On a brilliant, sunny October day, we took wishes of wilderness to the halls of power. Earlier that morning Paloma pulled some 5,000 signature cards out of the lock-up in our office, and boxed them up to be delivered to Premier Selinger. The cards were all from Manitobans who asked Premier Selinger to protect Manitoba’s Conservation Hotspots by the end of 2010.

In the summer of 2009, the Wilderness Committee released the Conservation Hotspots Educational Report, which listed five top candidate areas in the province that were in need of protection from development. Manitobans really responded to the campaign, and we knew they would. It only makes sense that special and unique places in the province are preserved. One essential component of the Hotspots campaign, though, is the need to raise awareness of the ecological services that wild and natural areas provide for Manitobans, and for the entire planet. Not only are these Hotspots preserving rare plants and animals, but they do things like filter our water, clean our air, store carbon, and help mitigate our climate.

We chatted with a reporter on the steps of the Legislature before taking our delivery to the man in charge. The stack of postcards sitting on Premier Selinger’s table looked impressive, and really it is. There are few issues in Manitoba that so many people can agree to support, but protecting our lands and waters is one of them. Hopefully the government will recognize this, and make parks and protected areas a priority.

- Eric Reder
 

The voices of 5,000 Manitobans in Selinger's office: More wilderness please!'