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     establish a new National Park was presented to the people it soon 
     
     foundered on the shoals of the actual or perceived policies of 
     
    

    
     Parks Canada regarding residents and resource utilization. We 
     
     understand that similar scenarios unfurled at Ship Harbour and Cape 
     
     LaHave Islands in Nova Scotia, and we are all aware of the 
     
     disasterous publicity surrounding the implementation of Parks Canada% 
     
     policies at Kouchibouquac in New Brunswick and at Forillion in the 
     
     Gaspe. 
     
    
   
   
    
     It is easy to be critical with hindsight, but the challenge is to 
     
     learn from these experiences to develop constructive policies and 
     
     programs for the future.- In Prince Edward Island we feel this can 
     
    

    
     be accomplished by looking to models other than the wilderness 
     
    

    
     park model — such as the Countryside Commission model of Great 
     
     Britain. Here the people, the cultural landscape, and certain forms 
     
     of resource utilization not only are permitted to continue, but 
     
     actually form a key component of the resources which attract visitors 
     
     to the park. The natural area is preserved through conservation 
     
    

    
     and management programs, but it_is not returned to a wilderness state. 
     
     We believe that the Countryside Commission model has much more to 
     
     offer for the Maritime Provinces than the wilderness preservation 
     
     model, and we urge Parks Canada to introduce a policy that would 
     
     encourage the incorporation of this type of park in its National 
     
    

    
     Park system, while retaining the wilderness preservation model park 
     
     for regions of Canada where it is appropriate. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Finally, the Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island notes 
     
     that the image which the people of the Maritime Provinces have of 
     
     Parks Canada is an extremely poor one. This is unfortunate, because 
     
     the national park system deserves the support and admiration of 
     
    

    
     our people, but it is a fact. This poor image is partially a result 
     
     of inadequate consultation with the people at an early stage in past 
     
     planning processes (the imposition of park fees comes to mind as 
     
     well as the public involvement programs for recently proposed parks), 
     
     and partially because of the purist preservation ethnic as applied 
     
     to the interpretation of Parks Canada's policies. Therefore, with 
     
     respect to the draft policy paper under consideration we submit that 
     
     it must be amended, not only to permit the co-existence of our human, 
     
     cultural and natural heritage, but to spell out specifically in the 
     
     paper that this will take place. Only then will our people have any 
     
     likelihood of believing that we have reached a new concensus on a 
     
     form of National Park that meets the needs of our region of Canada. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island Newsletter is published 
     
     eight times per year. If you have seen something unusual, please share it with 
     
     us. It is important to have your observations recorded where others will learn 
     
     of it. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Society Address Newsletter Editor 
     
    

    
     P.O. Box 2346 ‘ c/o Kathy Martin 
     
    

    
     Charlottetown Biology Department 
     
    

    
     Prince Edward Island University of Prince Edward Island 
     
    
   
   
    
     Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island 
     
     Phone - 892-4121, ext. 253 
     
    
   
   
    
     Phone — 894-9595 
     
    
   
   
    
     Membership Rates: Regular - $3.00; Student — $1.00; Family - $4.00 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Natural History Society gratefully acknowledges financial assistance 
     
     from the Department of Tourism, Parks and Conservation which enables us to 
     
     distribute newsletters to schools as well as to our membership.