For Immediate Release

Media Release: Celebrating 30 Years of Conservation Success

Carolinian Canada's 30th Anniversary AGM

St. Thomas, ON. March 14, 2014 – On Thursday, May 22^nd, Carolinian Canada will celebrate 30 years of significant conservation at the Canada Southern Railway Station in St. Thomas. Join directors and staff for an Elgin Greenway bus tour to kick off the day. The Chair’s Lunch, annual Carolinian Canada Conservation Awards, and launch of our 30 for 30 campaign will take place in the afternoon.  An information fair and chance to share memories on an interactive timeline will follow. All members of the public are welcome.     

Southern Ontario’s Carolinian Life Zone has the richest diversity of species in Canada. Yet many are in peril – more than 500 species listed as rare, endangered or threatened. Carolinian Canada’s work stands out because it adheres to a “Big Picture” vision of an ecologically linked landscape.  Progress toward this goal is creating healthier habitats and improving air and water quality for all.   

People are an important part of the conservation equation, and Carolinian Canada has a long track record of engaging landowners and addressing their interests. Collaboration, through programs like Landowner Leaders is critical in an area where 98% of the ecoregion is privately owned. A place that 8.7 million people, a quarter of the nation’s population, call home.   

“I’m very fortunate to be associated with the evolution of Carolinian Canada through its 30 year history”, says Jo-Anne Rzadki of Conservation Ontario. “I am also grateful to the thousands of private landowners across the region who have voluntarily taken care of the many “gems” that make this part of the Ontario and Canada a vibrant, resilient and quality place to live.”

“In three decades, the Coalition has become the leading voice for conservation in the region,” adds Don Pearson, Chair of Carolinian Canada. “The Carolinian Life Zone is now universally recognized for its importance. Tangible progress toward a goal of preserving significant examples of one of Canada’s most unique ecoregions has been realized.”

 Learn more and register on our website, caroliniancanada.ca.

Media Contacts:

Michelle Kanter, Executive Director
Carolinian Canada Coalition, media@carolinian.org, 519-433-7077

Dee Crilly, Network Manager
Carolinian Canada Coalition, network@carolinian.org

Jen van Overbeeke, Metcalf Foundation Intern and Outreach Assistant
Carolinian Canada Coalition, intern@carolinian.org

About Carolinian Canada Coalition:  Since 1984, Carolinian Canada Coalition (CCC), now a registered charity, has been a leading ecoregional group in Canada. Stretching from Toronto to Windsor, the Carolinian Life Zone of southwestern Ontario is among North America's most vibrant and fragile ecoregions. CCC brings together diverse sectors, people and governments to collaboratively steward southwestern Ontario's unique habitat network, green infrastructure to support thriving wild and human communities in harmony for generations.

About Conservation Ontario: Conservation Ontario is made up of a network of 36 Conservation Authorities, community-based watershed management agencies dedicated to conserving, restoring and managing Ontario’s natural resources on a watershed basis.  Fourteen Conservation Authorities are located in the Carolinian Life Zone, and are founding partners in the promotion, restoration and stewardship of important natural features that have contributed to the environmental, community and economic resiliency of Carolinian Canada for over 30 years.

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Brought to you by Carolinian Canada: a network of leaders growing healthy landscapes for a green future in the Carolinian Zone, Ontario’s extraordinary far south
Explore CarolinianCanada.ca
Canadian Registered Charity 83559 4722
inquiries: info@carolinian.org