**NEWS RELEASE**

CONTACT:     SCOTT C. SMITH: (1-718-220-3698; ssmith@wcs.org)

                        JUSTINA RAY (1-416-850-9038 EXT. 22; jray@wcs.org)

WILDLIFE GETS A LIFT FROM

THE W. GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION 

Wildlife Conservation Society Canada awarded critical funding in support

of continued conservation work in Canada’s north

 (November 23, 2010) – The Wildlife Conservation Society Canada announced today it has received a two-year grant from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation that will help fund continued conservation efforts in two of Canada’s most pristine, yet imminently threatened, northern regions — Ontario’s Far North and Northern British Columbia/Southern Yukon.

Working in these priority landscapes since 2002, WCS Canada’s conservation efforts have focused on vulnerable wildlife such as caribou, wolverines, and freshwater fish. With the Foundation’s previous support, WCS has succeeded in building conservation partnerships and integrating research findings into land use and species recovery outcomes in these priority regions.

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation is a private, family charitable foundation committed to making grants in Canada for the benefit of Canadians, and has supported WCS’s work in these regions since February 2009. 

Geordie Dalglish, Chairman of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation said, “We are very pleased to support WCS. Their scientific research is essential and positions Canadian scientists to take leadership roles in the international issues that affect Canada's North.”  

WCS will use the new funding to continue to develop science-based solutions for conservation initiatives involving northern wildlife and wild places. Future field projects will include assessing the ecological needs of wetland-dependent wildlife such as moose, beaver, and breeding birds in the Yukon. This information will be used to inform forestry, agriculture and other development to help minimize impacts on wildlife and their habitats. WCS will also use field research to identify areas of wilderness to protect in Northern Ontario based on the needs of wildlife and local communities. 

“The conservation challenges in Canada’s north are diverse, numerous and immediate,” said Dr. Justina Ray, Executive Director of WCS Canada. “But so too are the opportunities to protect these unique and wild places and the wildlife that lives there. We are grateful for the support from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and the chance to continue this important work.” 

Along with helping to fund long-term conservation objectives, the Foundation’s grant monies will be used to mentor young scientists through The W. Garfield Weston Foundation Fellowship Program.

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Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada was incorporated as a conservation organization in Canada in 2004.  The mission of WCS Canada is to conserve wildlife and wild places by understanding the issues, developing science-based solutions, and working with others to carry out conservation actions across Canada. WCS Canada is distinguished from other environmental organizations through our role in generating science through field and applied research, and by using our results to encourage collaboration among scientific communities, organizations and policy makers to achieve conservation results. WCS Canada is independently registered and managed, while retaining a strong collaborative working relationship with sister WCS programs in more than 55 countries. Visit: www.wcscanada.org

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation is a private Canadian family foundation established in the 1950’s by Willard Garfield Weston and his wife Reta.  For three generations, The Foundation has maintained a family tradition of helping charitable organizations make a difference and enhance the quality of life for all Canadians. The Foundation directs the majority of its funds to organizations and projects in the fields of land conservation, education, and science in Canada’s North. 

Special Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to:

www.wcscanada.org/Support-Us/Donate

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