Nature visit might help you win a car

Ohio residents 18 and older have a chance to win a new car or other prizes, simply by taking a walk in some of the most beautiful places in the state.

The Nature Conservancy and Honda of America have teamed up to offer a challenge called Natural Treasures of Ohio.

It’s easy enough to enter: Between now and Aug. 8, visit one or more of the 30 natural sites listed at nature.org/allhands/ naturaltreasuresohio/naturaltreasures(Clifton Gorge, Englewood MetroPark, Charleston Falls, Mt. Airy Forest, Edge of Appalachia and Ault Park - Cincinnati ar listed for southwest Ohio). Other sites around Ohio include Magee Marsh and Kelleys Island State Park on Lake Erie and Zaleski State Forest in southeast Ohio.

When you visit these spots, have your photo taken in a designated place and then upload it to nature.org. Visit all 30 places and you have 30 chances to win, including a shot at a new Honda Insight Hybrid.

“Whether you’re a patio dweller, backyard camper or a frontier explorer, we have selected various accessible areas for Ohioans to experience the outdoors within their own comfort levels,” said Josh Knights, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio.

“Natural Treasures of Ohio highlights the diversity of the Buckeye State’s extraordinary natural areas, showing families that experiencing nature is closer and easier than you think. We believe that if Ohioans discover and come to know these areas, they’ll be inspired to help us protect them.”

Turkey take dips 3 percent

Hunters checked 17,647 wild turkeys during Ohio’s fourweek statewide spring turkey hunting season that ended May 15, a 3 percent decrease over last year’s 18,162.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife estimates that more than 70,000 people hunted turkeys. Prior to the start of the spring season, biologists estimated the wild turkey population in Ohio to be more than 180,000 birds.

Ashtabula County led the state in the number of turkeys killed with 762. Other high counties were: Tuscarawas 531, Guernsey 495, Coshocton 492, Muskingum 486, Belmont 456, Knox 451, Harrison 450, Trumbull 428 and Adams 420.

In the Miami Valley, county totals (with last year’s total) were: Adams 420 (502), Allen 45 (45), Auglaize 34 (36), Brown 350 (428), Butler 184 (200), Champaign 87 (87), Clark 18 (17), Clermont 338 (420), Clinton 60 (75), Darke 52 (43), Greene 20 (23), Hamilton 119 (139), Highland 402 (438), Logan 166 (159), Mercer 20 (17), Miami 12 (26), Montgomery 20 (15), Preble 91 (71), Shelby 42 (39), Warren 90 (123).

Hunting licenses purchased for the spring turkey season will also be valid during the 2012 fall turkey hunting season. Those participating in the fall turkey season will need to buy a fall turkey permit.

Envirothon slated

Teams from Beavercreek, Centerville and Franklin high schools will represent southwest Ohio in the upcoming Ohio Envirothon, which will be held at Deer Creek State Park on June 11-12.

The annual event is an outdoor academic competition that tests students’ knowledge of soil and land use, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology and current environmental issues.

The winning team will represent Ohio at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., for the national competition on July 22-28.

For more information, visit ohiodnr.com.

Doug O’Neill NEW YORK — knows how to play to a New York audience.

The morning after Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in New York Mets history, the trainer of Triple Crown hopeful I’ll Have Another showed up for his Belmont Stakes news briefing sporting a Mets cap.

A security guard at his colt’s