Released on June 4, 2002
The City of Moose Jaw has adopted a Burrowing Owl Conservation Plan thatcreates one of the first urban conservation areas in Canada, where an urban
municipality actively plans for the co-existence of an endangered species
and ongoing development.
The announcement was made today as part of activities to celebrate
Environment Week in Saskatchewan.
The burrowing owl conservation area is in the northern part of the city,
from the Lynbrook Golf Course north through Sunningdale Park and the
Exhibition Grounds to the Western Development Museum. The area includes
the Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre.
A second area of protected burrowing owl habitat will be established on the
land that was formerly the Moose Jaw Wild Animal Park, in an area known to
have been inhabited by the owls.
The city's conservation efforts are supported by Saskatchewan Environment
and several other nature and conservation organizations.
"This project is another example of environmental leadership by the City of
Moose Jaw," Acting Environment Minister Buckley Belanger said. "In
addition to supporting burrowing owl habitat conservation, Moose Jaw was
the first city in the province to start cleaning up old gas stations, and
one of the first to start effluent irrigation and urban composting."
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For more information, contact:
Wayne Harris
Environment
Swift Current
Phone: (306) 778-8218