The Carden Alvar is a unique landscape of meadows, shrublands, forests and wetlands. Home to over 30 species at risk, plus globally-rare alvar ecosystems that thrive on the shallow limestone bedrock.

Our "semi-seniors" team of Ron Reid, Janet Grand, Dale Leadbeater and Ginny Moore will search the alvar for 24 hours on May 24-25 to list its birds, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals, reptile and amphibians.

Carden Alvar has an amazing diversity of species, so we will have to use our Raven-like cleverness to document as many as we can. We'll be up at 5 a.m. to catch the earliest birds, survive on a steady diet of junk food, and by late afternoon our conversation may just descend into the assorted squawks and grunts of true Ravens.

Your support, in the form of your donations, will carry us to new heights in our quest for every critter out there.

Did you know that a group of Ravens (even semi-retired ones) is called a "conspiracy"? Fitting, eh? Not like a "murder of crows". (What do you call two crows in a tree? An attempted murder, if course!) And if we happen to win the Challenge, that will really give us something to "crow" about!

But I digress - please give generously - all funds help the Couchiching Conservancy protect and steward the stunning natural habitats of the Carden Alvar.