…Environment Minister David Piccini has quietly passed up a golden opportunity in Peterborough County to demonstrate Ontario cares about nature conservation. On Nov. 25, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) rejected a request from the community-led Catchacoma Forest Stewardship Committee (CFSC) to support a process to consider protected status for a 662 ha old growth forest on crown land known as Catchacoma Forest, located in the Kawartha Highlands. Despite reams of ecological data shared with the Ministry by the CFSC over years, and multiple requests to meet with the minister, the rejection letter offered absolutely no rationale for the decision. It did not address the many scientific reports from studies by non-profit group Ancient Forest Exploration & Research (AFER) outlining the natural heritage, biodiversity and carbon storage values of the Catchacoma Forest…