1993 RmIURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND UPDATE by Dan McAskill & 
     
     Barbara Currie 
     
    
   
   
    
     It has again been a fairly busy year for the Natural History Society of 
     
     Prince Edward Island. Together, we were able to achieve the following: 
     
    

    
     In the winter on 1992-3, the Society joined with representatives of 
     
     ECOPEI, Holland College Summerside Centre, P.E.I. Fish and Wildlife Division, 
     
     and the P.E.I. National Park to form the Amphibian Monitoring Committee. The 
     
     Society led the volunteer training efforts with the sponsoring of lectures in 
     
     conjunction with the Souris and Area Wildlife Federation, the Friends of 
     
     MacPhail, and the Provincial Parks Mill River staff and provided audio- 
     
     cassettes to the volunteers. Over thirty volunteers from across the Island 
     
     participated in this program and their efforts are now being summarized into a 
     
     report. 
     
    

    
     The Society contributed $ 100 to the Island Nature Trust's natural areas 
     
     acquisition program and it coordinated a birdathon to raise funds for the 
     
     Geoff Hogan Biology Honours Research Fund at U.P.E.I. In addition, the 
     
     Society donated S 50 to the Canadian Nature Federation to support their 
     
     national efforts on our behalf, it purchased American Birds for the U.P.E.I. 
     
     Robertson Library and the Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas for the Confederation 
     
     Centre Library, and sponsored Rachel Gautreau’s Piping Plover ESRF grant. 
     
    

    
     Bruce Smith-led the Society's efforts at the Hillsborough piers tern 
     
     colony this year. The nests of three pairs of Greater Black-Backed Gulls were 
     
     removed under permit to ensure that predation on the terns was maintained at a 
     
     low level. Despite the very wet nesting season, production of tern fledglings 
     
     was fairly good. Letters were send to the Canadian Wildlife Service eliciting 
     
     action with certain power boaters who are disturbing the colony. 
     
    

    
     The education efforts of the Society continued with the hosting of six 
     
     slide presentations, a members display night, and a slide show at its monthly 
     
     meetings; the production and distribution of S newsletters to members, media, 
     
     and school libraries; the judging of Science Fair entries; and four bird 
     
     identification and feeding clinics in conjunction with Agro Co—op, the Island 
     
     Nature Trust, the Souris and Area Wildlife Federation, and Eptek Centre. The 
     
     six slide presentations featured David MacKinnon on the effect of forest 
     
     herbicides on songbirds, Wayne Barrett on Coastal Birds and Waterfowl, Dr. 
     
     Donna Giberson on the ecology of James Bay, Dr. Paul Brodie on structure and 
     
     function in whales, Brenda Brydon on the P.E.I. wood duck nest box program, 
     
     and Diane Griffin and Jackie Waddell on the fauna and flora of the Galapagos 
     
     Islands. In addition, a display was developed and placed at the Forestry 
     
     Branch’s Open House at the J. Frank Gaudet Nursery on Upton Road. 
     
    

    
     The P.E.I. National Park, Hillsborough, and Montague 1992-93 Christmas 
     
     Bird Counts were held with 95 volunteers participating and 14,734 birds 
     
     recorded in 63 species. Thanks to the P.E.I. National Park staff who hosted 
     
     the lunchtime pot—luck and Diane Griffin who hosted the Hillsborough Count 
     
     Pot-luck . 
     
    

    
     The Society participated in an forestry economic assessment of 
     
     birdwatching with the consulting company Gardner Pinfold Consulting Economists 
     
     and wrote letters calling for renewal of silviculture program funding and 
     
     research into forest wildlife interactions. When the fixed link project 
     
     seemed inevitable, the Society also assisted with the development of 
     
     innovative ideas to enhance the environmental education, wildlife habitat 
     
     creation, and ecotourism potential of this strait crossing project. The 
     
     Society also participated in meetings on the National Park Policy development, 
     
     the formation of a strathgartney Foundation, Fisheries' Zone Area Management 
     
     Committee, and Actice Living for the Environment. 
     
    

    
     The largest field trip undertaking of the Society was to Les Iles- 
     
     de—la-Madeleine and ten members partook of the opportunity. Reviews suggest 
     
     that all had a good time despite the failure to reach the outer bird Islands. 
     
    
   
   
    
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