Politics Bigger Than Mountains

The Strand Robyn Holwell Photo

Political interference has effectively put progress on the Mealy Mountain Park at a standstill. The provincial government has put up roadblock after roadblock when it comes to this park to the point where it almost seems like sabotage. Like Lp said over in the Sound Board, can you imagine the Strand being torn up or The Eagle dammed??? Danny Williams looks at the area and can only see dollar signs, not the natural beauty of the area! The first proposed area for the park has been cut up so much by the government that whats left could scarcely be even called a national park. I would go completly in the other direction and say that the original plan for the park area be even expanded to include the Table Bay area which by the way has been discussed already.

White Bear River By Robyn Holwell

So if you are concerned with this issue I would ask you to please take advantage of the Mealy Mountain Park postcard campaign in The Labradorian this week.

Eagle River

The following is from http://www.naturecanada.ca/

The Mealy Mountains are a global treasure worth preserving.

1. The people of Labrador support the establishment of a national park. The Labrador Metis Nation, the Innu Nation, and the Labrador Inuit Association all recognize the material, spiritual and physical benefits of establishing a park in the Mealy Mountains.

2. Establishing a national park here will preserve the environmental, cultural and ecological integrity of several treasured natural landscapes, including five ecoregions that are not represented by any other national park in Canada.

3. A national park acts as an economic driver for local communities, in part through tourism. Adventure and discovery await the hardy nature enthusiast here. Wilderness experiences could include world-class canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, coastal walks, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife photography.

4. Labrador has many opportunities for forestry, mining and power development outside the proposed national park. Establishing this protected space means there will always be some part of the land left for the people of Labrador.

5. The Mealy Mountains are steeped in the traditional history of the first peoples of the land. For countless generations, the Labrador Innu have been sustained off this land they call Akamiuapishku. The Labrador Inuit and Labrador Metis have strong cultural and subsistence ties to the area.

6. Mealy mountains are home to some of Labrador’s best wetlands and salmon and brook trout habitat, and provide a haven for a threatened woodland caribou herd, along with moose, black bear, osprey, bald eagle and harlequin duck populations. Marine mammals abound in the coastal waters, including six species of seals and 16 species of dolphins and whales.

You can help!

The establishment of new national parks requires strong support from local communities, Aboriginal and provincial governments, and from Canadians. Help protect the Mealy Mountains, one of the last pristine forest wilderness areas on the continent. Write to the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Prime Minister and tell them you want a Mealy Mountains National Park established. Also tell them that you support full interim protection for the park study area.

Write to Office of the Prime MinisterHouse of CommonsOttawa, ON K1A 0A6(no postage required)E-mail: mailto:pm@pm.gc.ca

Office of the PremierGovernment of Newfoundland and LabradorConfederation Building, East BlockP.O. Box 8700St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6E-mail: mailto:premier@mail.gov.nl.ca

Click the link below to download an open form letter to send to the premeir indicating your support for The Mealy Mountain National Park

http://www.mediafire.com/?wrbazxxjnzi