Hinterland Who's Who - Hinterland Who's Who Introduces Canadians to the Woodland Caribou

Hinterland Who's Who Introduces Canadians to the Woodland Caribou

April 14, 2005 — Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Forest Products Association of Canada unveiled the woodland caribou today as the newest species to be profiled by the Hinterland Who’s Who public service announcements and Web site. This latest in the series of popular television vignettes is the first to be supported by a sponsoring organization such as FPAC.

“Hinterland Who’s Who is an icon of Canadian culture and is for many Canadians their first connection to wildlife,” said Colin Maxwell, Executive Vice President of CWF. “Our new series, relaunched in 2003, has helped us broaden that connection and, at the same time, build our understanding of the importance of conserving and protecting Canada’s rich natural heritage. Our partnership with CWS combines their scientific research with our expertise in education and community outreach, ensuring that our message is distributed to a vast network of educators across Canada.”

“While caribou are found throughout many regions of Canada, the public is less aware of woodland caribou that inhabit the boreal forest across Canada and the mountainous forests of western Canada,” said Avrim Lazar, President and CEO of FPAC. "The Canadian forest industry is very pleased to be teaming up with CWF and CWS to sponsor the HWW woodland caribou series. We’ve worked diligently to implement sustainable forest management practices to ensure that our forests will continue to support rich, diverse wildlife communities. Indeed, FPAC members have taken a leadership role in research, inventory or monitoring related to the caribou,” continued Lazar. “Additionally, the industry has been actively involved in recovery plans for caribou in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Quebec.

“It is fitting that we launch this latest Hinterland’s Who’s Who vignette on the woodland caribou as we conclude our annual National Wildlife Week,” said the Honorable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment. “The goal of this national celebration of wildlife, which takes place between April 10th and 16th, is to educate Canadians about wildlife conservation issues, and Hinterland Who’s Who has been bringing Canadians closer to our wilderness heritage for more than 40 years. Through this collaboration with both a respected non-government organization such as CWF, and now, an industry-based organization like the FPAC, we build on this tradition and further illustrate to all Canadians that our natural resources are treasured by everyone.”

“Recycling is one way all Canadians can help. Recycling helps to maximize our forest resources by ensuring that they are utilized to their fullest extent. We firmly believe that each of us can make a difference when it comes to conserving our natural heritage,” added Lazar.

Hinterland Who’s Who is a joint program of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Together, they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the series. HWW has been bringing Canadians closer to our wilderness heritage for more than 40 years. The two organizations joined forces to provide every Canadian with an opportunity to learn about wildlife and share ideas on how to make a difference in the classroom and community. HWW’s goals are: to create a definitive source of credible information about Canada’s wild species and their habitat through interesting, informative public service announcements, an authoritative Web site, and printed fact sheets; to renew the spirit of the HWW series through a comprehensive awareness campaign; and to encourage all Canadians to participate in programs and activities that would have a positive impact on wildlife.

FPAC is the voice of Canada’s wood, pulp and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade and environmental affairs. Canada’s forest industry represents 3 per cent of Canada’s GDP and exports $40 billion of wood, pulp and paper annually. The industry is one of the Canada’s largest employers, operating in over 1200 Canadian communities and providing 900,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country.

CWF is dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, sponsoring research, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending legislative changes, and cooperating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians may live in harmony with nature. Visit www.cwf-fcf.org for more information.

CWS, part of Environment Canada, handles wildlife matters that are the responsibility of the federal government. These include the protection and management of migratory birds, nationally significant habitat, and endangered species, as well as work on other wildlife issues of national and international importance. In addition, CWS researches many subjects within the field of wildlife biology.