The folks at Ontario Nature want to know what young people in Ontario think about nature. They’ve announced their second annual youth writing contest and are asking all interested Ontario grade 7 and 8 students to submit entries by April 15, 2007. This year’s topic is “What will the environment be like in 2050?” Contest details are listed below, or download the Ontario Nature Youth Writing Contest flyer and distribute it to friends and colleagues.

What You Need to Know:

• You must be an Ontario grade 7 or 8 student.
• It can be an essay, a story, or a piece of creative writing, with a
• maximum count of 700 words, typed and double-spaced.
• The top three entries will be published in ON Nature magazine, the award-winning nature and environment magazine in Ontario.
• The winners will receive cool prizes for their work, and will be
• honoured for their achievement at Ontario Nature’s Annual General
• Meeting & Conference in Peterborough (June 8-10, 2007).

Send your original entries by April 15, 2007 to:

Youth Writing Contest Ontario Nature
366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 201
Toronto, ON M5V 1R9

Make sure you have a title page that includes title of your essay, your name, address, phone number, email address, your parent’s or guardian’s name, what grade you’re in, and the name of your school.

Currently much more hopeful than the earlier news from Arkansas, a number of sightings and recordings have been obtained in the Choctawhatchee River area in Northwest Florida. One of the principal investigators is Dr. Daniel J Mennill of the University of Windsor. He will be presenting a special lecture, sponsored by the Richmond HIll Naturalists and the West Humber Naturalists, on Thursday 22 March at the Kortright Conservation Centre Auditorium, 7:30 pm. More details and a form to reserve a seat are available at Ivory-billed Woodpecker.