Hinterland Who’s Who Filming in Saskatchewan

June 30, 2009

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is pleased to announce that filming for the wildly successful Hinterland Who’s Who program will take place in Grasslands National Park this July.

“The grasslands are often an overlooked ecosystem but provide habitat to many at risk species such as the eastern short-horned lizards, eastern yellow-bellied racer snakes, peregrine falcons and burrowing owls,” said Wade Luzny, Executive Vice President of the Canadian Wildlife Federation. “By featuring grasslands in a Hinterland Who’s Who vignette national attention will be drawn to the importance of protecting the mixed grass prairie and the many wildlife species that depend on it for survival.”

The cast and crew of Hinterland Who’s Who will be at Grassland National Park on July 8, 9 and 10 to film the French and English PSAs. The public will have the opportunity to meet the hosts of the popular program at 7:30 pm Thursday July 9 at the little brick schoolhouse in Val Marie, a museum and gift store operated by Prairie Wind and Silver Sage (Friends of Grasslands). When they have completed filming, the Hinterland Who’s Who hosts, Jody Gienow and Louis-René Sénéchal, will travel to Moose Jaw for a public appearance at the grand opening of the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre Saturday July 11. The opening ceremonies begin at 1 pm with the Hinterland Who’s Who presentation at 2 pm.  Everyone is welcome to attend. There is no admission fee.

The grasslands public service announcements will be released to television networks across Canada in 2010 and will also be available on the hww.ca website, Luzny said. “Grasslands are spectacular ecosystems but they are also among the most endangered wildlife habitats. The Canadian Wildlife Federation is pleased that conservationists, landowners and governments are working together to restore this habitat and looks forward to the reintroduction of species such as the Black Footed Ferret.”

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About the Canadian Wildlife Federation:

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national non-profit charitable organization dedicated to ensuring an appreciation of our natural world and a lasting legacy of healthy wildlife and habitat. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, sponsoring research, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending policy changes and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit cwf-fcf.org.

About Hinterland Who’s Who:

First developed in the 1960s, Hinterland Who’s Who remains an enduring part of Canadian culture.  Hinterland Who’s Who, now a program of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Environment Canada, ensures that wildlife remains part of what it means to be Canadian. For more information, visit hww.ca

Contacts:

Heather Robison         
Media and Community Relations       
Canadian Wildlife Federation                 
(306) 550-4155         
heatherr@cwf-fcf.org        

Janet Ng, Director  
SK Burrowing Owl Centre
250 Thatcher Dr. East, Moose Jaw
(306) 692-8710
sboic@sasktel.net

Debbie Griff
Hinterland Who’s Who Program Manager
(613)-599-9594
debbieg@cwf-fcf.org