Bachelorette alumni, Bachelor in Paradise star, and noted conservationist teamed up with the David Suzuki Foundation and the National Resources Defense Council to address concerns over the loss of vital caribou habitat in northwestern Ontario.
A news release from the David Suzuki Foundation said the native Hamiltonian and TV reality star, best known for his appearance on ABC’s The Bachelorette, has a background in anti-poaching and animal conservation efforts.
Moynes received the final rose as the winner of the 17th season of the show in 2021.
During a recent trip to northwestern Ontario, Moynes “witnessed unsustainable resource extraction’s toll on his home province’s boreal forest.”
His trip to the northwest is being highlight through a series of Instagram posts, the first coming out September 29.
"The Ontario government wants us to believe a logging site simply mimics the impacts of a wildfire, but fires don't leave lasting impacts on animal movements in the form of industrial roads,” Moynes said in a statement.
His partnership with these conservation and environmental groups resulted in a trip to visit volunteers from Friends of the Wabakimi, a night at Wabakimi Wilderness Lodge, and a float plane excursion over a stretch of boreal forest “getting a bird’s eye view of forest degradation.”
The Suzuki Foundation attributes declining caribou population to a combination of habitat loss and logging roads which has set the predator dynamics into motion. The organization blames the provincial government in permitting resource extraction, like logging and mining, that impacts habitat within caribou ranges causing ongoing forest degradation.
His excursion continued with a visit to Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation (Pic River) where Chief Duncan Michano explained how the caribou population has affected his community.
His community recently signed off on a key environmental permit for Generation Mining’s open-pit mine project, north of Marathon. The permit establishes conditions and creates a natural environment to minimize the impact of the mine operation for caribou and bats.
