Recently, officials from the Island Nature Trust and the Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division found people camping on one of the Island’s most sensitive protected Natural Areas – Boughton Island. They also found an unleashed dog which presented a significant threat to Piping Plovers nesting on the island.
Natural Areas such as Boughton Island are designated to protect important or unique ecological features and habitats. In order to properly conserve these areas, it is often necessary to restrict or prohibit certain human activities. On Boughton Island, dogs are prohibited from the area during the Piping Plover nesting season and camping is strongly discouraged. Prohibitions also extend to the use of motorized vehicles, such as ATVs, and all camp or cooking fires.
“We prefer to educate people about the value of these special lands rather than imposing fines and penalties but those are also options when people do not comply,” said the Manager of Fish and Wildlife programs, Gerald MacDougall. “In a place like Prince Edward Island with so little wild land, it is vital that people understand how their actions can harm the very things we need to protect.”
Boughton Island was originally purchased by Nature Conservancy of Canada at considerable expense and conveyed to the Province to be designated as a Natural Area. The goals of the Natural Area designation include providing habitat for colonial nesting birds and Piping Plovers, and to conserve offshore island habitat and allow natural process to continue there.
Piping plovers numbers have taken a downturn recently. The population in Atlantic Canada has fallen by 12% in the past 10 years according to the 2011 International Piping Plover Census. Following a high of 112 adult plovers in Prince Edward Island in 2001, only 52 have been recorded on Island beaches to date this year. These numbers are very worrisome, so extra care is needed when accessing Piping Plover nesting beaches.
There is also a concern about open fires on Boughton Island. In recent years, many of the island’s white spruce trees have died, creating a significant fire hazzard. As an island without links to the mainland, containing any fire would be difficult if not nearly impossible.