P.E.I. NATIONAL PARK PLOVER PROGRAM information excerpted 
     
     from Piping Plover Monitoring Program, P.E.I. 
     
     National Park by Beth Grant, Susan MacLeod, 
     
     Linda Thomas, and Dale Thompson 
     
    
   
   
    
     This summer, the Parks and People beach monitors working under a 
     
     Canadian Parks Service contract recorded 32 nesting attempts by 21 pairs of 
     
     Piping Plover. Thirteen nesting attempts were successful with 41 chicks being 
     
     fledged at 20 days. The high rate of success in fledging is the direct result 
     
     of the very active beach and nest protection program undertaken in the P.E.I. 
     
     National Park. This program included erecting nest exclosures to protect 
     
     nests from predation, the closure of beaches while the Piping Plover are 
     
     actively nesting or rearing their eggs or young, and an active education and 
     
     interpretation program. 
     
    

    
     In addition to these efforts, staff and/or volunteers from Parks and 
     
     People, P.E.I. National Park, Kouchibouquac National Park, the Piping Plover 
     
     Research Program, and the Atlantic Veterinary College, successfully incubated 
     
     58% of 33 Piping Plover eggs abandoned by their parents, fostered 17 chicks 
     
     after 7 days rearing, and reared 2 chicks to fledging. Due to the difficulty 
     
     in having these chicks survive in the past, a decision was made to feed the 
     
     chicks and Dre. C. Runyon and Gibson of the AVG was consulted to ascertain the 
     
     correct food and equipment. This led to the feeding of the chicks with a 
     
     syringe through a tube inserted down the throat into the stomach (a process 
     
     called tubing). This program produced 17 chicks in which 4 were fostered 
     
     successfully to Piping Plover at Kouchibouquac and P.E.I. National Parks. Two 
     
     additional chicks were raised in captivity being fed a combination of 
     
     mealworms and other invertebrates. They were released on August 11 at Rustico 
     
     Island Causeway. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ENVIRONMENTAL OFFENSES AND ACTIONS by Dan McAskill 
     
    
   
   
    
     Many of the conservation groups on Prince Edward Island have played a 
     
     part in lobbying for laws protecting animals, plants, and their habitats. The 
     
     passing of such laws is one aspect of the effort to stop illegal destruction 
     
     of wild animals, plants, and their habitats. The second aspect is the 
     
     enforcement of these laws. 
     
    

    
     In the Prince Edward Island National Park the following occurrences 
     
     (offenses) were recorded between April 1 and November 16, namely, 5 dogs 
     
     running at large, 1 wildfire, 10 vehicles on a beach, and 47 Piping Plover 
     
     closed area violations. Two people were charged for entering closed areas, 
     
     plead guilty, and were fined $75 each. 
     
    

    
     The P.E.I.D.O.E.'s Water Resources Branch took 43 regulatory actions in 
     
     1991 (13 cleanup orders, 4 warnings, 15 charges, and 11 investigations) and 12 
     
     up to September in 1992 (l cleanup order and 11 charges). of the 26 charges, 
     
     14 pled guilty, 4 were found guilty, 1 was stayed, 1 was withdrawn, 4 plead 
     
     not guilty, 1 is active and 1 was ordered. Fifty of the actions were under 
     
     the Environmental Protection Act. 
     
    

    
     Author's Note: Thanks to Carl Betts, P.E.I. National Park and Claire Murphy, 
     
     P.E.I. Dept. of Environment for provision of enforcement statistics. 
     
    
   
   
    
     NBS PHOTO CONTEST '92 by Carolyn Meincke 
     
    
   
   
    
     The last meeting for the Natural History Society ends every year with a 
     
     splash of talent. I was requested to act as judge for the photography 
     
     contest. The judging of these photos is based on such factors as beauty, 
     
     contrast, lighting, and design. Many of the photos fit these high standards. 
     
    
   
   
    
     - 9 _