NEWS AND NOTES 
     
    
   
   
    
     NEW PROVINCIAL DIRECTOR TO CNF. The executive of the Canadian Nature 
     
     Federation has announced the recent appointment of David Smith of Newton, 
     
     Prince Edward Island, as the new provincial director from this province. 
     
     David replaces Diane Griffin whose term expired in May 1979. In his capacity 
     
     as provincial director he will represent individual CNF members across the 
     
     Island. 
     
    

    
     David has been active in provincial environmental circles for a number 
     
     of years. He has served as chairman of HOPE and holds memberships in the 
     
     Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island, the Prince Edward Island Fish 
     
     and Wildlife Federation, and the Island Nature Trust. He is also coordinator 
     
     of the annual Francis Bain Eirdathon. In 1978 David served as financial ‘ 
     
     chairman of the CNF conference in Charlottetown. 
     
    

    
     David's background and interests are well suited to his new position. 
     
     He has been involved in research on a broad range of Island species and 
     
     habitats including fish, plants, birds, and mammals. He is concerned with 
     
     environmental education and has worked as a naturalist with the provincial 
     
     parks system. Holding a B.Sc. in biology iron the University of Prince Edward 
     
     Island and an M.Sc. in zoology from the University of Western Ontario, David 
     
     currently works as an environmental consultant. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
          
     
       
     
            
     
       
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     FRANCIS BAIN MAKES HEADLINES. "Francis 
     
     Eain, Farmer Naturalist" is the title of an 
     
     article appearing in the recently released 
     
     -issue of the Island Magazine (No. 6, Spring- 
     
     Summer, 1979). Francis Bain (1842-1894) was 
     
     a self-educated farmer fran York Point who, 
     
     during a period when most Islanders were 
     
     more than fully occupied with the economic 
     
     development of the province, found the time 
     
     - to make detailed observations on the local 
     
     plants, birds, animals, insects, shells, and geology. Even today his work 
     
     stands as a well documented record of the natural history of an earlier day. 
     
     The article was prepared by Kathy Martin, a member of the Natural History 
     
     .Society and fonner editor of this newsletter. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
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     MEETING REPORT. At the October 2nd meeting of the NHS, Forestry Branch 
     
     employee Paul McKnight presented an interesting assessment of Island forests 
     
     and the pressures currently caning to bear on them. Mr. McKnight outlined 
     
     government programs directed toward development of genetically superior breeding 
     
     stocks for several tree species. It is hoped such stocks will ultimately 
     
     produce commercial trees of improved quality. 
     
    

    
     A major department aim at present is to encourage woodlot owners to 
     
     manage their holdings for maximum econanic benefit. Mr. McKnight mentioned that 
     
     the provincial government is now assigning much higher assessments to wooded 
     
     acreage. This may put pressure on woodlot owners to harvest'the best trees from 
     
     their forests. This practice is known to foresters as high-grading, and may lead 
     
     to genetic deterioration of the stocks because only the inferior specimens are 
     
     left to reproduce.