WILD OF THE WEEK

Paul Vriend sent a photo of young raccoons at North Park Village Nature Center earlier this summer. “Looks like a close family,” emailed Vriend (ashotofhonkytonk.com).

HUNTER SAFETY

Sept. 18-19: Kankakee, (815) 935-2700. Sept. 25-26: Joliet, (815) 727-4811.

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Tuesday: Deadline, applications, first lottery, duck/goose blinds . . . . Applications for free upland game permit. Wednesday: Dove hunting opens . . . . Early Canada goose season opens.

FILM DEBUT

“Monty and Rose 2: The World of Monty and Rose”: Follow-up on the Montrose piping plovers, next Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m., Music Box Theatre in Chicago. Ticket information (portion of proceeds benefit the Chicago Ornithological Society), montyandrose.net/events.html.

DALE’S MAILBAG

‘‘I couldn’t agree more with your call for a crackdown on disrespectful use of ‘personal watercraft,’ not only on the Chicago River, but all along the city’s lakeshore.’’ — Thomas Simpson

It’s a problem up and down the lakefront. It’s just worst downtown in the river because of multiple users and the hard walls.

BIG NUMBER

18-11.25: Pounds-ounces of the Illinoisrecord Atlantic salmon caught May 26, 1979, in Cook County waters of Lake Michigan by Robert Lueckhoff of Downers Grove.

THE LAST WORD

‘‘Side note, due to the drought up this way, the sugar maples are turning red and the birch are showing early signs that change is in the air. This could be a year when colorama peak hits in mid-September.’’ — Christian Howe, in his fishing report from a Wisconsin trip to Vilas County