Island Nature Trust
112 Longworth Avenue C1A 5A8 Charlottetown, PE, Canada

We're excited to present to you Island Nature Trust's first ever Impact Report! 2019-2020 was a remarkable year for reaching our land acquisition goals. The report is a content rich story exploring the 956 acres of Natural Area we acquired last year. It contains visual profiles of the fragile and dynamic ecosystems that these properties host. We also review the important conservation work carried out across numerous stewardship programs in our 56 existing properties throughou...t PEI. All this simply would not have been possible without the immense support from our members, donors and volunteers! The last years successes are a result of a culmination of engagements with these incredible people throughout our 40-year history. They helped make this happen! Download the pdf report below or drop us a message if you would like a hard copy mailed to you. https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca//Island-Nature-Trust-2019

Talk about a bird’s eye view! Thanks to our partners at Kensington North Watersheds Association, we got some great drone footage above all the major bank swallow colonies across PEI’s north shore this fall! Why did we need this imagery? Good Question!... In November 2017, the bank swallow was listed as a Threatened species in Canada, having experienced a 98% population decline. Potential causes of the decline include loss of breeding and foraging habitat, erosion control measures such as coastal armouring, destruction of nests during aggregate excavation, collision with vehicles, widespread pesticide use affecting prey abundance, and impacts of climate change, which may reduce survival or reproductive potential. By gaining video images of the terrain above colonies, we hope to identify potential threats such as ATV tracks, mowing to the bank edge or other activities affecting the integrity of the cliff top, access to nests by predators and susceptibility to erosion. Where we see issues, there may be an opportunity to work with landowners to mitigate risks to colonies while also helping to stabilize the owners’ land. During the summer, INT staff along with volunteers and watershed group partners surveyed most of the PEI coastline to locate bank swallow colonies and assess colony size. We will have more of that story in the new year. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to our increased understanding of bank swallow in PEI!

Audubon’s 121st Christmas Bird Count is happening this month from the 14th through to January 5th 2021 Nature PEI’s Dan McAskill is heading up the counts for Prince Edward Island. The count is arranged with designated zones assigned to each count team. If you wish to participate, please advise the compiler with your relative bird ID skill level so that you can join an appropriate team. To check out the map for a designated counting area near you, click here: https://audubon.m...aps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html Sunday Dec. 20 PEI National Park CBC Coordinator Dan McAskill Sunday, Dec. 27 Hillsborough CBC Coordinator Dan McAskill The expectation is that each team will count a minimum of three hours. In the event of storm cancellation, the compiler will contact each participating count leader and the contact will be by a phone call out or text system. Contact Dan McAskill to register at: [email protected]

Island Nature Trust has teamed up with Ducks Unlimited Canada - Atlantic to continue to provide Wetland Field Trips during the Fall to grade 4’s across PEI , as well as grade 5 and 6 classes who did not receive them in the Spring. The field trips this year might have looked a little different, but we still learned lots and had a great time outside. INT staff took to the ponds around Charlottetown to find some critters to take to the classes instead of the classes coming to the critters. We had a lot of fun finding all sorts of invertebrates including leeches, predacious diving beetles, water boatman’s, and dragonfly nymphs! Join Us: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/become-a-member Donate Today: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/make-a-donation

Happy Halloween from the team at Island Nature Trust! Join Us: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/become-a-member Donate Today: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/make-a-donation

It's Giving Tuesday - a day to share your good fortune and support your community in a meaningful way! There are many ways to celebrate Giving Tuesday - donating to your favourite charity, volunteering your time, or helping a neighbour or friend! In the spirit of supporting local, we kindly ask that you consider Island Nature Trust as your charity of choice for Giving Tuesday 2020. At Island Nature Trust, land stewardship and land acquisition are important parts of our primar...y mission. Donations received will support acquisition and stewardship of five new gifts of land in Fortune Bridge, Cable Head East, Vernon River, Indian River and New Glasgow. These outstanding properties will be protected forever and include natural forests, a coastal headland and river properties that provide important habitat for wildlife. You can donate online on our website with a credit card or PayPal account, by E-transfer ([email protected]) or by making an appointment to come into the office! Donate today! https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/make-a-donation/ Learn more at https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/conservi/land-stewardship/ https://givingtuesday.ca/about #GivingTuesdayCA #Conservation Thank you for your support!

Time to get your bird seed! Visit Phillips Agri Services for a great selection of bird feeders and bird seed! Their fall sale starts Saturday, November 7th and runs until November 21st! Stop by 18 Exhibition Drive between 8AM and 5PM (Monday to Friday) or 8AM and 12PM (Saturday). Learn more by visiting their website: https://www.phillipsagri.ca/wild-bird-food Phillips Agri Services has donated a portion of all wild bird seed sales to Island Nature Trust since 2007! This suppo...rt has been essential to our work protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat across PEI. Pick up your bird seed and show you support for two local organizations! Join Us: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/become-a-member Donate Today: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/make-a-donation

Last call for tickets!! Be sure to grab yours as there is limited space left! Tickets are $25 each, and registration is mandatory. Follow the link below to register! We hope to see you there! Under the luminous glow of the full moon - join us on a majestic & adventurous fundraising nature walk through our Jenkins Complex Natural Area in Mount Albion on Monday, November 30th at 7pm.... Island Nature Trust has teamed up with Red Island Cider & bar1911 to host a get together after the walk at Bar 1911. You will have an opportunity to try one of Red Island Cider's wonderfully tasty drinks. Red Island Cider bar1911 https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/civicrm/event/info/...

We look forward to seeing ticket-holders on Sunday!

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday comes Giving Tuesday - a day to share your good fortune in a meaningful way! There are lots of ways to celebrate Giving Tuesday; you could donate to your favourite charity, volunteer your time, or help a neighbour or friend! In the spirit of supporting local, we kindly ask that you consider Island Nature Trust as your charity of choice for Giving Tuesday 2020. At Island Nature Trust, land stewardship and land acquisition are important parts... of our primary mission. Donations received will support acquisition and stewardship of five new gifts of land in Fortune Bridge, Cable Head East, Vernon River, Indian River and New Glasgow. These outstanding properties will be protected forever and include natural forests, a coastal headland and river properties that provide important habitat for wildlife. You can donate online on our website with a credit card or PayPal account, by E-transfer ([email protected]) or by making an appointment to come into the office! Donate today! https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/make-a-donation/ Learn more at https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/conservi/land-stewardship/ https://givingtuesday.ca/about #GivingTuesdayCA #Conservation Thank you for your support!

October 10 is World Migratory Bird Day! To celebrate we're sharing some cool migration facts about the migratory birds we work with! Piping Plover: Piping Plovers begin migrating north mid-March to their breeding grounds extending from North Carolina all the way north to southern Newfoundland! Their migration south (the Gulf of Mexico, the southern Atlantic coast of the US and the Caribbean) starts in August and by mid-September, most Piping Plovers are enjoying the heat whil...e winter starts to creep into the Gulf. Ruby-throated Hummingbird: During migration, some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds embark on a non-stop 1,400 km journey across the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean to eastern North America. They breed during the summer in eastern US and southern Canada (from Ontario, eastward). In winter, they are found mostly in Mexico and Florida. Barn Swallow: The most abundant and widespread swallow in the world, the Barn Swallow breeds across North America, Europe and Asia, and overwinters in Central and South America, southern Africa, and southern and southeast Asia. Barn Swallows migrate during the day, foraging on the fly, and moving from one nocturnal roost site to the next. Bank Swallow: Bank Swallows migrate north relatively late in spring compared to other swallows, arriving to their breeding grounds in North America between mid-March and late May. During their winter migration to South America, Bank Swallows flock together and will travel with other species of swallows, particularly Cliff, Tree, and Barn. Bobolink: The Bobolink has one of the longest migrations for a songbird, travelling a roughly 20,000 km round-trip every year breeding in North America and spending their winters foraging amongst the rice fields in southern South America. Throughout its lifetime, it may travel the equivalent of 4 or 5 times around the circumference of the earth. Join Us: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/become-a-member Donate Today: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/make-a-donation

Registration is now CLOSED. Thanks to all who signed up - we look forward to celebrating with you this Sunday! (Reminder to those who signed up: please bring snacks/water and if you signed up for the water tour, bring your kayak/canoe)! See you 1PM Sunday!

We had a great attendance both in person and online for this year’s Island Nature Trust Annual General Meeting at Beaconsfield House. This was the first year we streamed the event live via our YouTube channel with 48 people tuning in to the proceedings. A warm congratulations to Jeanne Maki for winning this year's Hon. J. Angus MacLean Natural Areas Award.... Jeanne's award presentation, announcement of new board members and loads more is now available to watch online for those who missed the event. Read the review and watch the event on our news page. https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/category/news/

Island photographer David Cairns' poignant photographs of PEI are being featured in the American Friends of Canadian Conservation photo contest. David is an ardent supporter of conservation on PEI and his images artfully communicate the beauty of PEI’s coastline. Please take a second to vote for your favourite entry before the deadline at the end of the day! (Wednesday 30th September)... https://conservecanada.org//oh-canada-photo-cont/page/12/ UPDATE: David's quintessential image of the range light at Bellevue Cove is in third place!

Islander David Cairns has submitted some excellent photographs to the American Friends of Canadian Conservation photo contest. Voting ends on September 30, so take a look and vote now!

#WorldCleanupDay was September 19th how did you celebrate? Here at INT, we’ve been busy with beach cleanups! Now that shorebird nesting season has come to an end, it’s safe to walk the beaches without disturbing nests and young chicks. That means it’s also beach cleanup season! INT staff and volunteers participated in two beach cleanup events over the past two weeks: one in Alaska at our Acadian Marshes Percival River Salt Marsh Natural Area and one at Poverty Beach. We’d... like to send out a big thank you to all of the volunteers who came to these events. With your help, we were able to clean up an incredible total of 1327 lbs (602 kg) of trash! This year was the first time that we also collected data on the specific categories of garbage that were picked up. Among other debris, we removed: - 94 plastic bottles - 54 plastic bags - 69 wire lobster traps - 166 lobster bands - 132 styrofoam buoys - 77 plastic mesh mussel socks - 7 balloons - 46 pieces of food packaging (candy wrappers, coffee cups, take-out containers, etc.) - 703 smaller foam and plastic pieces Remember to always pack out your garbage when visiting a beach, and if you can, try to remove any other trash you see too! By removing and properly disposing of shoreline garbage, we can make our island coastlines cleaner and safer for both humans and wildlife. Funding for this project to continue our coastal species at risk work has been graciously provided by Environment & Climate Change Canada, the Wildlife Conservation Fund, and Maritime Electric!

It’s time to celebrate the acquisition of our natural area in Crown Point! Join us October 4th at 1PM for a guided walking tour OR bring your kayak/canoe to experience our beautiful natural area from the water. Space is limited, so please register in advance. Register at: https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/civicrm/event/list/

As October quickly approaches, the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund will be accepting project applications for the fall and winter 2020-21! If you organization wo...uld like to apply, you can find more information here: https://www.peiwcf.ca/applicants/ Please note the deadline for applications is Monday, October 5, 2020.

Attention!! Due to tide restrictions, the time for tomorrow's beach clean-up at Poverty Beach has been switched to 9 AM! We apologize for any inconveniences, and hope to see you all there! It is also not too late to register if you would like to join!... https://www.islandnaturetrust.ca/plastic-not-fantastic-joi/

It's Plover Appreciation Day on September 16!! Join in on the #PloverAppreciationDay fun by baking plover treats, drawing a picture, dressing up as your favorite plover, and/or sharing your favorite photos! Share your creations with us and use the following hashtags; #LoveAPlover #PloverAppreciationDay #PAD2020 Island Nature Trust staff are celebrating by dressing up as the endangered piping plover! Piping plover conservation on PEI’s provincial beaches began with a handfu...l of concerned volunteers banding together to monitor nests. In 1995, Island Nature Trust began to coordinate their conservation efforts on all PEI nesting beaches that lay outside the PEI National Park. More than twenty years later, Island Nature Trust continues to partner with dedicated volunteers, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada and the Province to protect piping plover on their nesting grounds in PEI and provide information to beach goers during the summer months. Piping Plover hats created by the ever so talented, Julie-Lynn Zahavich!!