We had a great attendance both in person and online for this year’s Island Nature Trust Annual General Meeting at Beaconsfield House.
It’s now available to watch online for those who missed the event by clicking below.
Here’s a brief review of the highlights…
INT was delighted to award the 2020 Hon. J. Angus MacLean Natural Areas Award to nominee Ms. Jeanne Maki. Ms. Maki has spent her adult life working to safeguard one of PEI’s most important and threatened ecosystems: our forests. As a testament to her dedication, she recently designated close to one hundred acres of woodlands in the Pinette-Belfast area as protected natural area under the private stewardship option of the PEI Natural Areas Protection Act. INTRODUCING OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS MARIE-ANN BOWDEN During her career at the College of Law, University of Saskatchewan, Marie-Ann actively pursued research and teaching in the areas of environmental law, property and water law. Since retiring Professor Emeritus from the College, she has returned to PEI and has joined the Board of the Upton Farmlands Trust and helped secure a new Water Act with her colleagues at the Coalition for the Protection of PEI Waters. 
TYLER COADY Tyler is a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran who has obtained a B.A. Psychology (Honours) at UPEI and an M.A. Military Psychology at Adler University, Chicago. He has several published research articles and has a strong background in behavioural sciences. Combined with work in peer support and crisis negotiations, Tyler helps other veterans reconnect with nature. 
ROGER E. COFFIN Roger spent 20 years in the private sector as a manager and entrepreneur, followed by a career in the public sector that included business support and aerospace recruitment. Roger has been involved with outdoor organizations mainly in the areas of hunting and fishing. Roger is a life member of Margaree Salmon Association, Miramichi Salmon Association and now Island Nature Trust. 
GORDON MACKAY Gordon, who has practiced law since 1980, comes to the Island Nature Trust with extensive personal and professional volunteer experience. He has served as a Commissioner on the Judicial Review Commission (PEI), the Treasurer of the Law Foundation of Prince Edward Island, and President of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. He has also chaired the Red Cross Multi-Sport Relay and the Prince Edward Island United Way Campaign, as well as the Inspire fundraising campaign of the University of Prince Edward Island. 
HELP US SAVE LEWES INT is still appealing for secure funds for a stunning mature hardwood forest in Lewes, Kings County. Due to the economic repercussions of COVID, we have lost a previous corporate commitment for funds towards this purchase and are now shy of just $10,000.
Support has been outstanding with seventeen individuals donating close to $5000 towards its acquisition. Thank you to all those who have donated. Every little helps! $15,000.
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Category: News
Plastic Not Fantastic: Join Us For Fall Beach Clean-ups
Of all trash, plastic rubbish has the greatest potential to harm the environment, wildlife and humans. It can be found floating at the surface, suspended in the water column, or on the bottom of almost all water bodies. It is transported by rivers to the ocean, where it moves with the currents, and is often eaten by birds and fish, concentrating toxic chemicals in their tissues, and filling their stomachs, causing them to starve. Plastic aquatic debris is much more than a mere aesthetic problem.
Please help us to remove this harmful plastic and other items of rubbish from our coastline. INT is targeting two properties in September. The first clean-up on Thursday 10th is the recently acquired Percival River property in Alaska. It is one of the least developed watersheds in PEI and the largest unbroken ribbon of saltmarsh in PEI – host to a rich and diverse habitat for vulnerable wildlife.
The other location is Poverty Beach in Murray Harbour with a clean-up scheduled to take place on Thursday 17th. Poverty Beach is home to the valiant but endangered Piping Plover. With several stresses experienced already by this well-loved bird species such as human encroachment, predation and climate change, let’s give our Piping Plover friends – now migrated South for the winter – a rubbish free nesting home ready for their return next Spring.
Please spread the word as we need all the help we can get!
Thank you for your support – The Island Nature Trust Team
HON. J. ANGUS MACLEAN NATURAL AREAS AWARD
A LAST CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Island Nature Trust is seeking nominations for the 2020 Hon. J. Angus MacLean Natural Areas Award. This award is named in honour of former Premier and conservationist, J. Angus MacLean. Individuals or groups that have made a significant and lasting difference in increasing or improving natural areas across PEI may be nominated for this prestigious annual award.
Many Islanders feel a deep connection with their land and have made a thoughtful decision to keep it in its natural state. There are also many groups throughout the Island that have put in countless hours improving and protecting natural areas.
In addition to Mr. MacLean himself in 1990, some previous winners include Eric MacPhail and Helen MacPhail for donating their 80-acre Acadian forest in Elmwood and Randy Dibblee for spearheading the mapping of wetlands with scores based on wildlife values for PEI.
Nominations for the MacLean Award should be written and as detailed as possible to allow Island Nature Trust’s awards committee to make a fully informed selection. Nominations should include brief biographies of the nominee as well as a clear outline of the work done to protect or manage natural area(s) in PEI. Guidelines for nominations and a full list of past recipients is available from Island Nature Trust. Please drop us an email at admin@islandnaturetrust.ca for further information.
The final deadline for submissions is Friday, August 28th, 2020.
Bobolink – A Migratory Marvel
This fascinating but threatened bird has faced a busy and challenging summer. Now it’s time to wish it a ‘bon voyage’…
@brussell
Announcing the Island Nature Trust Environmentalist Award
Island Nature Trust is excited to announce the launch of a new youth award sponsored by local Realtor Leigh Jenkins of Century 21 and available to students finishing high school studies at Bluefield, Charlottetown rural, Colonel Grey, Montague and Francois Buote.
Read more
Educate to Protect: Beach-dune Ecosystems
INT has been teaching young people across PEI how to take care of our vulnerable coastline.
Read moreDeroche Pond Celebration
2019 is a big year for Island Nature Trust and Nature PEI; it’s INT’s 40th anniversary and Nature PEI’s 50th. To celebrate, we hosted a joint event at one of INT’s oldest protected areas, the Deroche Pond Natural Area.
Various activities took place throughout the day, including: canoe trips across the pond, guided nature tours, and kids games.
A full schedule of the events and accompanying map is below!
Hon. J. Angus MacLean Natural Areas Award Recipients – 2019
Congratulations to Helen MacPhail and her brother in-law, Eric MacPhail, the recent recipients of the 2019 Hon. J. Angus MacLean Natural Areas Award!
The Hon. J. Angus MacLean Natural Areas award is an award program established by the Island Nature Trust to honour an individual, group, or agency who/which has made a significant contribution to the protection of natural areas in Prince Edward Island.
The MacPhails donated an 80-acre piece of mature Acadian Forest located in Elmwood to the Island Nature Trust in 2015. This was done through the Ecological Gifts Program administered by the Government of Canada which encourages owners of significant ecologically important land to donate it for conservation. The recipient was the Island Nature Trust who now holds the deed for this property. The land has subsequently been legally designated for protection under the Natural Areas Protection Act.
Past Winners of INT Awards
YEAR:
1987 Harold Jenkins – establishment of private waterfowl sanctuary.
1989 Col. Patrick & Ann Wootton – protection of Herring Island and Thomas Island.
1990 Hon. J. Angus MacLean – protection of an International Biological Program site on his property.
1991 Mike & Cathy Edward – protection of hemlock stands on their property, part of an IBP site.
1991 Piping Plover Partnership – Piping Plover protection program in the Prince Edward Island National Park: – Canadian Parks Service, – Parks & People Association, – Cavendish Tourist Association
1992 Col. Denny Hopping & Indian River Conservation Development Project – establishment of a nature trail and public education at the Indian River Wildlife Management Area.
1993 Gary Schneider & Macphail Woods Project – active management and educational programs at the Sir Andrew Macphail property, part of which is an International Biological Program site.
1994 Therese d’Amour – establishment of a private nature preserve and for public education. A contributor to Island Nature Trust projects.
1995 Garry McAdam & Leo Hendricken of Georgetown Elementary Environmental Group for their work.
1996 Dave Biggar for all his work on the Trout River Natural Area, Prince County.
1997 Concerned Citizens of Eastern Kings for successfully preventing the peat mining of Baltic Bog. Dan McAskill for his life time achievement for outstanding contributions to natural areas preservation.
1998 Dr. Ian MacQuarrie for his lifetime efforts towards protection of natural areas.
1999 Trout River Environmental Committee for work to restore wildlife & fish habitat along Trout River Watershed, Queens County. Daryl Guignion for his lifetime efforts towards protection of natural areas.
2000 Garnet Buell of Murray River for protection of 100 acres of woodland and wetland. Bruce Smith of Stratford for over two decades of conservation work on Prince Edward Island.
2001 George Webster for all the work on his land in Maple Plains. Gary Griffin for conserving almost 100 acres of his land. Ruth Enman for all her efforts in protecting Hermitage Creek.
2002 Dr. Doug Sobey for his classification of the Island’s forest system and Modhaicdh Farms for implementing a variety of good land stewardship initiatives.
2003 Hon. Gilbert Clements for his contributions to natural areas protection and legislation.
2004 The late Harvey Moore for establishing Moore Bird Sanctuary in Milltown Cross.
2005 Bruce Pigot for all his natural history conservation efforts over the last four decades.
2006 Sisters of St. Martha for creating a wetland just off Mt. Edward Rd. and Rosemary Curley for her lifetime efforts towards the protection of natural areas.
2007 TARRP for their outstanding work to ensure the Eagles Landing Tracadie Bog was protected under the PEI Natural Areas Protection Act.
2008 Diane Griffin for her lifetime efforts towards protection of natural areas.
2009 James & Barbara Munves for protecting two Natural Areas.
2010 No nominations received.
2011 Wendell M. Profitt of Charlottetown for many years of dedicated work for natural areas and Provincial Parks
2012 Dr. Douglas Sobey for his outstanding contribution to natural areas protection.
2013 Upton Farmland Trust for their work to permanently protect & manage green space in the Charlottetown area
2014 Charles Perret & Gloria McKinnon-Perret for donating 187 acres of land at Cable Head East to the Island Nature Trust
2015 Jackie Waddell for all her efforts towards protecting natural areas on PEI.
2016 Nature Conservancy – PEI Chapter & Julie Vasseur for protecting natural areas on PEI.
2017 Edward & Agnes Laughlin for donating their 20.4 acre property at Foley’s Pond in Kildare.
2018 Randy Dibblee for spearheading the mapping of wetlands with scores based on the wildlife values for Prince Edward Island.
Greater yellowlegs at Tracadie Harbour by Shirley Gallant
Celebrating 40 Years of Conservation
2019 marks Island Nature Trust’s 40th Anniversary! To celebrate this milestone, Island Nature Trust hosted a very special fundraising event on May 10th. The event was held at the PEI Brewing Company and featured live entertainment, a buffet meal, silent auction items, and opportunities to sign up for some incredible workshops and nature-oriented experiences guided by knowledgeable Islanders that will be taking place throughout the year.
Congratulations to Pat McIntyre who won the draw for the stunning life-sized Great Blue Heron carving crafted by Dave Broderick of Alberton!
