A North Voncouver Firefighters and Wildlife Rescue Association's Serah Robulak volunteer their time and enthusiasm for the annual Christmas Tree Chip-up. Chipping-In for Locai Students Sometimes it seems 2 Christmas Tree's job is never done. It's not enough to wear strings of lights and colourful ornaments, it's not even enough to shelter thoughtful gifts beneath its boughs, these days a Christmas Tree's job isn’t done until its been transformed into bark mulch for City gardens in an event that generates enough donations to provide scholarships for local students. That's what happened last month at North Vancouver's annual Christmas Tree Chip-up. The January 8th event raised $4,000 for student scholarships. For the past eight years, Andy Schmidt, of North Vancouver City rire & Rescue, and the City Engineering Department _ have been co-ordinating the event * It seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year - this year was by far the busiest,” said Acting Fire Chief Barrie Penman. the scholarships will be award- ed to several Carson Graham Senior Secondary School and Sutherland Senior Secondary School students. And if that wasn't enough, parts of the discarded Christmas trees are also being used to help distressed wildlife. Wildlife Rescue Association of British Columbia volunteer Sarah Robulack also dropped by last month's Christmas Tree Chip-uo. She took two truckloads of branches to the WRA wildlife sanc- tuary in Burnaby. WRA provides care for orphaned, injured and pollution- damaged wildlife until they can be released back into their natural habitat. “While they're with us we want their Surroundings to be as natural as H APP Y¥ possible,” Robulack said. Many businesses - helped to make this year's chip-up a success. Revy Home Centres at Park & Tilford donated their north lot for the event and Starbucks and Save-On Foods supplied coffee and hotdogs for the general public. Whitespot, Subway and Bread Garden all contributed tunch and snacks for the off-duty firefighters. Coming Soon: The Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 The City is gearing up for another millennium celebration. This time, North .. Vancouver will be one of the more than : 800 Canadian cor munities preparing. = to welcome the rans Canada Trail. - Relay 2000 as:it moves through the he relay will mark . the inaugural opening of the world's largest multi-tise recreational trail. "This is indeed an opportunity not to be missed,” said City of North Vancouver Mayor Barbara Sharp. “Canadians have a once ina lifetime opportunity to take part in this historical event. People from . our community are very excited that the relay is coming to town.” Water will be drawn from each of Canada's three oceans and relayed by more than 5,000 Canadians who will either walk, cycle, ride horseback, cross-country ski or snowmobile across over 16,000 km of the Trans Canada Trail. On September - Sth all three water vessels will be ceremoniously poured into a newly constructed fountain in the National Capital Region. The Relay 2000 entourage will leave Victoria on April 7th and arrive in North Vancouver on April 13th. Plans to celebrate traditions share local hospitality and make history are well under way. The water will be carried along the North Shore section of the Trans Canada Trail on its way to Waterfront Park. At this stage it looks like the North Shore carriers will begin at Horseshoe Bay, proceed through West Vancouver and through the GVRD VALEN T I N E S Capilano River Regional Park, into. the City of North Vancouver down: Mosquito Creek and through the Squamish Nation lands into Waterfront Park. Trans Canada Trail celebrations in North Vancouver will take place in the afternoon until the water is carried across Burrard Inlet on its way to Ottawa. If you want to learn more about the Trans Canada Trail contact Suzanne Dane at 250-389-1190 or suzanne@participaction.com A Call For Artists This is your chance to take art to an sentirely different level. The City of Vancouver is seeking artists or -_a team of artists to design a manhole “cover. for the upgraded civic plaza at j Lonsdale. The deadline for ion of er dentials is March 7, 2000. This is the: -first public art project to be undertaken under the auspices of the City of North Vancouver Public Art Policy. Artists interested i in receiving the prospectus can obtain a copy from the : : North Shore Arts Commission located ‘at 148 East 2nd Street, North Vancouver. All inquiries should be directed to Leesa Strimbicki at 980-3559. Be Inspired Through S The Kababayang Pilipino cult forming arts group will be fedttt a cultural show on Saturday, Feb : a Biars Theatre. Enjoy authentio,fol Lett bee SET the spirit and characte The show is being spo ce bra : ere orth -Var couver, to-prov e@ “enivirogme ts. Streeter: "What would be your ideal Valentines Day “A solution to poverty and hunger” Rosalce Wright ‘A diamond bracelet.” Nancy J. Howatson “Perfume.” Sarbjit S. Bains Council meetings will be held on Mon df a February 7th, Monday February. 14th ond Mondcy February 28th. Regular coun meetings start at 6:00 pm. If you can't : moke the meetings you can catch all the. action on Saturdays at 1:30 pm - that's.’ when City council meetings can be se on Rogers TV (cable 4). There is also a". public hearing scheduled for Monday February 21st at 7:00 pm. hay City Hall, 141 West 14th Stieet - North Vancouver 2 www.cnv.org Tel: 985-7761, Fax: 985-9417: