Earthwild JUNE 17, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Vancouver, BC – First-Ever “Canada's Top Ten Most Endangered Rivers" List Released Today Earthwild released the first-ever Canada’s Top Ten Most Endangered Rivers List (CMER). Co-sponsored by TD/Friends of the Environment Foundation and Mountain Equipment Co-op, the goal of the project is to raise the profile of Canadian rivers most threatened by human activity. Sharing top position are the Rupert and Kipawa Rivers, both located in the province of Quebec. Both rivers have been slated for development after Premier Bernard Landry gave Hydro-Quebec the go-ahead for a massive expansion of the province's hydroelectric system. At least 22 other rivers will be affected. “Quebec should not be allowed to sacrifice magnificent wild rivers like the Rupert and the Kipawa to feed the insatiable American appetite for energy,” said David Boyd, Chair of the Canadian Endangered Rivers Review Committee. “The claim that hydroelectricity provides clean energy ignores compelling scientific evidence about the impacts on fish, wildlife, and the health of Aboriginal people.” Other rivers featured in the CMER report are: the Okanagan and Fraser Rivers (British Columbia); the St. Lawrence River (Quebec); the Detroit River (Ontario); the Peel River (Yukon and the Northwest Territories); the Berens and Albany Rivers (Manitoba and Ontario); the Petitcodiac River (New Brunswick); the Main River (Newfoundland); and the Cornwallis River (Nova Scotia). “Few countries owe more to their rivers than Canada and yet, our waterways face an array of threats,” said Mark Angelo, Vice Chair of the Canadian Endangered Rivers Review Committee. “Consequently, there's a need for all levels of government to develop new and more extensive strategies to better care for our rivers.” The full report – as well as nomination forms for CMER 2003 – are available online at www.earthwild.ca.  -------------------- CANADA’S TOP TEN MOST ENDANGERED RIVERS LIST BACKGROUNDER  WHY A TOP TEN LIST? There are a multitude of threats currently facing Canadian rivers. In response to the urgent need to better protect and conserve our rivers, Earthwild International has launched the “Canada’s Top Ten Most Endangered Rivers” (CMER) project. Earthwild is a Vancouver-based organization dedicated to conserving biological and cultural diversity, and the goal of this project is to generate the attention and cooperation needed to ensure the conservation of Canadian rivers.  HOW THEY WERE CHOSEN Each of the rivers represented on the list was nominated by organizations or individuals throughout the country and selected by a national committee with a broad knowledge of Canadian rivers. Rivers were chosen on the basis of three main criteria: the regional and national significance of the river, given its ecological, cultural and historical values; the imminence and magnitude of the threat facing the river; and the likelihood that major decisions about the river’s future will be made in the next year. WHY THEY TOPPED THE LIST Topping the 2002 list are the Rupert and Kipawa rivers in Quebec, so named because of Hydro-Quebec’s plans to dam and divert them. As many as 24 rivers may be dammed or diverted as Hydro-Quebec seeks to add 1,800 megawatts of new generating capacity in the next five years to serve growing American energy demands. Next on the list is the Petitcodiac River in New Brunswick, whose causeway has dramatically altered the ecosystem. The Petitcodiac has the unfortunate distinction of being one of very few rivers where man’s influence can be seen from space. In third place is Newfoundland’s Main River. One of Canada’s top wilderness canoeing rivers, and home to endangered species like the Newfoundland pine marten, the Main is threatened by logging and road-building. MORE AT-RISK RIVERS Because there are many more than 10 endangered rivers in the country, we also highlight a number of other Canadian rivers that were nominated, but not chosen, for the CMER list in a “Rivers at Risk” section of our Web site. In-depth profiles of the Top Ten Most Endangered Rivers and other Rivers at Risk are available on the Earthwild website at www.earthwild.ca.  For more information on Canada’s Top Ten Most Endangered Rivers List, please contact: Cara Ryan (cryan@earthwild.ca)   Project Coordinator, Earthwild International 604-707-0787