December 15, 2008

Tell the Canadian government that tar sands mining is threatening North America's birds

Each spring, billions of birds descend on the wild Canadian boreal forest to build nests and raise their young. More than half of North America's bird species breed in the boreal, and for many, the ancient forest provides their only nesting ground. A stretch of just a few miles in this vast northern network of forests, lakes, river valleys and wetlands can support as many as 600 breeding pairs of migratory birds.

Yet critical nesting areas in the western boreal are under threat by tar sands production, a new type of oil development. In Alberta, tar sands mining and drilling cause significant bird habitat destruction. Toxic waste ponds result in up to 100,000 drowned and oil-drenched birds every year. And global warming changes already affecting boreal birds are exacerbated by the tar sands, which account for Canada's fastest growing source of global warming pollution.

But the Canadian government continues to allow expansion of mining and drilling for tar sands oil in the boreal forest, anticipating a growth from the current 1.3 million barrels per day to as high as 5 million barrels per day. If this destruction continues at the projected rate, as many as 166 million birds, including future generations, could be permanently lost.

What to do

Tell the Canadian government to protect bird habitat throughout the boreal forest by halting the expansion of tar sands mining.