LOCAL

LOCAL
Gun, knife, military showset at Lake Milton hall
LAKE MILTON -- A gun, knife and military show will be held Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 16465 Milton Road.
Admission is $5. Profits return to the community in the form of child welfare, scholarships and children's Christmas and Easter parties.
For more information, call Terry Davis at (330) 654-8571.
OHIO
Rare orchid benefitsfrom federal grant
COLUMBUS -- The future of a rare orchid in southeast Ohio may be more certain thanks to a $208,654 federal grant that will help botanists with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to better protect the state's only known population of the small whorled pogonia. The plant is considered rare throughout its range, which includes the Midwest and Eastern United States.
A Recovery Land Acquisition Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will fund the purchase of a 160-acre conservation easement within the 617-acre Camp Oty'Okwa in Hocking County.
"With this grant we can create a buffer of habitat, helping to better protect the orchid's population while hopefully providing it room to more successfully reproduce," said Thomas Linkous, chief of the ODNR Division of Natural Areas & amp; Preservers (DNAP).
ODNR will work closely on this project with the camp's staff, which is operated by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio. Improvements are expected to be complete by the spring of 2006.
The project includes trail improvements and a fence that will be erected to protect the orchid population from foot traffic and discourage browsing wildlife, such as deer.
The small whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) is a state endangered, federally threatened species. Scattered populations of this rare plant are known to occur in 14 other states as well as Canada. The five-leaved, white or yellow-flowered orchid -- often confused with Indian cucumber root -- stands as tall as 10 inches and typically blooms in late May.
Recovery Land Acquisition Grants aid in protecting against loss of habitat, which is the primary threat to most rare plant and animal species. Land acquisition is often the most effective means of protecting habitats essential for recovery of these rare species.
Wildlife trainingfor Ohio educators
COLUMBUS -- Ohio educators are invited to become trained Project WILD and Aquatic Project WILD facilitators during a workshop sponsored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The workshop will be held Nov. 9-10 at Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center in Carroll County.
The popular international wildlife education programs combine conservation and environmental education materials focusing on wildlife. The curriculum is designed for classrooms of all grades, youth groups, nature centers and other educational outlets.
Workshop registration forms can be downloaded at ohiodnr.com/wildlife and mailed to the ODNR Division of Wildlife, Project WILD Coordinator, 2045 Morse Road, Bldg. G, Columbus, OH 43229. Cost for the workshop is $50 and includes food, lodging and materials.
Participants must commit to hosting at least one educator training workshop within a year of this training.
The Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center is located at 2650 Lodge Road in Dellroy, west of Carrollton.
PENNSYLVANIA
Wild turkeys to takeflight near Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA -- Wild turkeys will spread their wings and fly at a Thanksgiving release Nov. 17 near Philadelphia at Pennsylvania Game Land 196. Onlookers will witness a slice of wild turkey restoration as the birds are released from transport boxes into suitable wild turkey habitat.
The event, hosted by The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), celebrates the comeback of the wild turkey.
In the early 1900s, due to unregulated commercial and subsistence hunting and massive loss of habitat, the wild turkey almost disappeared from Penn's Woods. The wild turkey's range in Pennsylvania was limited to small, remnant flocks in remote areas of the Ridge and Valley Province of south-central Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania's early wild turkey restoration efforts began in 1915, and a full-scale program was not established until 1956. With the help of NWTF volunteers, the PGC has trapped and transferred more than 2,500 turkeys throughout the state.
Youth essay contest
HARRISBURG -- Young hunters ages 12 to 18 from throughout Pennsylvania are reminded all entries for the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Youth Essay Contest must be postmarked no later than Monday.
The theme for the contest is: "How I Support Wildlife Conservation!"
The prize list features grand-prize winners in the junior (ages 12-15) and senior (ages 16-18) divisions taking expense-paid trips to Texas and Wyoming, respectively, provided by the Pennsylvania chapters of Safari Club International (SCI).
Entrants must be Pennsylvania residents, have successfully completed an accredited hunter-trapper education course and possess a current hunting or furtaker license.
Entries must include: full name; mailing address with zip code; telephone number and area code; year, state and county where hunter-trapper education course was successfully completed; current hunting or furtaker license number; and age and date of birth.
Essays must be printed or typed double-spaced and contain no more than 300 words. Mail entries directly to: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Hunter Education Youth Essay Contest, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797.