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As summer gives way to adventure and more time spent outdoors, we reflect back on five years of The Big Wild and its impact on Canada’s conservation landscape.
The Big Wild began as a partnership between Mountain Equipment Co-op and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society in 2008. We were two organizations coming together with one big, audacious goal: to protect at least half of Canada’s publicly owned wilderness. To do this, we asked Canadians to contact leaders and lawmakers to make tangible, specific changes to preserve Canada’s wild spaces. We needed your help, and you responded. You signed online petitions, you rallied your friends, you made donations and shared The Big Wild story. Your efforts have made real changes to Canada’s wilderness landscape.
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Photo courtesy Benjamin Gagnon – Big Wild, Big Water
Here’s a recap of some of our major conservation wins over the last five years:
- 2009: The Big Wild participated in a successful campaign to expand and protect the Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories. This World Heritage Site now protects over 30, 000 square kilometres along the Northwest Territories’ South Nahanni River, making it Canada’s third-largest national park.
- 2010: All oil, gold and coal extraction in the Flathead River Valley in British Columbia are permanently banned, keeping this wild space a working natural corridor for species.
- 2010: After two years of talks between 21 forest companies and nine environmental organizations in Canada, we arrived at an unprecedented agreement dedicated to sustainable forestry products and protection of Canada’s boreal forest. The Canadian Boreal Forest agreement covers more than 72 million hectares of public forests.
- 2012: The Canadian government released a recovery strategy for Boreal woodland caribou.
We couldn’t have done it without our conservation partners and the 100,000 individual actions Canadians made through petition signatures and donations. If you’ve paddled the pristine waters of the Flathead River Valley or hiked scenic trails along the canyons in Nahanni National Park Reserve, then you’ve witnessed first hand the impact conservation protection as led by Canadians can have on the land. We may be wrapping up The Big Wild but our partnerships with organizations like CPAWS will continue through projects like The Big Wild Challenge.
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Photo courtesy Scott Campbell – Big Wild, Big Water
The Big Wild Challenge is a simple and powerful idea that helps you raise money for nature by connecting your trips into the wild with the fundraising efforts of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. You may have already read about challenges in the MEC blog like Bruce Kirkby’s Pacific Ocean paddle. Even though the sun is setting on The Big Wild, its impact will live on through programs like the Big Wild Challenge.
The responsibility of taking care of nature doesn’t rest upon the shoulders of organizations like The Big Wild or MEC alone; it belongs to all of us who work and play in Canada’s big, beautiful backyard. Thank you for being part of The Big Wild these last five years and working to “do something small to save something big.”
To learn more about the Big Wild Challenge and how you can participate or donate, visit the Big Wild Challenge.
The post The sun sets on The Big Wild but rises to a new challenge appeared first on MEC Blog.