witnessing now in cormorant numbers is, in all likelihood, a return to their historical abundance. No other species has made such a spectacular comeback unassisted by Man. The huge flocks of Eskimo curlew that once frequented our shores are virtually extinct. For them protection came

too late. Are large numbers of cormorants upsetting the balance of nature? There is certainly nothing to suggest this. The species of fish they feed on are almost exclusively non-commercial species and are obviously abun- dant enough to support the large cormorant population. Rather than be threatened by this abundance of wildlife we should be heartened to witness a success story for a change. P.E.I. has a wealth of bird life, includ- ing cormorants, which deserve our respect and continued protection. A proposal to shoot cormorants on fresh water to protect the trout fishery— would be both scientifically unsound and a senseless waste of wildlife. '

Conny Events

ANNUAL NATURE SLIDE COMPETITION: Members should send their slides to Margaret Mallett, 53 Fitzroy St., Charlottetown, ClA 1R4 before April 15. Egg slides per member, if possible, and please mark the lower left— hand corner of the mount. We depend on you to provide the program for the May 6 meeting.

WONDERFUL WATEROWL, a mounted bird display from the Royal Ontario

Museum, is being held at the Eptek Centre in Summerside until April 25.

April 16: Bill Eden and Dan McAskill will speak at an illustrated public lecture on European Silviculture. The lecture is sponsored by the P.E.I. Subsection of the Canadian Institute of Forestry.

April 19: An information meeting on coyotes, mainly aimed at sheep pro- ducers but Open to all interested parties, will start at 10:30 a.m. at the Farm Centre. Randall Diblee will be the speaker.

May 4 - 10: "Your Forest, Your Future" is the theme for this year's National Forestry Week. Contact Debbie Hearn at 892—0228.

May 6: The Natural History Society will hold its last meeting before breaking for the summer, at 8:00 p.m. in room #2 of the Health Building. Winning slides from the annual photo contest will be shown and this is always one of the most popular meetings of the year.

May 15: The Island Nature Trust will hold their Annual Meeting at 8:00 p.m. at the Farm Centre.

May 16: Town Beautification Through Planting of Trees and Shrubs is the theme of this year's Arbor Day celebrations.

May 31: The ninth annual Francis Bain Birdathon will be held at various favorite localities. The Birds and Breakfast event will take place at the P.E.I. National Park on the same day. All inter— ested persons are welcome.

June 15-21: The International Council for Bird Preservation will hold their 19th World Conference. Contact Diane Griffin at 892—7513 for more information.

June 26: The PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation will hold its Annual Dinner and Awards meeting at the Mill River Resort. Contact Donna Herlihy at 892-9127.

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