CNF QUARTERLY REPORT TO AFFILIATES: (February 1999- April 1999) 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Canadian Nature Federation (CNF) is the national voice for naturalist organizations in 
     
     Canada. The NHSPEI is an affiliate of the CNF and, over the years, has assisted it in its programs. The 
     
     CNF is expanding its outreach efforts to affiliates and its small staff and volunteers are working actively 
     
     to implement environmental programs. The following tidbits from their report highlights some of their 
     
     act1v1t1es. 
     
    

    
     Wildlands Program: pressed for amendments to National Parks Act to protect new national parks; 
     
     continued campaigns to establish Torngat Mountains and Manitoba Lowlands national parks; launched 
     
     campaign to identify boundaries and establish Mealy Mountain national park; worked with affiliates to 
     
     implement a federal strategy for new Quebec national parks; advocated ecological boundaries for Wager 
     
     Bay and Bathurst Island National Parks; assessed need for a campaign for the Wolf Lake (Yukon) 
     
     proposed national park; developed proposal for campaign to protect Greater Nahanni Ecosystem; 
     
     continued campaign against the Cheviot Coal Mine and to protect Jasper National Park; and finalized and 
     
     implemented a strategy for Grasslands Trust Fund. 
     
    

    
     Endangered Species Legislation: continued efforts to get laws passed in all jurisdictions to 
     
     adequately protect all endangered species and their habitat including working with the multi-stakeholder 
     
     Species at Risk Working Group (SARWG) to prepare a collective response to the government's discussion 
     
     document; participated in a press release to condemn the government's proposal and to draw attention to 
     
     SARWG's framework for the protection of species at risk; met with Canada's wildlife directors recently to 
     
     discuss the issues of habitat protection, scope, and safety net; pressured government to reverse their 
     
     September decision to remove voting rights from COSEWIC's Sub-Committee Chairs and had decision 
     
     modified to allow all eight Sub-Committee Chairs to participate as full voting members of the Committee 
     
     (note that COSEWIC's sub-committee's have been expanded from six to eight, giving the non-government 
     
     scientists two more voting seats). 
     
    

    
     Important Bird Areas Program: worked to ensure that 500 IBAs are identified and approved by 
     
     Technical Steering Committee through publishing the Important Bird Areas brochure in both French and 
     
     English, printing and distributing the Fall issue of IBA News Canada (IBA newsletter), published articles 
     
     on the IBA program and Natural Legacy 2000 in the Federation of New Brunswick Naturalist’s "NB 
     
     Naturalist" and the British Columbia Partners in Flight- Canada Newsletter, participating in a joint press 
     
     conference (CNF, World Wildlife Fund, Ducks Unlimited Canada, The Nature Conservancy) to announce 
     
     the first 100 projects under the Natural Legacy 2000 initiative to the media and funders; and hired IBA 
     
     Conservation Planners in a number of areas including the Maritimes 
     
    

    
     Endangered Plants and Invertebrates in Canada (EPIC) Program: continued developing the 
     
     Invasive Plants Alert Survey (IPAS) with National Botanical Services; participated in a training workshop 
     
     on the use of IUCN criteria in Ottawa ,then used these criteria in addition to COSEWIC criteria for 
     
     assigning status to endangered Canadian wildlife at the 1999 COSEWIC meetings; and completed its 
     
     recommended status for 76 species that will be listed by COSEWIC in 1999. 
     
    

    
     Education/Communications Program: promoted Nature Canada/Nature Alert; maintained 
     
     BirdQuest and the Ancient Forest Publications; issued press releases for the Lady Beetle survey, 
     
     IBA/Natural Legacy projects, and Cheviot Mine decision; continued Nature Alert’s interactive focus in 
     
     the spring issue with three pages devoted to readers' tips and survey participation opportunities; prepared 
     
     a communications plan and worked on an internal communications calendar with input from all 
     
    
   
   
    
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