Nature PEI Members’ Night is nigh! All are welcome to share in this fun and informative evening featuring nature photography and stories from members. Expect a spectacular array of photos – from bugs to birds and everything in between – with members on hand to tell the story behind their pictures. Gerald MacDougall will host the evening, warming us with his own unique brand of environmental humour. We encourage everyone to join us at Beaconsfield’s Carriage House, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 7, for a photographic journey of our Island’s natural wonders through the eyes of Nature PEI members. To submit pictures email the images to Gerald MacDougall at eagle.dynasty@gmail.com
Nature PEI’s next monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday January 3, 2023 at 7:30 pm featuring well-known naturalist Dwaine Oakley who will present “Rare Birds on a Flight Path to PEI”. Dwaine will take us back through the past decade when rare birds strayed to PEI in increasing numbers and some like the Carolina Wren even began breeding here.
In addition to being an instructor in the Wildlife Conservation Technology program at Holland College, Dwaine co-presents a summer ornithology course at UPEI. He served as President of Nature PEI from 2004 -2007 and continues to be an active member of the organization, participating in Christmas Bird counts and leading occasional outings to introduce others to his favourite animals, the birds.
Location: Beaconsfield, the Carriage House, corner of West and Kent St, Charlottetown. Admission is free and all are welcome. A brief annual general meeting will begin the meeting along with election of new officers.
Nature PEI’s next monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday December 6, 2022 at 7:30 pm featuring Jeanne Maki who will present Nature Highlights of Columbia. Location: Beaconsfield, the Carriage House, corner of West and Kent St, Charlottetown. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Jeanne Maki will take us to beautiful Colombia, a country with 1,954 species of birds and many national parks. Jeanne became interested in Latin America at an early age and followed an eclectic path to satisfy her interest in different cultures, nature, and photography. A move to PEI at the age of 21, completing her BA in Latin American Studies and MA in Teaching ESL, a weekend course in photography from John Sylvester, and taking part in the Christmas Bird Count years ago, all contributed to her lifelong learning. Jeanne is a member of Nature PEI, a Conservation Guardian for Island Nature Trust, and continues to serve on the boards for a number of conservation organizations.
Make your voice heard at the NatureCOP! Nature Canada is collecting letters from nature-loving individuals and will be delivering them to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Nature COP in Montreal in early December. Submit an online letter, mail one to our office, or attend a local event to ensure that yours is included in the delivery. What is the COP? It’s the 15th UN Conference of the Parties where international leaders will discuss a Global Biodiversity Framework. As the host nation, Canada has an opportunity to show leadership within the negotiations.
It’s an opportunity for the world to agree on a plan – to act together – to halt and reverse nature and species loss all over the planet.
Our speaker at the November meeting will be Harriet Dreise who will discuss the whys and wherefores of the many species at risk of extinction on Prince Edward Island. “There are some things we can do to help”, Harriet notes. “Nature PEI is working to extend public knowledge beyond naming the endangered Piping Plover, to saying the names of another 29, including a few that have already disappeared.” And providing information about them.
Harriet graduated in 2022 from the University of Prince Edward Island with a BSc. Honours and quickly landed a job with Nature PEI to spread the word about Species at Risk. She is now employed with an aquaculture company as a researcher.
Join us Tuesday, November 1st at 7:30 pm at the Carriage House next to Beaconsfield (corner of West and Kent St.), Charlottetown.
Admission is free and all are welcome.
Contributions for the raffle will be welcomed and bring along your toonies.
Melina DesRoches(left) and Daphne Davey pose with the Silky Rosegill — photo credit Rosemary Curley
Melina DesRoches(left) and Daphne Davey pose with the Silky Rosegill, an amazing find for those taking part in the guided mushroom walk at the Trout River Natural Area in Carleton on August 27th, led by Rosemary Curley of Nature PEI, with assistance from Trout Unlimited. Also known as the Tree Volvariella, this is the first record for Prince Edward Island. It has not been included in a 2010 published list for the Maritimes, and reports to iNaturalist show only one other confirmed record for the Maritimes in Albert County, New Brunswick. The walk was aimed at stimulating participation in a “Mushrooms of PEI” project funded by the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund, Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division and UPSE Have a Heart. The Silky Rosegill is said to be a good edible, but it was left in place.
Silky Rosegill – photo credit Rosemary CurleyMelina DesRoches(left) and Daphne Davey pose with the Silky Rosegill – photo credit Rosemary Curley
Nature PEI: The Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island
PO Box 2346, Charlottetown, PE C1A 8C1 NaturePEI.ca
Media Release, July 18, 2022
Mushrooms of PEI
Nature PEI is launching a mushroom project to improve the scanty knowledge of what species are present here; right now, published lists show only 75 species for PEI, but other Atlantic Provinces have over 1000 species. The goal is to document as many mushroom species as possible within a grid of 10 kmsquares. Volunteers enter their records in iNaturalist and project biologists and other citizen scientists will identify most of them. The records will be compiled at https://inaturalist.ca/projects/mushrooms-of-pei and a project map site allows anyone to check the mushroom list for any area of the province. https://www.mushroomsofpei.ca
So far, 2022 is turning out to be a poor year for mushrooms despite good rainfall, but at last, a few mushrooms are popping up. Normally mushrooms of all descriptions occur from April to November and some fresh ones have even been found in mid-December in recent years. However, August, September and October are the best months to search, and Nature PEI is hosting two mushroom walks in August with hopes to recruit participants. Events are also planned for October.
August 6, 2022, 1:30-4:30 pm. Nature PEI hosts a Mushroom Walk with Rosemary Curley Location: Dundas Fire Hall and Boughton River Trail. This walk is focused on increasing knowledge of mushroom species present on PEI, and their identification. To register, please contact Rosemary at rcurleypei@eastlink.ca
August 27, 2022, 1:30-4:30 pm. Nature PEI hosts a Mushroom Walk with Ken Sanderson Location: Trout River Natural Area, 36927 Rte2, Carleton, PEI. This walk is focused on increasing knowledge of mushroom species present on PEI, and their identification. To register, please contact Ken atken@mushroomsofpei.ca
Harriet Laver to Lead Project on Species at Risk of Extinction
Conserving the flora and fauna of a province is not something that can be achieved by one person, one group or one government. Nature PEI is commencing a program to help Islanders better understand species at risk in Prince Edward Island, by letting them know just how many are out there, and their status. The species range from bumble bees to bats and include several lichens species, and of course, birds. Project Coordinator Harriet Laver is committed to engaging residents to promote more discussion about species at risk on the Island, and to provide accepted information about things people can do if they want to assist a species in peril. “In fact, 28 species on PEI are listed under the federal Species at Risk Act”, says Harriet, “but most people might struggle to name five”. Her project deals with awareness and advocacy on behalf of the 28 and she will also provide some information on the habitats that support additional rare species that may be at risk. Forest is the primary habitat of most wild species on PEI. Some species have recently been affected by habitat loss or disease, but many of them have declined over the decades, and unfortunately there are many species in this category.
Harriet Laver recently graduated from UPEI with a BSc (Honours) and has spent her university summers acting on watershed and fish issues, and meeting with landowners.
Join us for a leisurely nature walk around Pigot’s Trail where we will observe birds in a wide variety of habitat types including forests, marshes, and open fields. Bring a pair of binoculars and your favourite field guide, if you have them. The walk will be led by Nicole Murtagh, Nature PEI Field Trip Director.
“This 3km trail passes through a diversity of habitats from agriculture land and wetlands to wooded areas with an abundance of plants and animals.” – Island Trails Website
Nature PEI 