Boycott Point Pelee National Park - Protect Birds

Wednesday March 12, 2008: The Peaceful Parks Coalition will begin canvassing residents of Leamington, Ontario to discuss the decision by Point Pelee National Park to shoot thousands of nesting Double-crested Cormorants at Middle Island, and explain the decision by The Peaceful Parks Coalition to issue a boycott of the park.

“Point Pelee management has made unfounded claims and dishonest comparisons regarding the vegetation loss on Middle Island, and we simply cannot ignore this,” say AnnaMaria Valastro of the Peaceful Parks Coalition.

“We also don’t believe Parks Canada has public support for their decision to reduce the cormorant population by 90%. People who have expressed their opposition but whose voices park management has ignored can act independently of government agencies through a boycott,” says Valastro.

Historically, boycotts have been instrumental in establishing positive social and environmental change, and are an effective yet quiet method of sending a strong message.

A boycott of Point Pelee National Park could also spread tourist dollars throughout the region. Point Pelee has always acted as a source sink for tourists, but there are hundreds of alternative beach and birding sites within minutes of the park gates, all as good as Point Pelee itself. Spreading the wealth could be a positive outcome of a boycott.

The Peaceful Parks will begin their canvass of Leamington residents as of Thursday March 13, 2008.

Residents will have the opportunity to directly contact Conservative MP Jeff Watson at the door.

For more information, please contacted AnnaMaria Valastro at 416.785.8636 cell

Note To The Editor:

Historical Boycotts:

• The United Farm Workers Union led a successful boycott against California grapes and wines throughout the 1980s protesting the use of pesticides on grapes and its effects on worker’s health.
• A global boycott of canned tuna forced tuna producing countries to abandon the deadly use of driftnets that killed dolphins and other marine animals as by-catch.
• A consumer rejection of genetically modified foods has created a prosperous organic food industry that continues to expand today.