MURRAY RIVER PINES, in Murray River, is the best example of an old growth pine forest on P.E.I. It contains Red Pine dating before 1870, which reach a height of 2hm£80 ft), as well as White Pine which are 23m(75 ft) in height. It's rather amazing that these trees survived, considering they grew beside a sawmill where many Red and White Pines were sawn during the ship building era.

Most of these sites mentioned are owned by the provincial-government, but many others have been identified on private land as well. The co-operation of concerned landowners made it possible to develop brochures for these privately owned sites.

As you are now aware, these woodlots cover a broad range of species native to P.E.I. Some sites contain the last or best remaining examples of these trees still alive on the Island today. Therefore, they are important as seed sources and educational tools, but best of all, these few undisturbed samples can serve as reminders of the Island as it once was. In the time of change, let's hold onto a small part of our heritage.

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LETTERS To THE EDITOR

"Letters to the Editor" is a new addition to this month's newsletter but hopefully it will be a continuing feature. Letters with comments, criticisms or Just interesting facts are encouraged and should be sent directly to the editor: Sue Stephenson

North Wiltshire R.R. #2 Springvale, P.E.I. COA 1Y0 Letters should be kept brief and they may be edited to conserve space.

Editor: '

Would you please convey to the editor and board my great distaste for the highly politicized article "Nicaraguan Parks" (Jan - Feb issue).

The author is easily duped and favors left—wing over right-wing dictatorships, and this bias distorted a subject that needs more light and less heat, namely the status of conservation efforts in the third world (a subject in which I take a considerable interest). The independent observer can only note that parks and conservation do not seem to be the exclusive preserve of either communist or non-communist states. Nor are successful multinational companies against conservation values, a fact acknowledged by the Sierra Club. Nor is parks-oriented tourism sought only by free market, non-socialist states; this fact is reinforced by the accession to power of the avowedly Marxist government in Zimbabwe, which is actively pushing the fine parks system it inherited among naturalists and tour operators in the West.

The article you printed was nothing other than an advertisement for the "government line", something the author would not fall for from one of the western democracies I'm sure.

Wallace Platts

7 Calgary, Alberta