Harvey Moore Wildlife Centre

Located in Milltown Cross, this site is part of a wildlife preservation area on the upper reaches of the Sturgeon River watershed. The property has two ponds which have traditionally provided sanctuary and habitat for migratory waterfowl since it was first developed in the middle of the 20th century.

The Harvey Moore Wildlife Management Area is valued as one of the earliest migratory bird sanctuarys in the province and for its contribution to the rural community of Milltown Cross.

Harvey Moore (1916-1960) was an avid outdoorsman and naturalist. In 1944, he purchased property from Harriet Molyneaux and began to establish a bird sanctuary for migratory waterfowl. The first year only a pair of ducks arrived, but this had increased to fifty by the second year. A decade later, an estimated six thousand birds arrived and during the winter several of these, especially black ducks, overwintered on the site.

Harvey Moore became renowned for his ability to gain the trust of the birds. He could feed them out of his hand and could even pick some of them up to band them without using traps. He also cared for injured, sick, or wounded birds which came to the sanctuary. The variety of birds which could be found there included: Black Duck, American Widgeon, Pintail, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Ringneck Duck, and Canada Geese.

The site was inherited by his wife and sons. In 2004, Charles Moore and the Friends of the Harvey Moore Foundation turned the property over to the Province. The legacy of Harvey Moore continues to be honoured each year at the University of PEI. The Department of Biology annually awards a fourth year student who shows particular interest in Island wildlife with the Harvey Moore Memorial Scholarship.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8

File #: 4310-20/TR36

The site is valued for the following character-defining elements:

- the location of the nature preserve in the rural area of Milltown Cross

- the variety of forest cover and the two main ponds

- the small manmade islands constructed as nesting areas for the waterfowl

- the walking trail and observation areas which allow people to view the pond and waterfowl