Good Work: Pew Environment Group in Canada

Re: "NGOs should reveal funding sources," Deborah Yedlin, Opinion, April 7.

Deborah Yedlin calls the Pew Environment Group's work in Canada "obstructive." Our track record - including our work with partners across Canada - tells a very different story.

Pew focuses on globally significant environmental issues, including conservation of the North American boreal, the world's largest remaining intact forest, and protection of the fragile Arctic Ocean ecosystem. In Canada, we work closely with local citizens, businesses and governments, and do so with a commitment to transparency and utmost respect for the rule of law.

Americans and Canadians have collaborated for more than a century to safe-guard our shared natural re-sources. Together, we have invested billions of dollars and countless hours to re-store the Great Lakes and Pacific salmon, conserve wetlands and forests for waterfowl and songbirds, and stop acid rain.

Most recently, Pew has partnered with the Canadian timber industry to protect caribou and market Canada's boreal forest products in the United States.

We are proud of our work in Canada. We believe the public is best served by a thoughtful, constructive dialogue on how both countries can, working together, best manage the continent we all share.

Note: This op-ed originally ran in the Calgary Herald on April 13, 2012.