Mining is a threat to many of our wild areas, and a threat to our public lands. It's even a threat to our ability to decide what we want to do with our public lands. The first step in getting an area in Manitoba protected, any bit of land or water, is checking whether the mining industry will allow it. How can this entity, this "mining industry", have so much control of our public lands? Aren't the lands and waters public? No, not if the mining industry wants them. Just read about what's happening in the Red Deer WMA area.

The size and shape of the proposed Red Deer WMA is not being dictated by the natural features and ecological protection, as it should be. The boundary of this proposed protected area is being dictated by the mining community. In fact, the 2005 Protected Areas map shows a much larger Red Deer protected areas proposal than the government has now put forward. Over a dozen claims have been filed for the right to mine coal in this area, covering tens of thousands of hectares. Because of these recent mining claims (all within the last five years), the size of the proposed Red Deer WMA has been reduced, the amount of protection for the area has been reduced, and the ecosystem we are trying to protect could be compromised. The headwaters of Overflowing River, Santon River, North Shore Creek, and Lost River are all in areas claimed for coal strip mining, and all these waterways flow into the Red Deer WMA.

There are so many problems with mining coal here. Mining coal like the deposit located next to the Red Deer WMA would be done through strip mining. Strip mining of coal releases a tremendous amount of methane gas, which is for more potent as a cause of global warming than carbon dioxide is. Coal strip mining also has a terrible impact on water, and these coal deposits are all just a short distance upstream of the Red Deer WMA, and Manitoba's large lakes. The Red Deer WMA is being protected, in part, because of the ecological services we receive from the healthy lowlands ecosystem. Coal strip mining, even coal exploration, is detrimental to this area. On top of this, the eventual burning of this coal will have a further harmful impact on our planet.

The Wilderness Committee believes the first step is to ensure the entire proposed Red Deer WMA is protected. You can do that by talking this opportunity to voice your opinion to government through our handy letter-writing tool found here. Please forward this to friends, colleagues, and family who may not have heard of this proposal yet.

The second step is going to be to stop any plans for coal strip mining in this valuable and sensitive ecosystem. The cost to our province is simply too great. The short-term economic benefits will rob the next generation of the natural inheritance that we should be passing on to them. Remember, the public comment window closes on Friday!

ACT NOW!

Make your voice heard! Contact the government, and let them know if, in your opinion, the ENTIRE proposed Red Deer WMA should be permanently protected.

Please email your opinion to: pai@gov.mb.ca

To send a quick letter to government through our online letter writing tool, click here.

To read more about the Red Deer Wildlife Management Area proposal on our website, click here.

To read more about woodland caribou and the Red Deer WMA click here.

To visit the government page on New Proposed Protected Areas, click here.