ISLAND HISTORY - ANOTHER FOREST RESOURCE by Ken Mayhew P.E.I. Dept. Energy and Forestry

To the untrained eye a scattering of stOne chips, a heap of discarded shells, or a series of low earthen mounds may not appear as anything interesting, but to the eye of an archaeologist they might indicate something very special. They might provide clues about the first people to inhabit this land, and their way of life hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

While people often think of P.E.I.'s history as beginning in 1534 when Jacques Cartier landed near Savage Harbour, the Island was in fact already populated by the Micnacs. They had been living here for hundreds of years, and yet they were only the latest in a long line of peoples who had visited and made Prince Edward Island their home.

Evidence gathered throughout the region indicates that parts of P.E.I. have been inhabited for close to 10,000 years. Like modern people, they lived in a variety of locations depending upon their needs, and the resources available at that site. Several major finds have been located along seashores or in coastal dunes systems, but many have been found in undisturbed forest land near rivers, lakes, and ponds.

Unfortunately the historical record contains many gaps and missing pieces but each year new information helps to fill in the puzzle. Field staff from the Department of Energy and Forestry are in a unique position to help archaeologists locate potential sites because their daily work often involves road construction, and site preparation on forest sites which have never been disturbed. However, they needed additional training to properly identify sites and how to report them so that such sites may be explored and evaluated before any major disturbance occurs.

Dr. David Keenlyside, Curator of Atlantic Provinces Archaeology at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, recently conducted a one-day workshop for Forestry Branch field staff. He gave a lecture on the importance of many different artifacts and sites, circulated artifacts from several different Island cultures, and visited various sites to see what indicators they should look for and what they should do if they should find something of interest. This workshop offered Forestry Branch staff the opportunity to explore several recent discoveries and learn more about the interactions of aboriginal peoples and the forests of several centuries ago.

Woodlot owners are also in a unique position to help uncover the past. By working together with their forest management staff they can help to report and identify sites which may shed new light on the peoples of long ago. If you have found something of interest contact your technician and help to discover our island's history.

FEEDERWATCH NORTH EXCERPTS Erica Dunn Long Point Bird Observatory

There were some marked differences between feeder activity in 1991-92 and the winter before; nearly all in eruptive finches. Unlike in the 0.5., all these species increased in Canada or at least remained stable.

The most dramatic difference between years occurred in Purple Finch (refer to Figure 2). As detailed in the Annual Report, these birds forsook the southeastern 0.5. and crammed themselves into the Maritimes, where numbers increased ten-fold. Evening Grosbeak, which declined on a continental basis and in the Northeast region, nonetheless increased in the Haritimes along with Purple Finches (Figure 3), albeit merely doubling their numbers.

Canadian Pine siskins had a similar distribution pattern to that of the Evening Grosbeak over the past two years. Numbers were only slightly higher

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