A Special Protection Area is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain threatened birds. Together with Special Areas of Conservation, the SPAs form a network of protected sites across the EU, called Natura 2000; each SPA has an EU code – for example the North Norfolk Coast SPA has the code UK9009031. As at 21 September 2006, there were 252 classified SPAs and 12 proposed SPAs in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland; the Conservation Regulations 1994 implement the terms of the Directive in Scotland and Wales. In Great Britain, SPAs designated on land or in the intertidal area are also notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, in Northern Ireland as Areas of Special Scientific Interest. For example, the Broadland SPA in eastern England is a conglomeration of some 28 SSSIs. SPAs may extend below low tide into the sea, for these areas SSSI notification is not possible.

In Scotland, some SPAs have been classified without any underpinning designation by SSSI. Special Protection Areas for birds in Poland are called OSOPs; as of 2005, there were 72 OSOP Areas designated as such. The Castro Verde SPA extends into six municipalities of Baixo Alentejo Subregion: Aljustrel Municipality, Almodôvar Municipality, Beja Municipality, Castro Verde Municipality, Mértola Municipality and Ourique Municipality, a total area of 79,007 hectares; the Spanish term is ZEPA. There were 644 Spanish sites as at 2016; the Czech Republic use the term Ptačí oblast for SPAs. There were declared 41 bird areas by the government directives between 2004 and 2009, they cover 9% of the state area. Area of Special Protection Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats List of conservation topics List of Special Protection Areas in the United Kingdom Protected areas of the United Kingdom Ramsar Convention Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance UK sites recognised for their biodiversity conservation importance Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979

Saltcoats is a small town in East Central Saskatchewan near the Manitoba border in Canada. The town's population was 474 in 2011; the town was built in the late 19th century, its economy was driven by the railway. There is no longer passenger service to the town; the community was established in 1887 ahead of the arrival of the Manitoba and Northwestern Railway in 1888 when the post office was opened. In 1894, Saltcoats was the first village incorporated in the North-West Territories as they were; the town was named'Stirling', but, changed to Saltcoats, after Saltcoats, the birthplace of a major railway shareholder and the home port of Allen Steam-ship Lines which brought over many of the immigrants from the British Isles that settled in the region. In 1902, 208 Welsh settlers fleeing unfavorable conditions in Welsh Patagonia came to Saltcoats, but within a generation their community lost its cultural cohesion and melted into the English-speaking cultural matrix. Melville - Saltcoats Riding - Bob Bjornerud - Saskatchewan Party Yorkton Riding - Gary Breitkreuz - Conservative Party of Canada The Four-Town Journal covers Saltcoats and area.

The Honourable Gordon Barnhart: Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan The Very Reverend Walter H. Farquharson: internationally noted hymnodist.

The cadets of the United States Military Academy first began the practice of wearing class rings in 1835. The United States Military Academy class ring has traditionally been worn on the left hand, but most recent graduates choose to wear it on their right hand, in response to the dilemma posed by wearing both a West Point ring and a wedding ring on the same finger; some graduates choose to wear both on their left hand. While at West Point, the ring is worn so that the class crest is worn to the inside and closest to one's heart. Upon graduation, the ring is worn. Ring Weekend is a tradition at the United States Military Academy where senior cadets are awarded their West Point class ring. West Point was the first American school to have class rings, it is awarded to senior cadets shortly after the start of their senior year, after which there is a formal dinner and dance following the ceremony for the cadets and their guests. After the ring ceremony, Firsties are mobbed by plebes reciting the "Ring Poop": Oh my Gosh, sir/ma'am!

What a beautiful ring! What a crass mass of brass and glass! What a bold mold of rolled gold! What a cool jewel you got from your school! See how it sparkles and shines? It must have cost you a fortune! May I touch it, may I touch it please, sir/ma'am? The term "ringknocker" refers to the alleged custom of some graduates to rap their ring against a hard surface in social situations. However, a negative social-networking connotation associates with the term, in that the term "implies that if there is a discussion in progress, the senior Pointer need only knock his large ring on the table and all Pointers present are obliged to rally to his point of view." Cadets choose their ring several months in advance, selecting everything from size and stone. Some cadets opt to "inherit" pieces of rings from other family members or mentors who have graduated from West Point; the rings are customized for each cadet, there are few standard-seen practices, save the use of symbol black onyx and gold to represent the school colors, but this is seen in a minority of rings.

West Point alumni may donate their rings to be added to the smelting pot when a new batch of rings are cast. The stone from an older ring can be removed and placed into a new graduate's ring. There are ring-related souvenirs. Students can pick out items for family members made to resemble their class ring such as cufflinks and pins. All these items of jewelry bear the same markings as the top of the ring: the words "West Point", the year the Cadet graduated, stones matching the cadet's class ring. By longstanding custom, many graduates choose to present a miniature of the West Point ring as an engagement ring. President Eisenhower a young lieutenant, gave a miniature to Mamie Eisenhower as the couple's engagement ring. In early years, Class rings contained a reverse motif seal crest, used for wax sealing of both official military and personal correspondence; this to aid the senders authenticity. Tradition has it that the seal was broken upon the owners death to prevent its use by other persons