NEWS photo Mike Wokofield

WEST VANCOUVER resident Dody Dubeta sat on a stamp in the pouring rain for a couple of hours Thursday to protest the cutting down of trees
near the Upper Levels Highway and 3rd Street in West Vancouver. The municipality is clearing a patch of woods to make way for tennis courts and a

children’s piay area.

CONCERNED CITIZENS FORM GROUP

Tree toppling impels

residents into act

TREE TOPPLING took centre stage in West Vancouver
Thursday when a West Vancouver woman, angered by the
local loss of trees, sat on a stump (o protest the clearing of a
patch of woods to make way for tennis courts.

Dody Dubeta sat on the stump
of a newly felled tree for (wo hours
in the pouring rain before police
were called in to resolve the situa-

By MICHAEL BECKER
News Reporter

The district is clearing an area
on Third Street to develop a new

park called Cedardale Park. Ac-
cording to West Vancouver Parks
and Recreation director Frank
Kurucz, the park will include two
tennis courts and a small children’s
play area.

Said Kusucz: ‘‘You can’t play
tennis where there are trees. The
neighbors have been pushing for
this for some time. In fact, they
were angry with us for rot moving

fast enough.”’

But said Dubeta: ‘‘Five days
ago, | saw all of these beautiful
trees just turning green. And then |
drive by, and there’s this big gap-
ing hole and burning trees. The
anger in me was so intense, [ pull-
ed my car over because | thought I
was going to have an accident.
People aren't awake. I was asleep
once, too. I understand that people

Oo

have to build and put things in,
but cutting down these trees was
ruthless and thoughtless."’

Kurucz said the districi took
down approximately a dozen
evergreen irees to accommodate
the recreational facilities planned
for the park.

Meanwhile, local

See Group
Page 3

trees have