Dan talked about his own experiences with W red oak - our provincial tree. He plants acorns 3—6" apart, about 1-2" deep in a bed and places a 6" board between rows. Then he transplants them the next year, because they send down such a long taproot. One of his seedlings is 10' tall and on its way up!

All the nut trees, including heartnut (not native, but seed is available from trees grown

on P.E.I.) are good for wildlife, as is trembling aspen.

The expertise provided at this meeting was very much appreciated, and many listeners asked

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questions and inspected the various field guides .._ 5‘ and samples. And everyone was given a golden ly/é/' 4&v'gi-EFE opportunity to try out their new knowledge and ‘3‘ ., ‘_]i£§; skills - each received a white pine seedling to ‘v1;, "“ ' ' start them on their way. RED OAK

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Which reminds me...I recently received a copy of the newest booklet in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden's series on Plants and Gardens. It is called Gardening for Wildlife, and features everything from an article on a wildlife garden in Newfoundland to beautiful colour photographs of birds, insects and plants.

Some of the articles that caught my attention were attracting cavity-nesting birds to gardens and woodlots, a garden fit for humming— birds (with 2% pages just on what types of plants they prefer), and one called Bright Berries for the Garden, Food for the Birds, by noted author Helen Van Pelt Wilson. .

The 64-page publication is available from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225, and should be around $5.00 Canadian. The rest of their gardening series is wonderful, so you may want to ask for a complete list.

Operation Lifeline Comes +0 life

In the last issue of the Island Naturalist readers had a chance to learn a bit about Operation Lifeline, and how children can learn about endangered species and conservation. At that time, we were trying to get the project used in Island schools, and the Natural History Society had decided to buy six kits to give to teachers who might be interested in using them in their classes.

Now, with the help of an Environment Week grant and P.E.I. Science Curriculum Coordinator Don Norman, Operation Lifeline is on its way! The grant ($2,075) will be used to purchase 85 English and 15 French kits, one for every grade 6 teacher, and to bring Tim Beatty over from New Brunswick to give 3 workshops to Island teachers. Mr. Norman was extremely helpful in setting up the workshops, which will be held the first three days of Environment Week, May 30, 31 and June 1. For this project to be a suCcess, it will need the help of Island naturalists who are willing to spend some time with teachers, and perhaps students, and share their expertise and interests with others. This is a great opportunity, and if you're interested in helping out, please contact someone in the NHS executive and we can work together to bring . Operation Lifeline to life on P.E.I.

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