What is National Wildlife Week,
Anyway?
Part of Canada's conservation heritage
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| Canada
Goose / Eric Dresser |
National Wildlife Week was created in honour of one of Canada's
most influential naturalists – the late Jack Miner.
Established by an Act of Parliament in 1947, the week provides
Canadians with an opportunity to celebrate wildlife and take
action to protect wild plants and animals.
National Wildlife Week is held in the second week of April
as a tribute to Jack Miner's birth date. An avid and effective
promoter of wildlife protection, Miner was responsible for
groundbreaking conservation work, including the establishment
of a bird sanctuary in southern Ontario that is still used
today as a safe haven for thousands of birds.
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| Bird
tracks in sand / CWS |
Born in 1865, Miner spent his early days exploring natural
places, where he developed a passion for nature that became
the driving force in his life's work. Perhaps his most significant
achievement was the creation of the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary
in Kingsville, Ontario, the first of its kind on the continent
for the protection of migratory birds. Nearly 100,000 ducks
and Canada geese were banded there between 1909 and 1914,
in an effort to understand migration patterns. The resulting
research data were used by the Canadian and United States
governments to create the original Migratory
Birds Convention Act *
which placed restrictions on hunting for the first time in
an effort to preserve waterfowl populations.
Miner gained world-wide recognition for his research, interviews,
writings, and popular lectures. He received tributes from
both the Canadian and American governments, and was awarded
the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 1947, three years
after his death, an Act of Parliament proclaimed National
Wildlife Week in his honour, to be observed in the week of
his birthday, April 10.
More About Migratory Birds
Follow these links to learn about migratory birds in North
America:
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