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Mon, July 6, 2009
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Thu, July 2, 2009 TRANSCANADA and Nature Conservancy of Canada: TransCanada and Nature Conservancy of Canada Celebrate Significant Partnership fo
RED DEER, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - July 2, 2009) - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment, today joined Hal Kvisle, President & CEO of TransCanada (TSX:TRP) (NYSE:TRP) and John Lounds, President & CEO of the Nature Conservancy of Canada to celebrate a significant conservation partnership worth up to $11.4 million in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
"The Government of Canada is proud to play a role in securing this important habitat in southern Alberta. The Red Deer River Natural Area contains some of the most productive wetlands in North America," said Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment. "Conservation of these lands is a priority for our government as they provide habitat for migratory birds and several species at risk."
At the heart of the partnership is a milestone investment of $2.4 million from TransCanada to support the Nature Conservancy of Canada's work.
"TransCanada is proud to join the Nature Conservancy of Canada's work to advance the long-term conservation and stewardship of healthy native parkland in the Red Deer River Natural Area," said Hal Kvisle, President & CEO, TransCanada. "Environmental stewardship is integral to all aspects of our business and TransCanada believes we have a responsibility to protect the environment for future generations."
This is TransCanada's largest community investment to-date. It will leverage as much as $9 million in funding to conserve the most critical areas of biodiversity in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Five million will be invested directly in the Red Deer River Natural Area. This contribution represents the sole private sector investment in the Red Deer River Natural Area.
The matching funds for TransCanada's generous investment will come from the Government of Canada's $225 million Natural Areas Conservation Program and the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
"We are grateful for TransCanada's generous support which will preserve critical natural habitat. Partnership is the key to any long-term conservation success. This investment is the catalyst for a unique partnership. A private corporation, government and a not-for-profit organization are working together to ensure our natural treasures will be here for future generations to enjoy," said John Lounds, President & CEO of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
"Some of our goals in the Red Deer River Natural Area are to impede further loss of native parkland, and to maintain and recover habitat for the benefit of biodiversity, especially Species at Risk such as the Piping Plover. The Red Deer River Natural Area is vulnerable, as are many parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, to further threat of development and agricultural conversion. TransCanada's generous support provides us with the ability, over the next few years, to ensure that some of the best native parkland in the area is conserved for the benefit of biodiversity and future generations," said Bob Demulder, Vice-President, Alberta Region, Nature Conservancy of Canada.
The Red Deer River Natural Area is one of Alberta's largest remaining areas of native parkland and supports viable populations of native species including the endangered Piping Plover. Its highly productive wetlands, clean rivers and streams, and associated habitats are critical for globally significant concentrations of migratory birds. The Red Deer River Natural Area contains the Rumsey Ecological Reserve and Rumsey Natural Area, which constitute the largest block of non-sandy aspen parkland remaining in the world.
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About TransCanada
With more than 50 years' experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas pipelines, power generation, gas storage facilities, and projects related to oil pipelines. TransCanada's network of wholly owned pipelines extends more than 59,000 kilometres (36,500 miles), tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is one of the continent's largest providers of gas storage and related services with approximately 370 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A growing independent power producer, TransCanada owns, or has interests in, over 10,900 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TRP. For more information visit: [ www.transcanada.com ].
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is Canada's leading land conservation organization. Since 1962, NCC has helped to protect more than 2 million acres (800,000 hectares) of ecologically significant land nationwide. For more information visit: [ www.natureconservancy.ca ].
The NCC-Government of Canada's Natural Areas Conservation Program is a $225 million investment to assist non-profit, non-government organizations secure ecologically sensitive lands. This ensures the conservation of our diverse ecosystems, wildlife, and habitat. In order to use the funding available, these organizations will provide matching funds for each federal dollar received.
Click here to access NCC Backgrounder: [ http://www.natureconservancy.ca/site/DocServer/2009_Red_Deer_River_Natural_Area_Factsheet.pdf?docID=3801 ]
