MEMBERSHIPS FEES INCREASE SIGNIFICANT 
     
    
   
   
    
     Up Until the November issue the. costs of 
     
     producing the Island Naturalist were covered by the . 
     
     Department of Tourism and Parks under an agreement to v 
     
     provide our Society's newsletter to school libraries 
     
     and to include a page per issue on Parks events. The . 
     
     Society will be one of the first organizations to feel ‘ ' 
     
     the pinch of the province‘s budget squeeze as the cost’ ' 
     
     of printing the newsletter must now be passed along to 
     
     the Society members. ' . ' 
     
    

    
     .The Society_produces 375 copies of the newsletter. Members receive- 
     
     approximately 220 copies and the schools and libraries across the province 
     
     receive 85 more copies. 0f the balance. the newsletter exchange program with 
     
     other organizations takes 16, news media-receive 8. and the balance are used 
     
     to attract new members and to promote the work of the society. Various 
     
     options of producing the newsletter ranging from photocopying (the present 
     
     process) to offset copying were explored. The printing and mailing costs per 
     
     issue of the newsletter will be in the S 300 to $500 range. In addition to 
     
     newsletter cost increases, the costs for our meeting room jumped 60% this 
     
     year. After considerable disCussion at the annual meeting on January 7, 1992 
     
     the membership dues for the Society were increased to $12. ‘If the newsletter 
     
    

    
     .costs are at the high end of the range it will be necessary to reduce the 
     
     number of issues of the newsletter to 4 per year so that the fees can be 
     
     maintained at this level. ’ 
     
    
   
   
    
     NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF P.E.I. INC. UPDATE _ by Carolyn Meincke 
     
    
   
   
    
     There has been a wide variety of exciting activities and accomplishments 
     
     this past year at the Natural History Society. > 
     
    

    
     There were two displays hosted by the Spoiety this year, one during 
     
     National wildlife Week and the other during National Forestry Week. Since 
     
     that time. the Executive decided to purchase disolay boards. 
     
    

    
     ' In May. the Society hosted its annual slide show and added a Special 
     
     category competition for wildlife slides. 'Geoff Hogan won first prize in the 
     
     open category while Margaret Mallett won the special competition prize. Don 
     
     Wilkinson won secdnd place prize and Roberta Palmer won the third place prize. 
     
    

    
     Donald Wilkinson..Charles Keuper. and Roberta Palmer acted as judges for 
     
     the U.P.E.I. Science Fair and awarded prizes and newsletter subscriptions to 
     
     14 young winners.‘ , . ~ - - 
     
    

    
     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. 
     
    

    
     The NHS organized and implemented the P.E.I. Section of the 
     
     International Census for Piping Plovers with the assistance of funds from the 
     
     Environment Week program." In addition to this work, Ben Hoteling implemented 
     
     Piping Plover awareness surveys and a public educatiOn program. One 
     
     publication was prepared and circulated to plover researchers and a second 
     
     paper is being prepared for inclusion in a Canadian Wildlife Service 
     
     occasional paper. . » 
     
    

    
     The Society established a committee-to research and recommend 
     
     non-destructive gull control technigues to aid the population of Ccnmon Terns 
     
     nesting on the Hillsborough Bridge Piers. After a lengthy discussion at a 
     
    
   
   
    
     _ 3 I