comm POPULATIONS : 
     
    
   
   
    
     The figures below provide an assessment of the health of the cormorant 
     
     population on Prince Edward Island based on the number of nests in known colonies of 
     
     Great and Double-crested Cormorant on Prince Edward Island from 1977 to 1997. The 
     
     data and figures have been provided by the Fish and Wildlife Division. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     GREATCORMORANT 
     
    
   
   
    
     DOUBLE—CRESTED CORMORANT 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
     s 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     NUMBER W NESTS 
     
     § § 
     
     r —1"—'— l fl 
     
    
   
   
    
     NUMBER OF NESTS 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     O 
     
    
   
   
    
     7779818365878991939597 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     .1973 SURVEY INCOMPLETE ‘ [ 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The decline in numbers of breeding Great Cormorants led the Society to bring pressure 
     
     to close the autumn shooting season on cormorants on P.E.I. The Society is pleased 
     
     to report that the government has closed the cormorant hunting season. Nuisance 
     
     permits are still allowed for ponds. The Society has contested this practice in the 
     
     past as cormorant are a natural part of these ecosystems. However, these are waters 
     
     rarely frequented by the Great Cormorant. 
     
    
   
   
    
     NEWS FROM ABOUT: compiled by Dan McAskill 
     
    
   
   
    
     In July, 1997, the Hillsborough River became the Island’s first Canadian 
     
     Heritage River. Congratulations to the Board and members of the Hillsborough River 
     
     Association, Doug Murray of Enterprise PEI, Canadian Heritage and the residents both 
     
     present and former for bringing this vision to reality. The monument is located in 
     
     Glen Roy, a few miles west of Mount Stewart. This site offers an excellent view of 
     
     the river and over looks the landing area of the Scots, lies beside a Mi'kmaq 
     
     reservation, and was important in the French period of colonization. 
     
    

    
     Nova Scotia woods and fields have seen the outbreak of a new leaf eater. This 
     
     time it is the White Marked Tussock Moth. From a small area with light defoliation, 
     
     this insect caused light to severe defoliation on 400,000 acres in 1997. This 
     
     creature feeds on a wide selection of plants from blueberries to trees. While it 
     
     does not seem to like the red spruce, in a single year it can strip and kill certain 
     
     other conifers including balsam fir and white spruce. (adapted from information from 
     
     Ed MacAuley and Rob Uttaro, NSDNR) 
     
    

    
     The Long Point Bird Observatory is still very active with its Ontario programs 
     
     including Bird Conservation strategy for Ontario, the Woodlands Project, Marsh 
     
     Monitoring Program, Ontario Rare Birds at Risk, the James Berry Drain Project and the 
     
     Nocturnal Owl Survey. This is but a sampling of their overall projects. The first 
     
     project includes the determination of the proportion of the species' breeding range 
     
    
   
   
    
     -7-