NARAMATA, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwire) -- 06/19/10 -- The Honourable Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board, Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Member of Parliament for Okanagan-Coquihalla, on behalf of Canada's Environment Minister, the Honourable Jim Prentice, today announced funding from the EcoAction Community Funding Program for one project in Naramata and another in Penticton. In total, $16,830 in federal funding will help community members to reduce pollution, improve air and water quality, and protect wildlife and natural habitat.
"Because 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity as declared by the United Nations, I am particularly proud to announce community funding which will help enhance an eco-sensitive area in the Okanagan," said Minister Day. "I commend the efforts of the Naramata Centre Society, and the Okanagan Nation Alliance who are taking action to protect and safeguard Canada's rich diversity."
"EcoAction Community Funding supports resilient communities in Canada willing to take concrete action through on-the-ground environmental projects that will achieve a more sustainable Canada," added Minister Prentice. "Their hard work and determination will help protect the abundance and variety of life that is part of our natural heritage."
"Working with the Naramata Creek Committee, Naramata Environmental Action Team and community volunteers and students, our project will enhance the habitat on the south bank of Naramata Creek by removing invasive species and planting native species," said Diane Ransom, Director of Marketing, Naramata Centre. "We are delighted to be moving forward and grateful for Environment Canada's EcoAction Community Program's support for this important initiative."
The Okanagan Nation Alliance is also receiving EcoAction funding. "We are working to rehabilitate and restore a riparian buffer along the Okanagan River, at McIntyre Dam, to help restore the area to improve foraging and breeding areas for a variety of wildlife," said Kari Alex, a fisheries biologist with the Okanagan Nation Alliance. "It's important work and we appreciate how the EcoAction Community Funding Program provides enabling funds for this type of hands-on activity."
The EcoAction Community Funding Program is a Government of Canada initiative that supports projects that rehabilitate, protect or enhance the natural environment, and builds the capacity of communities and individuals in support of a more sustainable Canada. The two projects announced today will assist locally-based, non-profit organizations taking action to protect nature at the community level.
For more information about the EcoAction Community Funding Program, please visit the Environment Canada's website, at http://www.ec.gc.ca/ecoaction.
For more information and to view a backgrounder on this announcement, please visit the Web site of Environment Canada, at http://www.ec.gc.ca/.
(Egalement offert en francais)
Contacts:
Office of the Minister of the Environment
Frederic Baril
Press Secretary
819-997-1441
Environment Canada
Media Relations
819-934-8008
1-888-908-8008
Canada's Environment Minister Twitter page:
http://twitter.com/jimprentice
Environment Canada's Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/environmentcan
