Welcome to:

Dear Rod,

Today we celebrate a major environmental victory in British Columbia, Canada, as five million acres (2.2 million hectares) of critical habitat are being protected for the mountain caribou, one of North America's most endangered mammals.
    
I want you to know your online actions have made a big difference.  We couldn't announce this exciting news without you if you hadn't taken the time to show the BC government that you care about caribou!

For the past three years activists, organizations, celebrities, consumers, and business leaders have given so much to the campaign to protect mountain caribou habitat in the Inland Temperate Rainforest from logging and road building.

This announcement means British Columbia is moving forward with habitat protections that represent a significant commitment to the survival of one of North America's most endangered mammals.  Not only that, we believe the bar has been raised for forest protection in British Columbia.  People recognize the importance of old-growth forests for clean air and water, and climate change mitigation; governments now must too!

The mountain caribou recovery implementation plan means:

1. 5.4 million acres (2.2 million hectares) are protected from logging and road building.  This includes new protections amounting to over one million acres (380,000 hectares) and upgraded protections over hundreds of thousands more;
2. 95% of the high suitability caribou habitat identified by the BC government's caribou science team will be protected;
3. A commitment to develop new management approaches in remaining habitat that will restore forests to conditions that support a healthier predator-prey balance;
4. Development of stewardship agreements for commercial and non-commercial snowmobiling, heli-skiing and cat-skiing, and legal access closures of areas that science team members deem important for caribou.

Nearly one-third of the last remaining mountain caribou on Earth have been wiped out.  Now, about 1,900 remain and there is a new hope for them and us with this announcement.

Attention now shifts to the painstaking work of achieving legalization of the government's promises.  We will be calling on you for your continued support to hold the BC government accountable as the protections move through government processes towards legislation, expected in spring 2008.   Learn more.

Help us congratulate the BC government on this major milestone, and encourage them to move quickly to legally implement habitat protections.  Send a thank you message to BC Premier Gordon Campbell and Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell.

We are so happy to share this victory with you.

Sincerely,

The entire staff of ForestEthics