The eastern loggerhead shrike is one of the fastest-declining bird species in North America. These tiny songbirds might look sweet, but they hunt like birds of prey, using their beak to impale their future meals (typically large insects) on thorns or the barbed wire of fences. It makes sense that the thorn trees on parts of Ontario's Carden Alvar are a traditional nesting area for the shrikes.

But the characteristics that make this bird special -- like their unique hunting style -- can also hurt their survival. This endangered species is an "area-sensitive species" that can't live just anywhere. And there's now only five regular breeding grounds in Canada for the eastern loggerhead shrike.

The Nature Conservancy Canada is working to make sure the eastern loggerhead shrike is around for generations to come, but they can't do it without you help. Sign this pledge to be a voice for Canada's endangered species and support the protection of animals like the eastern loggerhead shrike.

The Ontario Stewardship program is a very small program in terms of government spending less than 5 million, yet it provides huge returns for Ontario.... more

On March 23 2012 the Ontario Government ambushed the management and Unions of the ONTC, and the people of Northeastern Ontario by announcing it's intention to divest the assets of the crown corp. This petition is meant to halt this divesture at once

On March 5, 2012, Windsor, Ontario's city council approved spending $80,000 of this year's budget on a skunk removal program. Advocates of the program made it clear that skunks will be trapped and killed rather than relocated. Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis cited community complaints about "nuisance skunks" as a major reason for the decision.

Skunks are peaceful, harmless animals that provide ample warning before spraying in self-defense. In addition to being cruel, trapping skunks is ineffective as a long-term control solution -- the spike in their food supply (insects, rats and other small rodents) will encourage surviving skunks to breed and ultimately increase skunk populations.

Educating community members about yard sanitation and feeding wild animals would more effectively control the nuisance skunk problem without causing harm to skunks and other animals that may fall victim to the traps. Please sign the petition to convince Windsor's city council to end their skunk trapping program.