Paradise found for deceased North Van climber WHEN DAN Culver departed this world, he wanted to leave a little bit of heaven for the rest of us. By Kate Zimmerman News Reporter That's why the wilderness adven- turer stipulated in his wiil that part of his estate should be used to purchase a piece of “ecologically valuable British Columbia coastal property” for the use of the people of B.C. When the North Shore resident died on the descent from Pakistan's K2 last year, he left $1 million towards this dream. His brother Bruce is the executor of Dan's will. He is trying to make Dan‘s dream come true by purchasing a pocket of paradise in Bull Pussage called Jedediah Istand. “It appears to be ideal for our pur- poses,” said Bruce. The 256-hectare (640 acres) island is blessed with a protected deep-water cove, numerous inlets, a fresh-water spring, 40 hectares (100 acres) of farmland and a forest of old-growth Douglas fir, cedar and arbutus. The timber alone has been appraised at $4 million. “This is a location that will be well-used and appreciated by the public, which was the stipulation of my brother in his will," said Bruce. “We don't have many examples of a full island set aside as a park.” The property has been put up for sale by 73-year-old American couple Al and Mary Palmer, who have relo- cated to Nanoose Bay after 23 years a A ~ tae NEWS graphic Linda Dougtss JEDEDIAH ISLAND is on sale for $4 million to the right buyer. on Jedediah. Although the Palmers have been offered up to $13 million for the island by private interests, they'd prefer to sell it to the B.C. govern- ment for the bargain-basement price of $4 million. That way it could be enjoyed by the public. Bruce Culver hes proposed that his brother's money be spent on facilitating the sale to the province through West Vancouver's The Nature Trust. The problem is finding the remaining $3 million. Ron Erickson, executive vice- president of the trust, said his organi- zation is waiting to see whether the government will come through with funds for Jedediah Island. If that money is forthcoming, the trust's board will decide whether Dan ourvey readied for Esp! ana pub application INTEREST group’s niempts to influence an upcoming survey of residents regarding a liquor licence application in Lower Lonsdale, prompted North Vancouver City Council to debate possible additions to the survey on Oct. 3. TEE CER CT * NORTH VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL By Robert Galster The application before council seeks to rezone the property at 107 West Esplanade, the Great Greek Restaurant, to become a neighbor- -hood pub. But before the survey could be carried out, a group call- ing itself Citizens For a Safer Community distributed flyers to local residents outlining “five rea- sons to vote no in the upcoming referendum for a new pub.” As a result, the applicant was concerned that the survey would be unfairly influenced. Coun. Bill Bell said that the local residents should “take a look at this proposal before they are exposed to such crude rhetoric in Lower Lonsdale.” The survey, which is to cost the applicant an estimated $7,000, is to be distributed to the 4,200 resi- dents and businesses within a half- mile radius of the proposed site. COUN. JOHN Braithwaite ... thinks pub application will be defeated. City staff responded to the applicant’s grievances by present- ing council with an option to include a more balanced descrip- tion of the proposal than the one offered by the Citizens for a Safer Community. But Coun. John Braithwaite did not see any reason to do this because, in his opinion, the appli- cation will be defeated anyway. Council then rejected the addi- tional information option and fol- lowed staff’s recommendation that the survey go ahead as is. “I want to see what the resi- dents, the people that live there, think,” said Coun. Darryl Mussatto. . need the money, but they’re holding Culver's legacy should also be thrown into the pot. At present, the trust is taking the names and addresses of people who would like to donate to the project if it goes ahead. In addition, Bruce Culver is encouraging people to write to Moe Sihoia, Minister of the Environment, Lands and Parks, to express their views on the purchase of Jedediah Island. The Culver family would have no claim on the property. It would be enough for them to know it was there. The clock is ticking. The Palmers out for the ideai buyer —- someone who sees Jedediah Olympus. Someone like the late Dan Culver. Island as AN INJUNCTION issued against Jane and John Doe of Bowen Isiand “has effectively quashed an uprising by citizens against barges delivering gravel via Tunstall Bay. By Kate Zimmerman News Reporter Contractor Jack Cewe Ltd. sought and received an injunction from B.C. Supreme Court last week against anyone blocking the harbor or the road against its barges and trucks. Some Bowen Island residents had moored their boats in the bay in an effort to keep the barges out because Tunstall Bay is zoned as a recreation area. They objected to the noise and to the danger posed by trucks moving to and from the harbor. The barges were back in the bay Monday, deliv- ering gravel for a $70-million development being built by North Vancouver’s Cowan Point Holdings Ltd. “It’s been going very smoothly,” said Const. Paul Arsenault of the Bowen Island RCMP “People seem satisfied that truck drivers are travelling at the posted speeds and they’re pleased with how things are going. Cowan Point executive vice- -president Hank Jasper said work had been interrupted for two wecks. He considered the protest and the resulting injunction a waste of the court’s time and taxpay- ers’ money. “Barging is a lawful act,” he said. Jasper noted that the bay has been used as a facility for off-loading building materials for 35 to 40 years. “Tunstall Bay is used as a harbor and ccntrulled by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the coast guard,” he said. “There’s no bulk-loading NEWS photo Mike Wakefield DAN CULVER left money in his will for the provision of an “ecologically valuable” property for the people of British Columbia. His brother Bruce, the executor of Dan's will, would like that property to be Jeciediah fsland. facility on the island other than Tunstall Bay. The only other option would. be to use the ferry.” The parcel of 328 hectares (820 acres) being developed for 220 residential lots on Bowen is the largest private land holding in the GVRD, accord- ing to Jasper. The land has belonged to the late George Cowan and his descendants since 1893. Two of them, John and Ted Rogers, are partners in the development. Jasper said Cowan Point's original proposal identified Seymour Bay as a marshalling area for the project, but the proposal was rejected by the Islands Trust (which represents 13 major and 500 minor islands). He said it was hypocritical for the trust to now suggest Seymour Bay as an alternative unloading site, when Cowan Point is developing in a sequen- tial fashion, moving from north to south. Jasper suggested that the trust’s anti-develop- ment stance was an effort to curry favor with voters. Jasper said he “takes real umbrage” at sugges- tions by Island trustee Claus Spiekermann that the $70-million development would contribute to the transformation of Bowen [sland into a suburbia like Surrey. “We're not talking about high densities,” he said. “The (Cowan Point properties) are going to be a model for this type of development in an undevel- oped area.” Spiekermann said an injunction by Islands Trust against Jack Cewe Ltd. is pending, but he has been told by lawyers not to comment on it. He said the contractor has told him it is cutting back on asphalt hauling, has unloaded its last barge of gravel and is trying to find an alternative to Tunstall Bay.