NEWS AND NOT-78

MARCH MEETING REPORT. The regular monthly meeting was held on Mar. 9 after inclement weather forced a postponement. Rosemary Curley reported that the Barrow's Goldeneye surveys had been successfully completed. Members were updated on the society's efforts to have The Plants of P.E.I. reprinted and on plans for the protection of

the Piping Plovers in P.E.I. National Park. Dan McAskill announced that the Island Nature Trust has recently signed a 50 year lease for management rights on two of

the key properties at Point Deroche. Society members decided not to support at

this time the concept of a marine mammal sanctuary off P.E.I. National Park.

Members were asked to express their support to the move to have a provincial museum established in P.E.I.

The evening's program featured another of Andy Dean's excellent slide—tape presentations, this time on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The beautiful slides, and the very fitting music and commentary convinced us all to plan a Visit to the area soon. '

APRIL MEETING REPORT. .At the April meeting plans to mark Environment Week were discussed. Prise winners in the natural history category of the recent science fair were announced. 'Members were alerted to be watching for the arrival of the House Finch on P.E.I. A proposal was presented for the establishment of a Christmas Bird Count in the Montague to Murray River areas. Interest was expressed for more participation by society members in Breeding Bird Censuses.

Speaker for the evening was Dr. Lawson Drake of the U.P.E.I. Biology Department. Using slides of some of the Island's more common butterflies, Dr. Drake provided a witty and informative presentation on this relatively small but colourful group of Island insects.

SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS. Congratulations to the prize winners in the natural history and environmental category at the recent science fair held at U.P.E.I. Winners and their projects are as follows: Senior High (grades 10, 11 and 12) First (tied) - Methane production by anaerobic digestion - Barry Linkletter, Winsloe, R.R. 2 (Colonel Gray) First (tied) - Toxic wastes: an industrial legacy — David Ready, Charlottetown (Colonel Gray) Junior High (grades 7, 8 and 9) First — A comparison of various supplements of seedling growth - Edward , Dabkowski, Summerside (Air Marshall Johnson) Second - Wood: a renewable energy resource — Mina Maden, Charlottetown (Queen Charlotte) Elementary (grades 4, S, and 6) First - Weather — Christina MacDougall, North Bedeque (Elm Street School) Second - Volcanoes - Melissa Wicks, Sherwood (Sherwood School)

A NEST REC“§3DS SCHEME. Now that spring is rapidly approaching, birds 99 will soon be nesting (in fact some are at it already) .‘ If you Y should discover a nest, the Maritime Nest Records Scheme in Sackville,

N.B. would appreciate having the information reported to add to its files. Nest record cards for this purpose will be available at the May meeting or from Winnie Cairns. At present the scheme's holdings for P.E.I. consist of 2,695 cards representing 100 species. In

1981 12 Islanders submitted a total of 99 cards, down considerably from the peak year of 1966 when 395 cards were turned in. Let's

all make a special effort to raise the Island total in 1982.

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