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1NEWSLETTER NO. 40 MAY 1979 NEXT MEETING Time: 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 1, 1979 Place: Provincial Health Building, Third floor, Room 47

Program: The winning photographs in the annual Nature Slide Competition will be shown. All the slides submitted by members will be shown and then the winners will be announced. Prizes will be awarded. Come prepared to see the Very best!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ENVIRONMENT WEEK 1979 will be held May 12 to 19, 1979. The Natural History Society will be conducting walks and publishing nature articles in the local papers. See list of walks in this newsletter. The trips will be described in the Environeer which will be issued before Environment Week. They will also be advertised in the local newspapers.

The Second Annual Francis Bain Birdathon will be held on May 26, 1979. Teams will choose or be assigned to areas at the May meeting. David Smith is the birdathon coordinator and may be reached at 887-2057. Everyone is welcome to participate.

Canadian Nature Federation Annual Meeting 1979 will be held in Montreal from May 28 to June 3, 1979. All Natural History Society members are invited to attend the interesting array of field trips and lectures.

Eastern Provincial Airways is offering a 20 percent group discount for anyone travelling to the Canadian Nature Federation annual meeting in Montreal. If a group of at least 10 travel to the conference from the Maritimes, EPA will offer a 20 percent

reduction in airfare. It is not necessary to travel as a group

and you may arrive in Montreal a few days before the conference

or stay several days longer. Anyone interested in obtaining

this discount should contact Rosemary Curley at her office (892—9174) or at home (651—2585).

Summer Walk. We are scheduling one walk on June 23, 1979 to Miscouche Bog. Here's your chance to walk on Prince peat!

Meet at the YMCA in Charlottetown at 9:30 a.m. Bring a bathing suit. Pack a lunch. Your leader will be Rosemary Curley.

Island Nature Trust

The first public meeting of the Island Nature Trust was held on April 10, 1979 at the Farm Centre in Charlottetown. The response was extremely gratifying and indicative of support considering that we were competing for the public's attention with a provincial and a federal election campaign. Over eighty people attended the meeting. Daryl Guignion showed a selection of slides of some of the Island's special areas. He also reviewed some of the types of threats facing our remaining natural areas. After the slides, Dr. Ian MacQuarrie fielded questiOns about setting up the Nature Trust. The concept of a Nature Trust for Prince Edward Island was supported and appreciated. A few technical questions were asked and several points were made concerning the need for educating the public and government officials as to the desirability of such an organization.