Monarch Watch is seeking the immediate assistance of hundreds of monarch enthusiasts (citizen scientists) in collecting observations of monarchs in their area during the spring and fall. This project is an attempt to assemble quantitative data on monarch numbers at critical times during the breeding season. The data from these observations will be used to assess their value in predicting trends in the population.

Visit the Monarch Watch website to learn more.

In celebration of our beautiful county and Canada 150 we invite all photographers to send their best pics of back road nature scenery in Oxford County. Deadline is October 31st, 2017.

Submit your photos of Nature taken in Oxford County: Landscapes, Wildlife, Wildflowers, Insects, Close-ups of Nature.

Please send photos to: ingersolldistrictnatureclub@gmail.com in pdf format.

If you have questions, contact us by email or contact Rob at 519-608-3032.

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This year’s Earth Hour takes place on Saturday, March 25 at 8:30 pm. For more information about how you can take part, visit https://www.earthhour.org/

Visit Earth Hour 2017’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/245738609170454/

No matter where you are in the World, there are Earth Hour events taking place near you, visit http://www.earthhour.org/map to find a local event.

From the David Suzuki Foundation website:

“We’re starting to turn a corner away from the indiscriminate use of these harmful chemicals. But we need to pick up the pace.

Health Canada has proposed to phase out the commonly used neonic pesticide imidacloprid within three to five years and has launched special reviews of other neonics registered for use in Canada.”

Read more at: http://action2.davidsuzuki.org/neonics

Ingersoll District Nature Club celebrates 65 years of nature conservation and advocacy with three major community events

Ingersoll – January 3, 2017 – The Ingersoll District Nature Club (IDNC) is proud to announce its 65^th anniversary in 2017! This anniversary year also coincides with Canada 150, and in celebration, club members will be promoting nature throughout 2017 with free events, including:

• 4^th Annual Photo Contest – “Back Roads Oxford”

In celebration of our beautiful county, our anniversary and Canada 150, IDNC invites all photographers to send their best photos of Oxford County back roads scenery. With an extended deadline of October 13^th, 2017 (at 5:00 p.m.) we hope nature buffs and photographers alike will capture some stunning shots across the seasons. Prizes will be awarded. Full details may be found on our website.

Over the past four years, residents of Oxford County have directed over 77,000 letters to Queen’s Park as part of a campaign to stop a mega-dump from coming to our region. The proposed landfill would receive 850,000 metric tonnes of garbage annually from across Ontario for a 20-year period, potentially contaminating groundwater and endangering vulnerable species.

Download and read a special insert from the January 2017 issue of the Oxford People Against the Landfill’s newsletter.

“Across the globe, freshwater wildlife populations have declined 81 per cent over the past four decades. That’s more than twice the population decline for land-based or ocean wildlife. In Canada, some of those freshwater species at risk include Atlantic salmon, white sturgeon, freshwater mussels, nooksack dace, the northern leopard frog, and seven of eight freshwater turtle species (including Blanding’s, spotted and wood turtles).”

Read more of Elizabeth Hendrik’s blog