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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2005

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Shell Conservation Interns

Calgary, Alberta – Seventeen young environmentalists will converge on Shell Canada’s Calgary office tomorrow to report on their accomplishments this summer and to share their views on conservation and sustainable development with Shell Canada management and staff. The students are this year’s Shell Conservation Interns, an elite group of students chosen from over 1000 applicants. They are hired by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to complete conservation and stewardship work on some of Canada’s most endangered landscapes.

The Shell Conservation Internship Program is a unique partnership between Shell and NCC that provides university and college students with practical conservation experience on NCC properties from coast to coast. Shell provides the funding for the summer employment and hosts a two-day workshop at the end of the summer including a field trip to visit Shell’s facilities in the Moose Mountain area and an NCC property near Canmore. The workshop begins tomorrow with presentations by each of the conservation intern teams.

“I am always amazed at what these students accomplish and the fresh perspective on stewardship needs and priorities that they bring to the work. Their contribution is critical to maintaining the ecological values of our properties,” said NCC president John Lounds.

Shell’s CEO Clive Mather will also participate in the workshop in the afternoon, when the students will discuss some current environmental challenges and present their conclusions.

“We strive to be a leader in sustainable development,” said Clive Mather, “and by listening to the opinions and ideas of these bright young people, we can get a fresh perspective on environmental issues.”

The students worked on NCC properties across Canada and posted their digital “postcards from the field” on the Shell Conservation Internship Program website (www.conservationinterns.ca).

Shell Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada have been “natural partners” in land conservation projects for nearly 25 years. Over this time, Shell has donated more than $4.0 million in financial resources, volunteer support and land and mineral rights, resulting in major achievements for conservation in Canada. A major donation in 1992 facilitated the creation of the Mount Broadwood Heritage Conservation Area in southeast British Columbia – a vast wilderness home to grizzly bears and bighorn sheep. In 2001, Shell contributed $250,000 to support for three years a new NCC staff person who is working to conserve lands on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, an area of prime habitat for large mammals.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is a national non-profit organization that takes a business-like approach to the conservation of plant and wildlife habitat. Its plan of action is to build partnerships and develop creative conservation solutions with individuals, corporations, community groups, conservation groups, or government bodies that share its passion for our natural world. Since 1962, NCC and its supporters have conserved more than 1.8 million acres and more than 1,400 properties across Canada .