News Release - July 7, 2013

Duck Mountain one of two provincial parks in all of Canada being logged

WINNIPEG - In an announcement today, the Manitoba government trumpeted new park improvements to the popular Duck Mountain Provincial Park, but failed to address the greatest ongoing threat to the park – industrial logging.

“Logging does not belong in Manitoba’s provincial parks,” said Eric Reder, Campaign Director for the Wilderness Committee. “Manitobans are overwhelmingly against logging in provincial parks, and the Manitoba government has acknowledged this."

In 2009 due to mounting public pressure, the Manitoba government passed legislation that banned logging in all parks except Duck Mountain. Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario is the only other park in Canada that still allows logging.

“Manitobans know the value of parks, for recreation and for the important ecosystems that they protect,” said Reder. “Mining and logging both threaten park recreation and park ecosystems. Allowing logging and mining in parks goes against all we now know about protecting our Earth.”

Earlier this spring, again due to public pressure, the Manitoba government acknowledged the need to remove mining from provincial parks, stopped the development of a peat mine in Hecla / Grindstone Provincial Park, and banned all peat mining from parks.

“Manitobans want all industrial activity out of parks. Period,” said Reder.

–30–

For more information contact:

Eric Reder, Manitoba Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee - (204) 997–8584

Photo: Aerial view of Duck Mountain Provincial Park (Credit: Ryan K. Brook)

Click here to download the high-res image.