West Van teen angels we CURSES. Don’t you hate it when your smug pessimism is illu- minated by a sudden rey of optimism? Such as when teenagers behave more nicely than you expect them to. Very unsettling. Makes you question the very foun- dation of your belief system. Or whether you've been reading the papers too much. Or listening to the radio stations too attentively. And getting a sour opinion of the young — because of the ones vou read and hear about most. These particular teenagers were trickling down the path in Cypress Falls Park toward Woodgreen Drive last Tuesday — first day of school — at about 8 a.m. At that time of day any- one in the pack without a dog is more or less suspect. Especially since it became evident that they’d been in the bush overnight. I'd already seen some hasty signs and scrawled . directions on 2 piece of cerd- board at the park’s lower matlbeax , Trevor autens garden of biases end. And a trash can had been knocked over. Also an empty boride of some fruit- flavvured alcoholic beverage (ugh — no professional drinker, that one) lay on the path, very rare litter in the park. Aha. Elementary, my dear Watson. Some vouthful orgy, no doubt. “So how was the party?” slyly asked the first sinall group I mee. “Great,” said one of the boys pleasantly. “Oh, I hope we didn’t disturb you,” one girt said seriously, anxiously. No, I said, not from my house — miles away. Her concern was endearing. “Why would you have a party on the night before the first day of school?” | asked. “Seems an unlikely time.” “That's just why,” one of the boys grinned. Each small knot of youngsters added more information, adduced by my crafty reportorial questions. The party, and the sleep-out — coolish night for it — had been around Cypress Falls and the nearby footbridge. “We've cleaned up most of the junk,” explained another girl. “We'll get it all our” “There were about 200 there,” said another girl. “The police turned away about a hundred more.” Couldn’t imagine less rowdy kids than these. Also an ambulance had taken away one boy who got sick. It turned out that they’re the graduating class of West Vaticouver secondary school. And — news to me — this rite of a Labour Day party is well entrenched in West Van high schools. Like the bull- fights of Pamplona, say. One nice, confident girl — you wonder if'a girl on her own shouldn't be more wary of men they meet in the lonely woods, bur maybe she doesn’t believe every- thing she reads in the papers either — explained: “It's been going on about 25 years, It used to be around the school. One year it was on the school roof, but the roof was damaged. At first, when some of the kids turned up a little drunk, they changed the time we had to be there to 10 o'clock. Now it’s noon, and we have a bar- becue first day. “We've cleaned up most of the mess,” she added, apparently as; ‘alous as the other girl about not trashing old Mother Nature. She looked at the plastic bags in my hand. “Is thar junk? I can take it for you.” The bags were for my dogs’ very personal kind of litter. But 1 had picked up that fruity liquor bottle, no, not for the dime, but for concern that broken borrles threaten the dear litde feet of my or others’ dogs. She seemed determined to do her share of tidying up, so I handed her the bag and she went, off with a cheery “See you.” When I returned down Reta A Tipe UR Pt Rr ART? AL HIRE a NARROW VRARIRRRNL SN tN RAEN HENTAI NER PORRTOAR ‘Bear kill rate higher than reported |: ‘Dear Editor: ... Re: Bear deaths mounting (Sept. 1). Great article, but: unfortu- “nately Keith Lowe has been misinformed about the death toll of bears. on the North Shore.” It- actually stands at nine (reported). His tally of six is not: including: the mother » and cubs that were blasted out of a tree! on. Aug. 24 in ‘Coquitlam. .The Surrey wildlife “management area includes = Coquitlam , as. well ‘as North Stand West. Vancouver. The © “ Morth | Shore News is com- ~* paring”. apples and | oranges unless it. includes these three bears when drawing a compar- ison'to the 25 bears that were killed on the North Shore by this time last year, : Vd also like to respond to some of conservation officer Rick Hahn’s comments. A bear refusing to back away from people trying to scare it, is not necessarily displaying aggressive behavior. First of all he wasn’t even there to witness how this was done. A timid lit- tie bang on a pot or a half frightened yell won't wor, you need to have confidence and really mean it. Sylvia Dolson, 5°24,” of Whistler regularly scares bears out of the town dump; single-hand- edly and without any non- lethal management “tocls.” : The bear apparently started to smack his paws. This was also interpreted as aggressive behaviour. If Rick Hahn ever got the chance to really study black bear behaviour, not at the end of a gun harrel, he might learn that this was sim- ply nervous behaviour on the part of the bear. How would you feel ifthree RCMP officers with enormous rifles were fol- lowing you around? Certainly all bears are not. ideal candidates for relocation, but three years ago, the Lower Mainland wildlite department employed a relocation expert on a seasonal basis. There was only a 10-15% return. The Ministry Environment's _ policies on human/bear interaction are not only outdated, but are built on untested, assumptions with absolutely no scienufic basis. The ministry instead bases it's policies on the five- cent solution. It is not beneath them to manufacture rhetoric to make the public believe that a bullee is the best cool tor solving bear problems. Evelyn Kirkaldy North Vancouver Free-range cats OK Dear Editor: I hope that Councillor Crist’s proposal to ban free- -range, Sunday, September 10, 2000 — North Shore News - 7 the path the trash can had been restored to respectable uprightness. I went away liking those kids, though they'd griev- ously wounded my pes- simism. You'd have to be dumb to think they'd alt been angels that night. They're half'a stride from adulthood. And mistakes will be made. Always have been. Always — thank God, if you chink about it — will be. May they leave no perma- nent marks. 939 Mel Smith, who died recently in Victoria, was an outstanding constitutional scholar and fine man. When I was away from this busi- ness he genially and expertly guided me through explain- ing (the embellishing was all mine) the B.C. government's role in the 1982 repatriation of the constitution, and his gs, fal wearra ‘rarer und pessimism Our Home or Native Land? is a legacy of the ideal of equality for all Canadians. — lautens@axionet.com COMPUTERP Why drive all over town looking for the best deal? Over 20 dealers in one location to save you time and money. SATURDAY SEPT 16TH | 10:00-3:00 St. Martin's Anglican Church Hall, 195 East Windsor Rd m ADMISSION $2 : Chien under 12, free Oli, Lube & Fitter : 21 pt. Safety check, 15 minutes - FAST! i Includes up to 5 lires of 1Ow30 Quakerstate 1362 Marine Drive 980-9115 Mon-Sat 8 00am-6:00pm, Sun 9.00amn-500pm | Expires Sept 27/2000 ized rograms for moms, dads, caregivers and babies Kuddles Parents Enjoy: © Play and beam acthities or abies 0-24 mes. . Jas Blaby and Dad evening classes KUDDLES © at St. Catherine's Church, Edgemont Village 729-6538 * CANADIAN POWER AND. _ SAIL SQUADRON Put. police on buses “Dear Editor: rar Re: Bus driver attacks. - Lam? a, ‘North. Vancouver native, now living in the Los. uniformed police officers :patrol the public It seems like the North. Shore neéds to develop a similar sys- there: is no reason the drivers should have to risk life . and limb at work, Michele Ayala. ©. michel yala@iwon.com ° Personalized 2 hour. walks olong North Shore trails * Max 3 dogs per walk ..2 Pick-up.& drop-off * Vacation in-home | packages for dogs and cats . Reasonable rates Moving Paws ‘\ Dog Walking Services 986-1915 domestic cats doesn’t slip into law without some serious debate. When will we hear from the legion of responsible and loving cat owners who spay, neuter and keep their peis inside at night, and upon whom this legislation will impact most seriously? Sure, cats on the loose whack many birds, but crows and starlings aren’t exactly endangered species, and felines, unlike dogs, too many of whom are still permitted to run wild, at least. bury their feces. . And while we are on the subject of environmental insult, it would take countless cat depredations. in North | Vancouver ~ District to equal the dispatch of just one “nuisance” bear reot- ing through some suburbanite’s carelessly-secured garbage. Come on, cat people: Raise your voices in protest against this ill-considered proposal before North Vancouver District turns into a Calgary or e Saskatoon. “Blair Thompson blairt@direct.ca S.LAURSEN. & SON draperies’ & ‘blinds Serving the Lower Mainiand for over 28 years” i zapesandblinds.com , Custom Rods, Upholstery & Bedspreads (Ask about cuir Seniors Discount} . For Free Estimate call - 922-4975 or 987-2966 Drapery Labour $14.95 per panel fined.