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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:red'>For Immediate Release<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>An Urgent Appeal: Help Give Rare Turtles a Home for the Holidays<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>November 24, 2016 [Halifax, N.S.] - The Nova Scotia Nature Trust announced today a campaign to ensure that Wink and Atahualpa have a home for the holidays. Wink and Atahualpa are adorable, yet highly endangered Blanding’s Turtles, some of a small number still surviving in Nova Scotia. The Nature Trust has an opportunity to <span style='color:black'>save a critical natural sanctuary for Wink and his endangered friends, and is asking the public for help. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The Nature Trust has </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>secured an agreement to purchase <span style='color:black'>a 36 acre property at Barren Meadow in southwest Nova Scotia. They have just over a month to raise the remaining </span></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>$20,000</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'> needed to make the rare turtle sanctuary a reality. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Blanding’s Turtles are listed on both the Canadian and Nova Scotian endangered species lists. There are only about 350 turtles left in the province. With less than 1% of hatchlings surviving, and much of their habitat increasingly threatened by habitat loss and degradation, it is vital to protect the last remaining refuges.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Barren Meadow provides important turtle habitat. Two branches of Barren Meadow Brook pass through the property then join with Pleasant River. The brook is deeply cut, and holds water throughout even the driest summers, ensuring the turtles can easily forage for food along the side of the brook. Blanding’s turtles travel great distances away from streams and rivers in search of basking and nesting sites. Although mostly forested, the property also includes bogs, the “barrens” that gave the area their name and unique geological features with bands of rock outcrops occurring in strips throughout the forest. This unusual topography is even visible from an aerial view of the region. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Barren Meadow sanctuary will build on a growing network of protected Blanding’s Turtle habitat in the area. To date, the Nature Trust has protected seven properties near Barren Meadow, encompassing over 270 acres for these endangered turtles. The Barren Meadow site is also surrounded by the proposed Shingle Lake Nature Reserve (pending designation by the Province), which will protect adjoining turtle habitat.<span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Researchers with the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI) have spent three summers studying turtles in Barren Meadow, getting to know the turtles so well they are individually named. Atahualpa, for example, was found being carried on top of other turtles like his namesake, the Inca King who was carried by his subjects when he met the Spanish conquistadors. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>MTRI’s extensive research helps to identify critical areas for protection by the Nature Trust. Jeffie McNeil, a species-at-risk biologist with MTRI, highlighted the importance of the Barren Meadow site. “A high proportion of young turtles have been detected in this area, making it particularly important to conserve,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Nova Scotians have a unique opportunity to make a difference for rare turtles, and to give Atahualpa and Wink a home this holiday season and for many holidays to come. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Nature Trust must raise $20,000 by the December 19<sup>th</sup> closing date. They have issued an appeal for $10,000 in public support, which will be generously matched by $10,000 in matching grants from the Nova Scotia Crown Share Land Legacy Trust and the Marguerite Hubbard Charitable Foundation. Together these funds will make it possible to acquire and ensure the sanctuary is protected and stewarded in perpetuity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:15.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The Nature Trust’s Executive Director, Bonnie Sutherland, urges Nova Scotians to help save this rare turtle sanctuary. “With so few Blanding’s Turtles left in Nova Scotia, their fate is truly in our hands. Saving their remaining habitat is critical to the survival not just of Wink and his friends, but to the survival of this entire species in Nova Scotia.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>To make a donation to save the Barren Meadow turtle sanctuary, visit </span><a href="http://www.nsnt.ca/savingturtles"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>www.nsnt.ca/savingturtles</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> or call (902) 425-LAND.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Sutherland added that people can save turtles </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>and</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'> give a meaningful and memorable holiday gift at the same time, by “adopting” a turtle or a family of turtles</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. The donor receives a charitable tax receipt and the recipient receives a beautiful adoption certificate, turtle note cards, and a letter highlighting the conservation work the adoption makes possible. The gift can even be mailed directly to the recipient, making holiday gift-giving easy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Nature Trust’s endangered species work, including turtle conservation, receives financial support of the Government of Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program. <span style='color:black'>Thanks to ongoing support from government and other generous community partners and individual supporters, the Nature Trust has already protected over 80 properties, encompassing over 10,000 acres of outstanding conservation lands all across the province. These sites include the McGowan Lake and Bull Moose Meadow conservation lands, other critical turtle sanctuaries that Nova Scotians generously stepped up to help protect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:10.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:200%'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>For Broadcast Use:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:200%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Nova Scotia Nature Trust has an opportunity to <span style='color:black'>save a critical natural sanctuary for endangered Blanding’s Turtles in southwest Nova Scotia. They have just over a month to raise the remaining </span></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>$20,000</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'> needed to make the rare turtle sanctuary a reality. All donations will be matched dollar for dollar by generous foundation support.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:200%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Blanding’s Turtles are listed on both the Canadian and Nova Scotian endangered species lists. There are only about 350 turtles left in the province. With less than 1% of hatchlings surviving, and much of their habitat increasingly threatened by habitat loss and degradation, it is vital to protect the last remaining areas where Blanding’s Turtles thrive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;line-height:200%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The Nature Trust’s Executive Director, Bonnie Sutherland, urged Nova Scotians to help save this rare turtle sanctuary. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;line-height:200%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>“With so few Blanding’s Turtles left in Nova Scotia, their fate is truly in our hands.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:200%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Sutherland added that people can save turtles </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>and</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'> give a meaningful and memorable holiday gift at the same time, by “adopting” a turtle or a family of turtles as a gift</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. To donate or to symbolically adopt a turtle as a gift, visit </span><a href="http://www.nsnt.ca/savingturtles"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>www.nsnt.ca/savingturtles</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> or call (902) 425-LAND.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>-30-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:115%'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:115%'><b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>For information and to donate to the Barren Meadow Blanding’s Turtle sanctuary campaign visit: </span></b><a href="http://www.nsnt.ca/savingturtles"><b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>www.nsnt.ca/savingturtles</span></b></a><b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'> or call (902) 425-LAND. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><u><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p><span style='text-decoration:none'> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Photographs and additional information available: </span></i></b><a href="http://www.nsnt.ca/media"><b><i><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>www.nsnt.ca/media</span></i></b></a><b><i><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Contact: <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Maggie Sutherland<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Nova Scotia Nature Trust<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Work: (902) 425-5263<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Cell: (902) 579-4875<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Email: </span><a href="mailto:maggie@nsnt.ca"><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>maggie@nsnt.ca</span></a><u><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:blue'><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>Maggie Sutherland<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>Communications and Fundraising Assistant<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>Nova Scotia Nature Trust<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><a href="mailto:maggie@nsnt.ca"><span style='color:blue'>maggie@nsnt.ca</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>w: (902)425-5263 c: (902)579-4875<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>@NSnaturetrust<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><img border=0 width=357 height=179 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D245B3.8C4C9F60" alt=FriendsEmailSignature><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>