PLANET IN PERIL

PLT: So…I see the Government of Manitoba is going to "improve amenities" in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. That's nice. It's a great place. Apparently those improvements will make the park "more environmentally friendly to lakes and rivers." Sounds good, so far, right?  But hold on a moment.  One of those amenities, reads the government press release, will include "trail upgrades" for ATVs (all terrain vehicles)! ATVs?  Aren't those the same noisy, dangerous and polluting machines that too many irresponsible people use to invade quiet wildness, rip up the back country and harass wildlife with? Sounds like the same, to me. I don't even understand why these offensive inventions are allowed in the parks in the first place. That we should actually pamper and roll out the red carpet for them to boot, makes about as much sense as allowing logging there.  Oh, I forgot. Logging is  still allowed in "The Ducks," too, isn'

the guardian For centuries we've treated forests poorly. Yet we're only just learning how crucial trees are to our survival. Details here. Making way for more farmland in Manitoba, CA. PLT photo. 

The Express ONE of Britain’s top trout rivers has been devastated by a deadly pesticide. Details here. PLT: This is the same crap (chlorpyrfos) which likely poisoned a Manitoba family a few years ago.  Please also read:   " Family Believes it was Poisoned by Crop Spray"

KCCU - the salt A Canadian farm. PLT photo Farming already "fingered" as leading cause of water pollution south of the border. Officials there try to find out more. Details here.

David Suzuki The normally tranquil Boggy Creek in west-central Manitoba in full  "flood mode" a couple of years ago. PLT photo. News of the devastating floods in Alberta hit Canadians hard. We've all been moved by extraordinary stories of first responders and neighbours stepping in to help and give selflessly at a time of great need. As people begin to pick up their lives, and talk turns to what Calgary and other communities can do to rebuild, safeguarding our irreplaceable, most precious flood-protection assets should be given top priority.  Details here.

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Save a world heritage site from the grasping, greedy, destructive hands of Big Oil!               Please sign! 

Huffington Post The world suffered unprecedented climate extremes in the decade to 2010, from heatwaves in Europe and droughts in Australia to floods in Pakistan, against a backdrop of global warming, a United Nations report said on Wednesday. Full story here.

DeSmog Blog With many eyes honed in on the  Powder River Basin   coal export battle in the Northwest , another coal export boom is unfolding on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Full story here.

Centre for Policy Alternatives Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh has announced legislation on cosmetic pesticides that will finally bring Manitoba into step with the majority of other provinces in Canada. Full story here. Related: Manitoba to Proceed With Ban on Cosmetic Pesticides

the Farmacy Though the controlled corporate media apparatus is suppressing the story, 40 tons of GMO crops were torched, prompting an FBI investigation. Full story here.

Gwynne Dyer - Winnipeg Free Press The news on the population front sounds bad: Birth rates are not dropping as fast as expected, and we are likely to end up with an even bigger world population by the end of the century. Details here.