RAILS TO TRAILS GROUP ACTIVE by Diane Griffin

Now that the province has lost its appeal to the Supreme Court against the g a abandonment of rail lines on Prince C:::)§ C:::é Edward Island, everyone seems to have C§__= accepted the fact that trains will never ‘\4F Citjli c:::f run again on the Island. CM is arranging a contact to have last of the rails and ties removed.

While we may all grieve that an important part of our cultural heritage has been lost (the railway is what forced P.E.I. into Confederation), there is a potential silver lining in this cloud. He will never again have such an opportunity to establish recreational corridors from one end of the province to the other. These multi-use trails would not only provide recreation for Islanders, they would attract tourists, especially Europeans who are looking for cycling and hiking vacations. This is an opportunity to benefit the tourism industry Island wide in the "shoulder" season. While support has come from many Islanders with a wide variety of interests, the proposal has not been without detractors, especially some landowners living adjacent to the railway who want the provincial government to turn the land over to them.

A "Rails to Trails“ chapter has been formed on the Island to study the situation and act as an advocacy group. Don Deacon of Charlottetown is the chairman of this active group. However, just because this group has been formed and is actively presenting compelling arguments, the rest of us should not sit back and assume all is well and that their advice will be heeded by government.

There are two things you can do. The first is to send your $10.00 membership fee to Rails to Trails, 53 Grafton Street, Charlottetown, P.E.I. CIA 8C1. The second is to write to Premier Joseph Ghiz (P.0. Box 2000, Charlottetown, P.E.I. CIA 7N8) and express your support for turning the railway into a multi-use trail.

FOREST PHOTOS ANYONE?

The Department of Energy and Forestry and the Canadian Forestry Association have combined their efforts with sponsorship from Fugi Film Canada to promote the "Picture Canada's Forests" contest for amateur photographers. Contestants may enter colour slides or 8 X 10 unmatted, unframed colour prints in any or all of the four categories, namely, forest management, forest recreation, wildlife in the forest, and forest landscape. The prizes include a Fuji DL-60 camera for each category on the provincial level and even greater prizes on the national level.

If you are interested, please contact the Department of Energy and Forestry at 368-4700 for details on submission of entries. Good Luck!

LDIG POINT BIRD OBSERVATORY IEHS Spring Newsletter Excerpts

,. For those of you who are not familiar /”"'"““ with the Long Point Bird Observatory or “$"'"" LPBO, it is an independent research institute which fosters and promotes investigative studies, appreciation and conservation of birds and other aspects of the ecology and natural history of the

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