[getsmart-l] Add your voice: Fw: Warning: budget cuts leave wildlife unprotected

[Gloria Boxen]

            http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/09/18/enviro-canada-cuts.html
Environment Canada budget cuts threaten wildlife programs  Last Updated:   Tuesday, September 18, 2007 | 11:53 PM ET      CBC News         
                         Serious budget problems at Environment Canada are threatening wildlife programs and services within the federal department, freezing allotted money for some and reducing funds to nothing for others, CBC News has learned.


  Of most concern to conservationists among a handful of cuts is that the Canadian Wildlife Service has had its service budget frozen for the rest of the fiscal year, meaning all its scientific field and survey work has been halted. The national wildlife agency is directly responsible for studying and protecting wildlife in Canada and puts out the Hinterland Who's Who public service ads.

Sources say the budget cuts are as follows:
  
   The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Network, which observes changes in ecosystems, has lost 80 per cent of its budget.
   The Migratory Bird Program, which monitors the health of bird populations, has seen its budget cut by 50 per cent.
   The budget for the National Wildlife Areas, a program that protects nationally significant habitats for wildlife and birds, has been slashed from $1.9 million to zero.
....
Sources told CBC that funds to those programs were slashed after Environment Canada overspent its budget.
  Environment Minister John Baird wasn't available for comment. His department sent an e-mail stating that no programs have been cut and that spending is being prioritized for climate change initiatives.
  "The government has been clear that its priorities are being a climate change champion, and taking real action to provide clean air and clean water for Canadians," the e-mail said. "We think Canadians are supportive of those priorities."

https://secure2.convio.net/cwf/site/SSurvey?SURVEY_ID=1840&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS

Canadian wildlife needs your help. Add your voice to the              growing number of Canadians who are outraged by these recent budget              cuts. Please              add your name to the list of caring individuals that will be delivered to Environment Minister John Baird and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

fyi

Note: forwarded message attached.        

---------------------------------

To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
Subject: Fw: Warning: budget cuts leave wildlife unprotected
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:31:33 -0400

Canadian Wildlife Federation   

  Apologies if you have already seen this
  
 ----- Original Message -----  From: Wade Luzny, Canadian  Wildlife Federation 
 
 
 Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:07 PM
 Subject: Warning: budget cuts leave wildlife unprotected

 

                        Having        difficulty seeing the images in this message? View it        online.
                                                                          Hi S.,
                                                                                          Please                    add your name to the list of Canadians who are concerned about                    the cuts to Environment Canada's wildlife                    programs. We are shocked at              how severely the federal government has slashed Environment Canada’s              budget. Read              the story as reported by the CBC. Wildlife programs have              had their funding frozen and other reports suggest the cuts              have resonated throughout the entire department. 
             What does this mean for Canada’s 500 plus species at risk, such              as the spotted owl, the woodland caribou or the Atlantic salmon? And              what about our 51 National Wildlife Areas and 92 Migratory Bird              Sanctuaries? These areas combined cover more than 11.8 million              hectares of land and are home to countless species of birds and              animals. 
             And then there’s all of the wildlife research already underway?              How are Canadians to make informed decisions on issues like climate              change without knowing what is happening to our environment and our              cherished wildlife?
             How can Canada’s precious wildlife and our beautiful              natural areas that we all know and love be protected with little or              no resources?
             The Canadian Wildlife Federation and our 300,000 supporters want              answers to these critical questions.
             Canadian wildlife needs your help. Add your voice to the              growing number of Canadians who are outraged by these recent budget              cuts. Please              add your name to the list of caring individuals that              will be delivered to Environment Minister John Baird and Prime              Minister Stephen Harper.
             Please also take a minute and forward              this e-mail to your friends and family.
             Thanks for caring,
              
             Wade Luzny
Executive Vice President
Canadian Wildlife              Federation 
              ___________________________________________________________________________                                            350 Michael Cowpland Drive, Kanata, ON  K2M              2W1 1-800-563-WILD (9453)                     © 2007 Canadian Wildlife Federation. All rights              reserved. Privacy              Policy                         Make a        donation | Update        Profile | CWF        Home Page | Unsubscribe         
         



             

   
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