Nomination of Dr. Fred Urquhart and Mrs. Urquhart for the Order of Canada

[Donald A. Davis]

April 25, 1998

Re: Nomination of Dr. Fred Urquhart and Dr. Norah Urquhart for the Order
of Canada

During my recent trip to Ottawa, the capital of Canada, I stopped by to
visit with Madeleine Proulx, Assistant Director, Orders, with regard to
the nomination of Fred and Norah Urquhart for the Order of Canada. Their
nomination will be reviewed on May 6th and 7th. At this point in time,
it is difficult to tell whether they will receive the highest civilian
honour awarded in Canada. However, Ms. Proulx was definitely interested
to learn that the Government of Mexico has nominated the Urquharts to
receive their equivalent of the Order of Canada.

While time is short, any letter or note, however long or short, might
turn the tide, so to speak. I know that some members of this discussion
group tagged monarch butterflies when they were children or remained
with Dr. Urquhart's project for many years (as did Hon. Christine
Stewart, Minister of the Environment for Canada!). Perhaps you could
describe how your participation or contact with the Urquharts impacted
on your attitudes, or on your work in the classroom. Perhaps you recall
back in the 1970's the Urquharts urging a reduction in the use of
herbicides and pesticides.

While not everyone agrees with all the theories or findings put forth by
the Urquharts, there is little doubt that they have made a lasting
contribution in their field at the international level. They are
mentioned in most monarch butterfly articles (ie. the recent Audubon
article) or butterfly books (ie. the newly released  "Butterflies of
Canada").

With the remaining time being so short, I would be glad to send your
reply by fax  or courier to Madeleine Proulx. Alternately, you could
contact Ms. Proulx directly at:

Madeleine Proulx, 1 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A1

Phone 1-800-465-6890
Fax   1- 613-991-1681


Don Davis
Toronto, Ontario

donald_davis at stubbs.woodsworth.utoronto.ca