From David Suzuki Foundation:

There are two weeks left to vote for your favourite finalist for this year’s Future Ground Prize, presented by Desjardins Group and supported by Nature’s Way. This special youth edition highlights young changemakers who are working to create a greener and more just future for their communities in Ontario and British Columbia!

By voting, you can help amplify the efforts of our 15 inspiring young finalists and their projects! The project that receives the most votes will win the People’s Choice Prize of $2,500! For a youth group, this will be a tremendous help to ensure the viability of its project!

Vote at https://davidsuzuki.org/take-action/act-locally/future-ground-prize/

The polls will officially close on June 13 at 12 p.m. Eastern and 9 a.m. Pacific. To thank you for your support, all voters will be entered into a draw to win a David Suzuki prize pack, including a one-year family or group pass to National Parks Canada.

The Grand Prize and Rising Star Prize will be determined by our amazing panel of jurors (meet them here). All the winners will be announced at our online event on June 22. Save the date!

From Ontario Nature:

Woodland Wonders Wildflower expert Brian Carson has made a specialty of finding (and cultivating) rare trillium varieties and mutations –before developers’ bulldozers can wipe out their woodland habitats.

Read the full story.

From CBC Quirks:

Using citizen science data from bird counts in 200,000 different locations, scientists reconstructed how our soundscapes have changed over the years.

Listen to the full story.

From Ontario Parks:

In honour of #WorldTurtleDay, here are three actions you can take to help turtles in parks:

SLOW DOWN! Road mortality is a huge threat to turtles. Please obey speed limits and watch for wildlife on the road

Report your turtle sightings. Let staff know where you see turtles in the park, or add your sightings to iNaturalist

Pick up some of our Turtle Protection Project merchandise! Proceeds go towards turtle conservation projects in provincial parks: https://bit.ly/3K3NGsx

From the Center for Biological Diversity:

At least one million species could be lost to the extinction crisis within our lifetime.

Take a moment to learn the stories of the 23 species that were declared extinct in recent years ⁠— and let’s resolve not to lose any more.

Read the full story.

From Ontario Nature:

Why did the #turtle cross the road? Because, like many animals, its habitat is increasingly fragmented by highways ⎼ a death trap for wildlife.��

Read about an ambitious road ecology project that seeks to end the car-fuelled carnage: http://ow.ly/X9jA50Jj34i

Where do the political parties stand on the environment? Ontario Nature’s blog provides the answers they gave on a number of questions. Read more at https://ontarionature.org/where-the-major-political-parties-stand-on-the-environment-blog/

Victor Doyle has written an op-ed for the Pointer about the Ford government’s “highway driven agenda of urban sprawl.” Read more at https://thepointer.com/article/2022-05-07/victor-doyle-ford-government-is-squandering-the-future-of-the-golden-horseshoe

Calling all nature enthusiasts! Join Ontario Nature this summer for the Ontario Master Naturalist Certificate Program from June 9th – Aug 11th.

Enhance your identification skills, improve your knowledge of Ontario plants and wildlife, and learn more about environmental stewardship in this community-based education program. Lakehead University’s Office of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning

http://ow.ly/ghCW50J40lf

From Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Merlin Bird ID just got even better with a new & improved Sound ID model! PLUS we’ve added support for 250 species in Europe, like this Dartford Warbler! Available for Android and iOS devices for free, Merlin helps you ID birds using photos, sounds, or by answering 5 simple questions: https://hubs.la/Q017HHXT0 (If you already have Merlin on your phone, just update the app to get the new features.)