While washing your car, park it on the grass; otherwise, cleaning chemicals and other pollutants picked up by the water was into storm drains and on to rivers and lakes. Grass and other vegetation help filter pollutants.

Festival of Hawks

Make a note in your diaries to visit the Festival of Hawks at Holiday Beach Conservation Area, located on County Road 50, approximately 15km southeast of Amherstburg. The event will be held throughout the migration period on September 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th and 24th 2005, from 9am - 3pm.

Bald Eagles, Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and magnificent hawks can be witnessed at the migration spectacle that is the Festival of Hawks. Southwestern Ontario funnels migrating raptors along the shore of the Great Lakes. Reluctant to cross large bodies of water, raptors gain altitude over the farmlands, rising easily with the thermals. With appropriate wind and weather conditions, birds pile up along the lakeshore moving west until they reach the narrowest cross point of the Detroit River at Holiday Beach Conservation Area. In a single autumn season more than 100,000 raptors soar over the Hawk Tower.

See raptors and songbirds up close as they are banded and released.
Experience a dragonfly hike.
Adopt a Monarch butterfly during the afternoon tagging demonstrations.
Watch for the peak of sharp-shinned and kestrel migration.
Peregrine falcons are featured, along with thousands of hawks, eagles, harriers, vultures, hummingbirds and songbirds such as fall warblers.
Maybe catch a glimpse of a rare jewel - several pairs of Prothonotary warblers, a nationally endangered species, are known to nest at Holiday Beach Conservation Area.
Explore the nights sky at the 'Star Party', weather permitting.
Enjoy workshops and kids' crafts.