy breathtaking vistas, where we hike and camp and teach our kids the value and beauty of nature on her own terms. Our national parks are the one place in Canada where the needs of nature must come first, not the profit needs of the world 3rd largest hotelier. Why does CP need this convention centre? CP/Fairmont Hotels has said quite bluntly that the only reason they want this convention centre is to fill the hotel year-round and make more money. Bring a friend, a costume, and a placard. Check out http://www.bearsociety.org for more details. Contact: Shannon Curry Banff Environmental Research and Action (BEAR) Society P.O. Box 853 Banff, AB T0L 0C0 tel: (403) 762-0361 fax: (403) 762-0351 info ********************************************************************** PCRM President Neal Barnard, M.D. comes to Toronto for Free Presentation Researchers have recently identified the " fat genes " --genes that can make us gain weight or have trouble burning it off. The good news is, with the right changes in our diet, we can, to a great extent, " turn off " the fat genes. It's easy to do. To learn how, you are invited to a 1-hour presentation by Neal Barnard, M.D., clinical researcher and president of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and author of the book, Turn Off the Fat Genes. The lecture is free, exciting, and open to everyone. So feel free to bring friends and family along! Monday, April 30 7:00 PM Metro Central YMCA Auditorium, Second Floor 20 Grosvenor Street Toronto, Ontario Phone: 416-975-9168 x404 Questions or need more information? Contact Suzanne Bobela at 202-686-2210, ext. 301, or email sbobela ********************************************************************** URGENT ACTION ALERT: PROVINCE PROPOSES INCREASING SIZE OF CLEARCUTS TO 10,000 HECTARES. Don't let the Harris Government Clearcut Ontario! 2nd draft of new Forest Management Guidelines open door to larger clearcuts The provincial government is proposing to allow clearcuts to a maximum size of 10,000 ha. Guidelines now under development show little movement towards more sustainable forest management. Background: In 1994, the Timber Class Environmental Assessment Act set a maximum clearcut size in Ontario of 260 hectares, above which sound biological and silvicultural evidence must be provided to proceed. In June 1999, Earthroots requested an environmental assessment for the Temagami Forest Management Plan (TFMP). The largest clearcut in the original TFMP was 1,300 hectares, more than 400% larger than the maximum stated in the Timber Class EA. The reasoning behind this very large-sized clearcut was that it mimicked natural fires. Earthroots disagreed with this reasoning and felt it was based on flawed science. Though the request was denied, then Minister of the Environment Tony Clement ordered the MNR to produce draft " Forest Management Guidelines for the Emulation of Fire Disturbance Patterns " . Unfortunately the new guidelines open the door for the creation of 10,000 ha clearcuts! Clearcuts the size of 17,000 Canadian football fields are not improvements in forest management but backwards steps toward ecologically destructive forest practices! Take a few minutes to write a letter of comment concerning these draft guidelines. Let the MNR know: · You oppose larger clearcuts because they are environmentally destructive - they will irreversibly damage wildlife populations, change the natural forest structure, ruin viewscapes for recreationalists and seriously hurt important ecotourist operations. · You believe the MNR is being untruthful in promoting large clearcuts by saying it is good for caribou populations. Caribou do NOT range everywhere in the province. Yet under these guidelines, 10,000 ha clearcuts will be allowed throughout the boreal forest and even in areas like Temagami. Clearly the MNR's reasoning is faulty and suspicious. · Wildlife like threatened pine marten (a member of the weasel family) need large expanses of old growth forest, not kilometers of devastated clearcut areas. The pileated woodpecker needs large mast trees surrounded by continuous forest to survive. · You will not stand back and watch while forest companies increase profits at the expense of the legacy of future generations! Please call, send or fax letters of concern to: John Snobelen - Minister of Natural Resources Room 6630 Whitney Block 99 Wellesley. St. West Toronto, ON, M7A 1W3 Fax: 416-314-2216 Phone: 416-314-2301 For more information: contact Richard Brooks at Earthroots at 416-599-0152 or richard Earthroots 401 Richmond St. West, Suite 410 Toronto, Ontario M5V 3A8 phone: 416-599-0152 fax: 416-340-2429 http://www.earthroots.org http://www.wolvesontario.org - Wolves Ontario! ********************************************************************** NIAGARA ACTION FOR ANIMALS MARINELAND PROTEST Daniel K. Wilson <arcadia deer friends, The date for the first marineland protest is sunday may 20th beginning at 9:30 a.m. it will probably go until 1:00 p.m. depending on the weather. anyone interested in coming can email or call me (dan) at (905) 262-0633. _______________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. -- Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmacafe.com Powered by Instant Portal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.