Provincial museum talk just that so far

Editorial Published on February 16, 2011 by The Guardian

Let's hope Islanders hear more than vague promises during the fall election campaign

Any discussion among heritage-minded Islanders on the topic of a provincial museum always ends the same way - on a down note.

The idea of building an Island museum has been around for years. And it's an idea that everyone appears to support.

But in spite of all the support, not only have we not finished the project, we haven't even gotten to the start line.

One of the main stumbling blocks, one common throughout the province's history, is finding the money to build a museum. Some estimates say it will cost in the range of $40 million or more.

Tapping an adequate source of money is important because if there is another thing everyone agrees on, it's the fact the museum must be built properly the first time around. We'll get one shot at it, unlike a tricky chowder recipe that can be tried over and over again until it tastes just right. In culinary terms, the museum needs to taste and look right as soon as it comes off the stove.

The topic of a provincial museum came up recently in Summerside. Mayor Basil Stewart, always on the hunt for positive additions to his city, would like to see the museum located there.

Harry Holman, director of culture, heritage and libraries with the provincial Department of Tourism and Culture, says while the museum project is very much alive, it hasn't moved to a decision-making stage.

He added it's not just Summerside that is pining for the museum, a number of other communities are as well.

Speaking on May 25, 2007, Liberal Leader Robert Ghiz said if elected he would begin "a comprehensive planning process dedicated to creating a new Prince Edward Island museum worthy of our beautiful province."

He promised a Liberal government would consult with Islanders to explore options for a museum. To be fair to the Liberals, they have consulted, in the sense the government commissioned a museumreport that outlined a number of options. All the options would carry a heavy price tag.

And that's where things now stand. Everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. It might be an infusion of federal money to help the province celebrate the150th anniversary of the historic 1864 Fathers of Confederation meeting or, better still, it might be a firm commitment and timeline from a provincial government.

Islanders can expect to hear lots of talk about an Island museum during this fall's provincial election campaign. When the topic comes up, Islanders should push for more than rhetoric. The Liberal promise four years ago was vague and so have been its actions on the issue.

In today's world it is as easy to communicate with someone on the other side of the world as it is someone in this province. In fact, in some instances it is easier.

It's also easy for our younger generations to become disconnected with Prince Edward Island's past, caught up as they are in everyone else's history and news. A vibrant museum dedicated to celebrating our proud and colourful past would go a long way towards fighting that disconnect.

Design of provincial museum still being discussed

Published on February 8, 2011

The Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE – The idea of a provincial museum is still being discussed but when it will be built, where it will be built and what it will look like, has yet to be determined.

Harry Holman, director of culture, heritage and libraries with the Department of Tourism and Culture, said there is still much interest in the project that was proposed two years ago.

“The whole project is very much still alive but it hasn’t moved to a decision-making stage at this point,” Holman said. “There have been a number of communities who have expressed an interest.”

Summerside was one of those communities that made its proposal to the Province last year and Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart said the city’s position has not changed.

“We presented our situation to the minister and I think he understands that we are very interested in having it here in Summerside,” Stewart said. “Our oar’s in the water and we’ll just have to wait and see.”

That wait could be another six years before a provincial museum comes about.

“We haven’t put a formal proposal to the federal government so we don’t know whether they’re interested or not,” said Holman. “They are going to be involved in some sort of legacy for the 150th anniversary of the Confederation Conference and this is one of the options that hold some possibilities (for an injection of federal government funding).”

He added, “Summerside has made its pitch and the city put forward a good case.”

The cost of the project has been at the centre of the discussions.

The initial proposal came back with an extremely high price tag, in excess of $50 million. Government representatives believed it was “somewhat larger than the community had anticipated such a facility would cost,” Holman said.

Other options are now being examined.

“What we were asked to do is look at a couple of different options and possibilities to see where there were alternatives and where we would still end up with the three essential pillars. One is the exhibition space, which is what most people think of when they think of the museum, but that’s really only the tip of the iceberg. The whole collection storage piece is an extremely important part of that and the ability to do programming in association with the museum.”

Charting a Course: The Study of Heritage on P.E.I.

The study conducted for the Province of PEI recently called Charting a Course: The Study of Heritage on P.E.I. is posted on-line. One can only hope that the important recommendations that it makes will not languish in cyberspace for too much longer.

Clearly this is the time for action on things like the Natural History mandate of our provincial museum system. The consultants put the issue into perspective when they wrote:

Related to the lack of a lead facility, and again recognized by most of the museum consultants, has been the neglect of the ‘natural heritage’ part of the provincial museum’s mandate. In response to Dr. Lemieux’s recommendation for the creation of a natural history museum, in 1987 Barbara MacDonald and the Natural History Museum Advisory Committee made fourteen recommendations on the subject to the PEIMHF. None was realized, and today the state of our natural heritage remains a major concern.

Natural History Component of our Provincial Museum System

Recently a scientific report was published in The Island Magazine which indicated that

“the insect fauna of Prince Edward Island is the most poorly documented of any province in Canada.”

At a time when biodiversity is becoming an important global issue, in many cases we are simply unaware of what organisms currently exist on the Island.

The same report indicated that 608 new species in one family of insects were recently located in PEI that had never been previously recorded. This was simply a matter of lack of research in the past but indicates broadly the lack of knowledge that currently exists. It is becoming increasingly important to establish biological benchmarks to measure when there are changes caused by climate change and/or the arrival of invasive species. These benchmarks could also be used in the development of effective conservation and management strategies in the future. Therefore, it is of great importance that these benchmarks are established through research, which is a key function of a provincial museum.

Increasingly the value of scientific research is being appreciated as fundamental for any jurisdiction yet we remain the only province in Canada where there is no scientific capacity within the provincial museum related to our natural history. Leaving such significant documentation solely to volunteers is simply not appropriate.

Simply put - we need action from our government to establish and staff the natural history component of our provincial museum system.

NaturePEI:The Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island

Check out the new website and blog for NaturePEI:The Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island.

The Birds of Prince Edward Island - 2010

This list compiled by David Seeler, records the list of species reported on PEI during 2010.
__________________________________

SPECIES Reported in 2010: 236

DUCKS, GEESE, AND WATERFOWL
Pink-footed Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Brant
Barnacle Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck

PHEASANTS, GROUSE, AND ALLIES
Gray Partridge
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse

LOONS
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon

GREBES
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe

SHEARWATERS AND PETRELS
Greater Shearwater

BOOBIES AND GANNETS
Northern Gannet

CORMORANTS AND SHAGS
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Cormorant

HERONS, EGRETS, AND BITTERNS
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret

NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture

OSPREY
Osprey

HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle

FALCONS AND CARACARAS
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon

RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Moorhen
American Coot

PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover
Killdeer

SANDPIPERS AND ALLIES
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Upland Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Hudsonian Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Purple Sandpiper
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope

GULLS, TERNS, AND SKIMMERS
Black-legged Kittiwake
Bonaparte's Gull
Black-headed Gull
Little Gull
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern

SKUAS AND JAEGERS
Parasitic Jaeger

AUKS, MURRES, AND PUFFINS
Dovekie
Razorbill
Black Guillemot

PIGEONS AND DOVES
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove

CUCKOOS
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo

OWLS
Great Horned Owl
Snowy Owl
Barred Owl
Great Gray Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl

NIGHTJARS AND ALLIES
Common Nighthawk

HUMMINGBIRDS
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

KINGFISHERS
Belted Kingfisher

WOODPECKERS
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

SHRIKES
Northern Shrike

VIREOS
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo

CROWS, JAYS, AND MAGPIES
Gray Jay
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven

LARKS
Horned Lark

SWALLOWS
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow

CHICKADEES AND TITS
Black-capped Chickadee
Boreal Chickadee

NUTHATCHES
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch

CREEPERS
Brown Creeper

WRENS
Winter Wren

KINGLETS
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

THRUSHES AND ALLIES
Eastern Bluebird
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin

MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher

STARLINGS
European Starling

WAGTAILS AND PIPITS
American Pipit

WAXWINGS
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing

NEW WORLD WARBLERS
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat

BUNTINGS, SPARROWS AND ALLIES
Eastern Towhee
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Nelson's Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting

CARDINALS AND ALLIES
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

TROUPIALS AND ALLIES
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole

SISKINS, CROSSBILLS, AND ALLIES
Pine Grosbeak
Purple Finch
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak

OLD WORLD SPARROWS
House Sparrow
______________________________________

Brown calls for Decision on Provincial Museum

As published on the campaign website of Philip Brown - candidate for mayor of Charlottetown 2010

Charlottetown, August 23, 2010 — Charlottetown mayoral candidate Philip Brown says there is no better time than the present to establish the proposed provincial museum in Charlottetown.

“It is time for governments at all levels to come together and move forward on this initiative,” said Mr. Brown. “The studies have been done, the options have been identified and it is time to make a decision to finally establish a provincial museum in Charlottetown, the provincial capital.”

Mr. Brown said that Prince Edward Island is the only province in Canada without a provincial museum, and its establishment would help to interpret the history, heritage and culture of the province. He said it would also be a major attraction for visitors to the province, citing a recent study by the Tourism Research Centre at the University of Prince Edward Island which found 91 percent of visitors to the province visited a historic site, art gallery or museum.

“A provincial museum would not only fill a void in the province’s cultural landscape, it would also result in significant economic and educational benefits,” said Mr. Brown. “As mayor, I would work closely with the federal and provincial governments to secure an immediate start to this project in Charlottetown which would complement the historic character of the city and become a source of pride for all Islanders.”

Mr Brown said he would like to see the project completed by 2014, the 150th anniversary of the Charlottetown Conference.

Mr. Brown said the recent sale of the Dominion Building offers one interesting possibility as a location, although he would not rule out other sites within the city.

“I am very concerned that the present city administration has been dragging its feet on the project for too long and has failed to secure a commitment,” said Mr. Brown. “As mayor, I would make this an immediate priority during my first 30 days in office.”