Helping to build homes for wild birds, naturally Peggy Trendell-Whittaker ECO INFO THERE IS is a bird; a beau- ’ ful blackbird made exotic- looking by its bright yellow head. Last year, it nested near Vancouver Airport. This. year, the Yellow-headed Blackbirds are homeless, hav- ing lost their marshy terrain toa third runway. There is a large butterfly called the Anise Swallowtail; a winged poem of yellow and blue and red and black. While it used to be abun- dant in our area, it’s tio longer seen on the North Shore because debris logs choked up the saltwater marsh that grr-v its food plant, wild celery. You an help give a home to these species and hundreds of others simply by having your hair cut this Sunday at Waterfront Park, beside Lonsdale Quay. The cut-a-thon is a fundraising effort for Wild Bird Trust of British - Columbia (WBT), a non-profit orga- nization whose main raison d’etre is .to manage the Maplewood Conservation Areas, more common- ly known as the Maplewood Mudflats. Thanks to years of lobbying by a coalition of concerned groups and individuals, and the cooperation of the Vancouver Port Corporation, the District of North Vancouver, and Environment Canada, the waterfront site off the Dollarton Highway has been designated a wildlife sanctuary. Dick Beard, coordinator of WET, calls the area “the most valu- able site for wildlife on the North Shore.” Host to about 200 species of birds at varying times throughout the year, the Maplewood Flats are the largest remaining wetlands in Burrard Inlet, the rest having been lost to industry and development. Planned for the site is trail con- struction, viewing blinds and a small nature house. Scheduled to take place over a five-year period, these projects will require about $200,000 and “at least five or six thousand volunteer hours.” The public is being given the opportunity to give both time and money in the weeks ahead. On Sunday, June 19, some top North Vancouver hair stylists will be giving $10 haircuts, with all pro- ceeds going to the WBT. Participating stylists are from Andrés New Reflections, Beverly Ball Hair Design, Hair Co., Hair Mode Design, Hatz Hair Design, Innovators Hair Design and Park Lane Hair Gesign. While you can just show up on the day of the event (which takes place rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), tickets are also available in advance from these salons. Purchasing tickets in advance entitles you to a chance to win a draw prize from Goldwell Pacific Hair Cosmetics. Beard notes that the WBT has also been given a grant by the Hairdressing Association of B.C. So that’s a painless way to give the WBT some of your cash (assum- ing you like your cut, of course). But how about your time? As Beard notes, “Having a facili- ty like (the Maplewood sanctuary) close to home will be a real boon... it’s a community facility and it’s going to need community support.” _ Volunteers have already made their mark on the site, having cleaned up tons of debris left over from old businesses that used to inhabit the area, and having planted about 1,200 trees on a berm financed by the District of North Vancouver. But there’s stiil plenty of work to be done. On the third Saturday of each month (except this weekend because of the cut-a-thon), volunteers are invited to come lend a hand at a variety of tasks ranging from garbage clean-up, to bird surveys, to trail construction. The fun begins at 10 a.m. and you’re asked to bring _ your own work gloves. If you are the artistic sort, good bird photographs and bird drawings are being solicited for WBT newsletters, brochures and sanctuary displays. Trends indicate that the sanctuary Call today for a free estimate! - CANATEK DESIGN GROUP 1113 Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver ft 983-9275 Remodeling * Design *& Construction NOLLVAONSY: ENOVATIONS -| will be a very popular place indeed ~~ bird watching is the second most popular participatory activity in North America, and the Reifel Bird Sanctuary clocks 70,000 visitors each year. From the point of view of count- less birds, butterflies and frogs, the project is not just “worth it,” but an overdue necessity, According to Beard, North American studies indicate ‘a 50%. loss in the number of songbirds over the past 30 years. “The long-term is very worrying, especially as no one really knows the cause,” he says. Habitat destruction is certainly a large part of the problem. Locaily, he has heard anecdotal accounts of a drop in the number of songbirds, and he knows of a num- ber of specific species —- such as the purple martin — that have been dri- ven out of the area. Beard believes that some of them can be enticed back by preserving and enhancing the Maplewood habi- tat, which is already home to a pair of nesting ospreys. Groups wishing a guided tour of the Maplewood site are invited to call the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre at 987-5922. For information on WBT (new members enthusiastically wel- comed), call 922-1550. Friday, June 17, 1994 - North Shore News - 17 Lester's Cleaners Special 2014 DUNDAS STREET HARBOUR CLEANERS PHONE 251 2953 PHONE 683 7975 LADIES AND MENS PANTS eo 99Cents RENFREW - ee) FREE PICKUP AND DELIVERY ROAD RUNNER 926 4788 COUPON VALID UNTIL JULY 31ST 1994 1747 Boundary Road Vancouver July 4 - 8th Ph. 298-1616 for details. Come in NOW to view sample display boards created by Mike MacNeil. 3 p.m. - 9 p.m. Daily : years old and growing !!! ENS CONTEST '94 | The NORTH SHORE GARDEN CONTEST is now under way. For the judging of Summer gardens, entries are again invited from all green thumbs on the North Shore. The objective of the Contest is to acknowledge the efforts of residents who in this way contribute to community improvement and beautification. If you spend time iri your garden, there is something in this contest for you!! GROW IT! SHOW IT! Closing date for entries is July 17, 1994. Applicants will be advised of judging date. Send completed forms to: NORTH SHORE GARDEN CONTEST '94 - District of West Vancouver Parks and Recreation Department 2nd Floo1, 750 - 17th Street West Vancouver, B.C. V7V 3T3 or drop off at your nearest Municipal! Hall ek NORTH SHORE GARDEN CONTEST 'S4 Entry Forin Name: (print) Address: Telephone: (Home) District L] City of N.Van. CJ West Vancouver LC] Telephone: (Work) Postal Code: I wish to enter the North Shore Garden Contest '94 in the category of: RESIDENTIAL GARDENS: { ] City lot - front and back (maxim 60' x 180’ or 9000 sq.ft.) | ] Large space (larger than a city lot) [ } Best use of small space (patio, balcony) COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPING & GARDENS [ | Large (town houses) apartment - blocks { ] Other (store front planting, gas station, office buildings, etc.) This contest is sponsored by: the North Shore Municipalities, The North Shore News, Capilano Nurseries, Dykhof Nurseries, Maple Leaf Garden Centres (Lynn Valley and West Vancouver), West Van Florist Ltd., Real Estate Board - North & West Vancouver, North Shore Credit Union, Taylormotive Mechanical & Collision Specialists and Kiwanis Foundation. EAS ETRE CRESTS