NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF P.E.I. INC. UPDATE 1992 by Dan McAskill 
     
    
   
   
    
     There has been a wide variety of exciting activities and accomplishments 
     
     this past year at the Natural History Society. 
     
    

    
     The Natural History Society of Prince Edward 
     
     Island assisted the Island Nature Trust in the 
     
     conservation of a piece of Herring Island, one of 
     
     the Murray Islands near Murray Harbour, through 
     
     the purchase of an Honorary Deed. 
     
    

    
     There were three displays hosted by the 
     
     Society this year, one each during Environment 
     
     Week and National Wildlife Week and the other 
     
     during National Forestry Week. The Society 
     
     contributed the third prize award to the Womens 
     
     Institute's wildlife carving competition and both 
     
     questions and prizes for the a trivia contest in 
     
     National Wildlife Week. 
     
    

    
     In May, the Society hosted its annual slide show and added a special 
     
     category competition for bird slides. Rosemary Curley won first prize in the 
     
     open category, Margaret Mallett won second prize, and Donald Wilkinson won the 
     
     special bird slide award. 
     
    

    
     David Cairns, Charles Keuper, and Roberta Palmer acted as judges for the 
     
     U.P.E.I. Science Fair and awarded prizes and newsletter subscriptions to one 
     
     winner in each of three divisions. 
     
    

    
     Thanks to the many Society members who mailed in pledges and the efforts 
     
     of 18 pledge collectors, the Francis Bain Birdathon conducted on May 30th by 
     
     the Natural History Society, raised $3,000 for the Geoff Hogan Biology Honours 
     
     Research Fund, bringing the fund to over $14,000. Awards from this fund will 
     
     support undergraduate biological research at the University of Prince Edward 
     
     Island. 
     
    

    
     On June 4th, the Society hosted a booth at Carrefour de l'Isle-St.—Jean 
     
     to assist with the Institute of Island Studies presentation “Through Geoff's 
     
     Eyes: A Tribute to an Island Naturalist and Gardener". With funding from 
     
     Environment Week, the tribute honoured and celebrated the well—known Island 
     
     naturalist, Geoff Hogan, who died March 13th. 
     
    

    
     We were pleased that connections with other groups and agencies 
     
     increased. Society members worked with the Island Nature Trust, Rails to 
     
     Trails, Parks and People, P.E.I. National Park, and other organizations on 
     
     solutions to sand drift on the National Parks highway north of the Lake of 
     
     Shining Waters and a proposed interpretation center near this site. In August, 
     
     the Society assisted David Xattenburg on the identification of Island issues 
     
     for the Earth Chronicles syndicated radio series. Nominations were sent 
     
     forward for the citizen category Environment Week, the Recreational Fisheries, 
     
     and the CNF's Pimlott Awards. The outstanding work of the nominees led to 
     
     their winning each award. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The NHS assisted with the implementation of 
     
     Stephen Flemming and Rachel Gautreau's research 
     
     on Piping Plovers through funds from the 
     
     Environment Week program and Endangered Species 
     
     Recovery Fund. Ben Hoteling helped implement 
     
     the Piping Plover Guardianship Program beach 
     
     identification and monitoring efforts. Several 
     
     radio, television, and newspaper releases were 
     
     prepared. The final text for the a Canadian 
     
     Wildlife Service occasional paper on the 
     
     international census was completed and our 
     
     survey results were included in the U.S. Fish 
     
    
   
   
    
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