Welcome to Nature
North
Hello, and welcome to NATURE
NORTH ZINE (a "zine" is web-talk for
"on-line magazine"). We are a Manitoba-based
nature zine. Now, we're pretty proud of the nature and
wildlife that Manitoba has to offer. Situated in the heart
of the North American continent our province boasts an
amazing array of plant and animal species, and a broad range
of habitats and ecosystems. Manitoba encompasses no less
than 7 major ecozones, from the arctic tundra in the north
to the mixed and tall grass prairies in the south. And in
between, the mighty boreal forests.
Being based in Manitoba we
tend to focus our articles and information on the flora,
fauna and ecosystems of this province. Our primary goal is
to help Manitobans learn more about their natural heritage.
But running a pretty close second to that goal is our desire
to showcase the biodiversity of Manitoba to the world. Here
in North America, much of our wildlife is your wildlife,
too. And for the rest of the world? Well, we think that what
we've got here is on a par with the best the world has to
offer! Come have a look!
Manitoba's
floral emblem, the prairie crocus.
What do we want Nature North
to be? We want it to be a place where anyone can come and
find out stuff about nature in Manitoba and the surrounding
parts of North America, and have a good time doing it.
"Edu-tainment" is what we're about. We hope to make this
zine into a serious resource for teachers and parents,
helping them "turn kids on" to nature and wildlife. And we
hope to include lots of stuff just for kids. We want to
become a forum for Manitobans and others to publish and
share information about wildlife and nature on the Web.
Our plans for NNZ go far
beyond the traditonal concept of a magazine, too. In
cyberspace you don't have to throw out (or hopefully
recycle, as I'm sure you do with hardcopy publications) each
issue when you're done with it. What we've posted so far
will stay posted, and each article will be updated as new or
better information and images become available. And we'll
continue to post new articles and activities with each
passing season. So what we're really working towards is the
production of an Encyclopedia of Nature, one issue at a
time!
Our
provincial critter, the plains bison.
What do YOU want Nature
North to be? Yes, we want your help to build this zine into
something we can all be proud of. We do have a vision in
mind for Nature North (continue on to view our Mission
Statement), but we're open to any good ideas. What would you
like to see in Nature North? How would you like it
presented? Should we develop interactive activities, even
real-time stuff? How should we fund Nature North? Yes, we're
asking you. Drop us a line.
Right now we're embarking on
a trial sponsorship program. A lot of other sites on the Web
are starting to operate like commercial television, where
access to programming is kept free and universally
accessible, but where everyone ultimately pays through
supporting the sponsors that pay for commercials. We think
this may be the way to go with NNZ. So, if you want to see
what we're up to, check out our:
And if you start seeing some
ads in NNZ, be happy for us, it means we're starting to make
a go of this thing, and that means NNZ will be there for you
in the future.
Our
provincial bird, the great grey owl.
(Photo by Jim Duncan)
So, have a look around, and
we hope you enjoy what you see, hear and learn. And please,
let us know what you think.
The Editors, Nature North
Click the arrow on the right
for our Mission Statement.
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