Plains Bison

Summer is fast approaching and many families enjoy that age old sport...........the Sunday drive.

Now to be clear, I had precious few of those as a child or teenager. Not until Mr. Jamie appeared on the page did it become of my favourite activities.

A few years later with kids in tow, we would pair up with old friends and family and their kids and take in the local sights, here and also on Cape Breton and in New Brunswick.

Back in the early days there was a nature park in Rustico that we all enjoyed, but which didn't last long, and I've already blogged about our famous Rainbow Valley. Who could ever forget it?

But in the last few years, Milltown Cross is an easy drive to hopefully see a buffalo up close and personal. We've always been fairly lucky, they are massive and magnificent. Not all provinces are as lucky as little old PEI to lay claim to a Buffalo herd. They are more properly known as American Bison and are native to North America. Their herds numbered in the many hundreds of thousands at one time, til they were slaughtered for pleasure and left to die.

They appear to be pretty harmless as they graze and nurse their young, but I wouldn't get between one of those big bulls and a bale of hay...............

1973 marked the centennial of Prince Edward Island joining Confederation. That was a big year on the Island, honouring, among other things, Century farms. And every once in a while you can still spot one of those printed signs that farmers could proudly display at the roadside, if they were running an authentic "Century" farm. And as I like to say..............no farmers, no food.

The Government of Alberta gifted the Island with a herd of Bufallo that year. There were 15 animals, and if my memory is correct, Bud Stewart (maybe Spud?) escorted the animals who were sent by rail. They were and still are housed in a 100 acre preserve in Milltown Cross. For many years the Province foot the bill to keep the herd healthy and culled.

But in 2014 the reins were passed over to the Buddhist colony who do not believe in harming any living thing. Already the herd is at almost 60 animals and will probably need a lot more land to thrive.

So before anything drastic happens, why not plan a visit this summer? The "Buffaloland Provincial Park" is open 7 days a week, and to my knowledge is still free of charge. When this picture was taken just a couple of years ago, I remember the short drive to the fence and viewing deck was atrocious, so we parked and walked.

Why not put it on your radar for this summer? Grab lunch at Gillis's, make a date for coffee at McDonald's on the way home, enjoy a stress free Sunday.