Harvey Moore Wildlife Centre

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