SOCIETY’S ANNUAL REPORT - 1997: 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1997, the Society's efforts were led by Ray Cooke (President), 
     
     Mary Beth Harris (Vice-president), Jean Watts (Secretary), Jim Jenkins 
     
     (Treasurer), Meike Keunecke (Program Director), David Cairns (Publicity 
     
     Director), and Barbara Currie (Past—president). Dan McAskill continued 
     
     as Newsletter Editor and coordinated the P.E.I. National Park and 
     
     Hillsborough Christmas Bird Counts, the Bain Bird Count, and 
     
     International Migratory Bird Count Day. Ruth Richman and Gary 
     
     Schneider coordinated the Montague Christmas Bird Count. Maurice Roy 
     
     again set up the Dalvay Interpretive Centre at the P.E.I. National Park 
     
     for the potluck. Donald Wilkinson continued illustrating and writing 
     
     the bird monograph column in the Island Naturalist while Linda and 
     
     Allen Thomas and their family distributed the newsletter. The 
     
     Environmental Education program of the Society was again quite active. 
     
     Our monthly speakers program at the Farm Centre featured: a discussion 
     
     of the Round Table on Resource Land Use at the annual meeting, Rosie 
     
     MacFarlane (Impoundments, Both Sides of the Story), Wendell MacIntyre 
     
     (Whither Goes P.E.I.), Gerald MacDougald (Bald Eagles on P.E.I. and the 
     
     Adopt an Eagle Program)), Rosemary Curley (Protecting and Managing 
     
     Natural Areas), Brian Craig (Backyard Bugs), John Macmillan (Thermal 
     
     Effects of Impoundments on Salmonids), and Todd Dupuis (Let’s Respond 
     
     to the Round Table on Resources". In addition to these efforts, the 
     
     Society supported, reviewed, and provided comments of the draft 
     
     Wildlife Act, responded to the Round Table on Resource Land Use, 
     
     assisted with the Wildlife Habitat Stamp Project, and published four 
     
     issues of the Island Naturalist. Jean Watts set up and staffed a booth 
     
     at the P.E.I. Environmental Network’s Earthcare Fair and Ray Cooke 
     
     attended and provided input into the Important Bird Areas workshop 
     
     sponsored by the Canadian Nature Federation and CWS in Sackville. 
     
    

    
     Jacob Harding provided a talk and guided a walk on dragonflies of 
     
     P.E.I. The Society utilized its slide education collection to provide 
     
     a bird talk on wintering birds and bird feeding in O’Leary. Dan 
     
     McAskill spoke on winter bird feeding at the Farm Centre on behalf of 
     
     the Society and the Island Nature Trust. Success was achieved with 
     
     presentations from previous years and comments provided on the collapse 
     
     of the Great Cormorant numbers as the Cormorant season was closed down 
     
     this year. 
     
    

    
     Members were encouraged to participate in the International 
     
     Migratory Bird Day in May, the Butterfly Count Day in July, and the 
     
     Canadian Nature Federation’s Ladybug surveys. Society members Linda 
     
     Thomas, Roberta Palmer, and Dan McAskill and Island Nature Trust staff 
     
     combined their efforts to host the second Autumn Birding Classic. The 
     
     donors contributing to this project provided over $1,000 towards the 
     
     acquisition of the Trout River Natural Area. 
     
    

    
     The Society, aided by members and friends, provided technical 
     
     comments on the P.E.I. National Parks Ecosystem Plan and the addition 
     
     of the Greenwich annex to the P.E.I. National Park. The Society’s 
     
     efforts for the Piping Plover were led by Neil and Sally Bennett this 
     
     year. Rosemary Curley and Ben Hoteling judged the exhibits at the 
     
     U.P.E.I. Science Fair on behalf of the Society. 
     
    

    
     Society members were deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death 
     
    
   
   
    
     ..3_