Connecting Past and Present Conservation: Article: “BC government expanding endangered grasslands park to protect biodiversity” CBC News, June 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/grassland-bird-habitat-1.7217119 Unit three highlights how early conservation movements (like those inspired by Gifford Pinchot) emphasize sustained resource use but still impose restrictions with a top-down mentality. This article highlights how changing this strategy is beneficial to all parties involved. With the BC government expanding the Grasslands Park and taking the initiative to collaborate with local ranchers and Indigenous leaders, this reflects a more inclusive, eco-based approach to conservation movements. Contrary to the models of the early 20th century, this new hybrid…

The proposed expansion of Rouge National Urban Park – which would incorporate land formerly set aside for Pickering Airport – remains in limbo as Canada approaches a federal election. Conservation groups and local residents are concerned that political shifts might stall protections and undermine plans to preserve farmland and habitats adjacent to urban growth zones. The Rouge expansion effort reflects key principles we explored: integrating conservation planning into urban development, preserving ecological connectivity, and engaging Indigenous and local communities in decision-making. It also shows how policy uncertainties can directly impact long-term success in establishing new protected areas Rouge National Urban…

In Burlington, Ontario, city officials now close a section of King Road each spring for nearly a month so endangered Jefferson salamanders can safely cross during their annual migration to vernal pools. For 13 years, this practice has helped protect a small amphibian species whose survival is threatened by urbanization and habitat fragmentation. This real‑world action connects directly with what we studied in Unit 3 about site‑specific species conservation and the importance of maintaining ecological corridors even in heavily developed areas. It highlights how urban infrastructures, like roads, can disrupt animal life cycles, and how local stewardship decisions – even small…

A 2024 report investigates the Dene people’s forced removal from their ancestral territory during the creation of Wood Buffalo Provincial Park despite the fact that Dene people had the right to live in those lands based on Treaty No. 8. The article highlights how the “park became an instrument of colonial power in Denesuline homelands after 1922 and Indigenous peoples were expelled from the park in the name of conservation and tourism.” This represents Unit 3’s theme of Indigenous people’s exclusion from the parks.   https://www.nnsl.com/news/history-of-canadas-largest-national-park-reveals-exclusion-of-first-nations-people-and-injustice-7325376  

A 2024 CBC article reports how wetlands in Ottawa’s Goulbourn Township that were labelled “provincially significant” were removed from the protected areas by the City of Ottawa. Canada’s housing crisis and the government’s response to increase supply, significantly in popular suburbs, explains the builder’s interest and future constructions despite scientific review confirming wetlands’ ecological value. As a first-time home buyer myself who really hopes for more affordable prices, the question that is raised is whether these wetlands are the only potential area for construction. Did the authorities consult conservation experts before making this decision, or were the key players solely…