In February 1997, the Lands for Life process was announced to decide the fate of 40 million hectares of public land in Northern and Central Ontario. The Partnership for Public Lands — a coalition of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, World Wildlife Fund Canada and the Wildlands League — was created to ensure that 15-20% of these public lands were protected. This would be our last chance to complete Ontario's system of protected areas before remaining wild areas were logged by the forest industry under long-term tenure agreements, and polls showed that a majority of people in Ontario supported the protection of wilderness. iphone applicatie maken

October-May 1997:

• Partnership efforts bring Round Table discussions to Southern Ontario produced maps of high-quality wilderness areas for each planning region
• over 5,000 people attended meetings in Southern Ontario
• regional coordinators sought to present a balanced discussion throughout the planning area
• public awareness of what was at stake was increased by launching an extensive public outreach program including a web site, e-mail updates, handouts, inserts and posters

April 1998:

• analyzed Round Table land-use options and guided the public through a complicated and confusing process. 3500 respondents in the GLSL region alone and 3500 combined in BE and BW Buttercup Pendant by LBL Lighting
• 15,000 people in total attended 95 meetings and made hundreds of presentations to the Round Tables; many used information provided by the Partnership and endorsed our goals
• issued a special edition of Seasons magazine focusing on Lands for Life

June/ July 1998:

• billboards went up on highways all across the province, radio ads were aired, newspapers delivered hundreds of thousands of inserts to people everywhere
• magazine ads featured Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson asking Premier Harris to 'keep his promise' to protect wilderness in Ontario
• Wilderness Now! Concert featured celebrities like Martin Short, Bruce Cockburn, Liona Boyd, Betty White, Ed Asner and attracted 700 spectators
• volunteers and staff attended dozens of events to talk about what's at stake in Lands for Life

August/ September 1998:

• Wood, Work and Wilderness tour spent a month traveling 3,000 kilometres to towns all across Northern Ontario to explain how protecting wilderness can lead to a better economic, environmental and social future

October 1998:

• organized the Portage for Wilderness — circled Queen's Park with 120 canoes and some 750 supporters from all around the province
• Round Table recommendations fail to complete protected areas system. Only 1.6% new parks and conservation reserves proposed

November 1998:

• television ads featuring Peter Truman grabbed the attention of hundreds of new supporters: all say 'no' to Round Table recommendations
• 14,000 people responded to the Round Table recommendations in just 30 days, 73% demanded 15-20% of the area protected
• Partnership releases Planning for Prosperity, an outline of how Ontario can protect jobs and wilderness

January 1999:

• Premier Harris announces he wants to protect 12% of the Lands for Life planning area
• Partnership agrees to negotiations based on a commitment to protect 12% of the Lands for Life area right away and a process to finish Ontario's parks system and meet our original goal of protecting 15-20%

February 1999:

• detailed negotiations continue with Planning for Prosperity as the blueprint
• a Forest Accord is reached in principle between the Partnership and major forestry companies

March 1999:

• the government unveils a new map of Ontario's park system that virtually doubles the area protected; many key high-profile sites are included
• the Partnership celebrates an important conservation achievement while pointing out the need to continue to move quickly on completing the parks system that protects 15-20% of the area

Congratulations to everyone who helped us reach this remarkable milestone!