WINNIPEG – The Wilderness Committee is leading a series of paddle tours on the lower Bird River to celebrate World Rivers Day on Sunday, September 28, as part of a campaign calling for the protection of this amazing wilderness area.

“The lower Bird River is a beautifully undisturbed river teeming with wildlife, yet it is accessible enough to allow Manitobans to easily experience real wilderness,” said Eric Reder, Campaign Director for the WIlderness Committee. “It is a jewel in Manitoba’s vast wilderness, and we want to see it protected.”

The Bird River is iconic for paddling in Manitoba. The upper portion is in a protected section of Nopiming Provincial Park, and is part of the most popular canoe route in the province. The lower section of the river, however – from the Nopiming Park boundary until it flows into the Winnipeg River – is not protected. The Wilderness Committee is calling on the Manitoba government to permanently protect the lower Bird River.

Members of the public have been invited to take part in a day paddle scheduled for September 28, which is World Rivers Day. There has been so much interest in this tour that a second paddle tour has been added for Saturday, September 27.

“We received an overwhelming response to this first Paddle for Protection, which I think is testament to how Manitobans appreciate wilderness and the Bird River,” said Reder. “We’ve invited along elected officials and decision-makers, so they too can experience this wonderful river and understand why we are trying to protect it.”

This paddle event is a Wilderness Witness tour, an initiative from the Wilderness Committee to help give Manitobans opportunities to explore and connect with threatened wild areas in the province.