|
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Dear {FIRST_NAME|Reader},
We hope 2009 is off to a great start for you. We are energized and ready to fill another year with successes in protecting Canada's Boreal Forest.
Global Warming Forces Birds North
 Nearly 60% of the 305 bird species found in North America in winter are on the move, shifting their ranges northward by an average of 35 miles, according to a report released by Audubon last week. Audubon scientists analyzed 40 years of citizen-science Christmas Bird Count data – and their findings provide new and powerful evidence that global warming is having a serious impact on natural systems.
Find out more at the Audubon site >
Read Dr. Jeff Wells' blog on the topic >
Sign a petition asking policy makers to take action >
Read Dr. Jeff Wells' opinions in ClimateWire article >
Syncrude Charged with 500 Duck Deaths
 The governments of both Alberta and Canada last week charged energy company Syncrude Canada with breaking environmental laws. The charges were raised in response to the tragic loss of 500 waterfowl that died covered in oil, after landing on a Syncrude tailings pond last April. The pond and others like it contain the toxic byproducts of the company's tar sands oil production.
Find out more >
Audubon Magazine Profiles the Boreal Forest
 Contributing editor T. Edward Nickens ventured deep into the wilderness of Canada's Boreal Forest with our own Dr. Jeff Wells for a week last June. The result is this compelling account of the threats and opportunities present in this vast habitat. Nickens's fascinating article explores what it means for Boreal birds when 1.9 million acres of trees are being cut every year in the Boreal Forest.
Read the article >
Check out Nickens' personal journal and photos from the trip >
Follow Jeff Wells' blog posts on the trip, with bird sounds >
Cut Down on Carbon and Help Birds
 In the early stages of 2009, how are your new year's resolutions going? Maybe you're cutting calories or expenses. How about cutting carbon? If you are wondering what you can do in the face of global warming and its effects on birds, try starting at home. Making simple, easy changes in your lifestyle can have a major impact on the health of the planet and all of its inhabitats – including the billions of migratory birds that will soon start flying north to Canada's Boreal. Here is a list of carbon-saving "resolutions" for the year from our friends at Nature Canada.
Get tips for cutting down on carbon >
Help Protect Vital Nesting & Resting Spot
 All four major flyways in North America converge in one spot in Canada's Boreal Forest, the Peace-Athabasca Delta in northeastern Alberta. More than 1 million birds, including tundra swans, snow geese and countless ducks, stop to rest in these wetlands each year. For many waterfowl, this area is their only nesting ground. However, tar sands oil production upstream threatens the delta. Tell Canadian officials to protect bird habitat in the Boreal Forest.
Sign the letter to Jim Prentice, Environment Minister >
|
