St. Lawrence Islands National Park of Canada celebrates the doubling of its original size

MALLORYTOWN LANDING, ON, Oct. 21 /CNW Telbec/ – On behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Mr. Gord Brown, Member of Parliament for Leeds-Grenville, took part today in a ceremony to recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions made by members of the community to St. Lawrence Islands
National Park of Canada.

“Today, I congratulate the many individuals, families and organizations
who have worked alongside St. Lawrence Islands National Park towards achieving
stewardship and conservation,” said Minister Ambrose. “The success being
celebrated today is that of community effort which led to the doubling of the
size of the park. This in turn greatly contributes to Parks Canada’s ability
to preserve and present this area of the Thousand Islands ecosystem and
landscape to and for Canadians.”
During the ceremony, an Ecological Leadership award was presented to Mr.
Don Ross, Executive Director of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve, for his
exceptional environmental leadership.
An engraved window was unveiled to recognize the generous contributions
of local families – the Mallorys, the Skorynas, the Mathesons, the Blisses and
the Smiths – who have previously transferred family owned lands to St.
Lawrence Islands National Park of Canada as gifts to the people of Canada. In
addition, a land transfer from Ontario’s St. Lawrence Parks Commission and a
land donation from the Nature Conservancy of Canada were celebrated. The
addition of these lands to the park will contribute both to its conservation
role, and to sustainable tourism through the natural heritage experiences that
it can offer to Canadians.
“Today is not only a day to look back on the successes of community
stewardship efforts at St. Lawrence Islands National Park, but also a day to
look forward to continued and strengthened ties between the park and its
community,” said Mr. Brown.
Located a 1.5 hour drive from Ottawa, St. Lawrence Islands National Park
includes more than 24 islands and 90 islets scattered through the St. Lawrence
River corridor between Brockville and Kingston, Ontario, within the unique
Thousand Islands ecosystem. High levels of biodiversity, rare species habitat
and exceptional landforms representative of the region are found within these
areas.
Established in 1904 as the first national park located east of the
Rockies, St. Lawrence Islands National Park is one of the 42 national parks
and national park reserves of Canada that protect and present significant
examples of our nation’s natural and cultural heritage.
For further information: Joanne Hupp