Canadian Wildlife Federation Encourages Canadians to Join in the Walk for Wildlife

MONTRÉAL, April 12, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is urging Canadians to get out and go wild with the Walk for Wildlife, part of nationwide celebrations for National Wildlife Week, April 10 to 16, 2011.

Join the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the CWF Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest and IMAX®TELUS at the Montréal Science Centre on April 13, 2011 for the city's first Walk for Wildlife and Get to Know Contest launch. Students from local schools will explore the wildlife and habitats in the CWF gardens, meet the hosts of Hinterland Who's Who, get up-close-and-personal with some visiting animals from a wildlife refuge centre, and see the new IMAX® 3D movie Born to Be Wild.

Walk for Wildlife is a national campaign that encourages all Canadians to experience the wildlife and natural spaces in their area, then log their kilometres at NationalWildlifeWeek.com. As 2011 is International Year of Forests, this year's focus is forest conservation. The goal is to log enough kilometres to walk across Canada, creating national awareness about our forests and the wildlife that inhabits them.

"More than half of Canada is covered by forests," noted Wade Luzny, CWF CEO and Executive Vice-President. "As Canadians, we are extremely fortunate to be surrounded by some of the most intact forest habitats on the planet, which are home to a spectacular variety of wildlife."

The event also launches the 2011 edition of the CWF Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest ( gettoknow.ca). Launched by renowned Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman and now in its eleventh year, the contest encourages youth to get to know their wild neighbours outdoors, then submit artwork, writing, photography or video entries inspired by their experiences for the chance to win prizes. "The Walk for Wildlife and Get to Know Contest complement each other beautifully, and we're proud to be co-managing the contest this year," said Luzny.

Everyone in Canada can be a part of the Walk for Wildlife by hiking on a nature trail, strolling through a park or participating in any number of other outdoor activities that will allow them to connect with native animals, plants and habitats.

"By encouraging people to get acquainted with some of the iconic species and scenic places that exist right across the country, we want to inspire Canadians to an even greater commitment to wildlife and habitat conservation," said Luzny. "We want to leave a lasting legacy, not only for wildlife but also for our children."

National Wildlife Week was declared by Parliament in 1947 and is celebrated each year from Sunday to Saturday in the week of April 10, the birth date of Jack Miner, one of the founders of Canada's conservation movement.

For more information about National Wildlife Week and the Walk for Wildlife, visit NationalWildlifeWeek.com.

About the Canadian Wildlife Federation:

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, sponsoring research, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending changes to policy and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit www.cwf-fcf.org.

CWF encourages Canadians to join in the Walk for Wildlife

OTTAWA, April 9, 2010 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - The Canadian Wildlife Federation is urging Canadians to head outdoors and "Walk for Wildlife" to celebrate National Wildlife Week.

The Walk for Wildlife is a national campaign to encourage people from coast to coast to experience the wildlife and natural spaces in their region then log their kilometres at NationalWildlifeWeek.com. Walkers can log as often as they like, all kilometres will be added to our national tally. CWF will be keeping count of kilometres until May 22, International Day of Biodiversity. The goal is to log enough kilometres to go right across Canada creating national awareness about wildlife conservation and biodiversity.

"We are fortunate in our country to have some of the world's most spectacular wildlife all around us," says Wade Luzny, CWF Executive Vice-President. "The United Nations declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. We're asking Canadians to head outdoors and discover Canada's biodiversity right in their own backyard and then tell us how far they walked for wildlife by logging their kilometres online."

Participants can join in the Walk for Wildlife by hiking through a nature trail, strolling through a park, hitting the city streets or any number of other outdoor activities that will allow them to connect with native species, plants and habitats.

"By encouraging people to get acquainted with some of the iconic species and scenic spaces that exist right across the country, we are hoping to inspire an even greater commitment to wildlife and biodiversity conservation," says Luzny. "We want to leave a lasting legacy, not only for wildlife but also for our children."

National Wildlife Week is celebrated each year the week of April 10th, in honour of the late Jack Miner, who was instrumental in founding Canada's conservation movement.

For more information about the National Wildlife Week and the Walk for Wildlife, visit NationalWildlifeWeeK.com

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