A2 - Wednesday, September 8, 1982 - North Shore News against Alnus vulgaris. My back yard is a tragedy of ecology run amok. It’s not just that nature abhors a vacuum. Fd go so far as to say that nature positively lusts to fill in every available cubic inch of earth. Usually with weeds. And one of the toughest, most cunning and ruthless weeds ever evolved is Alnus vulgaris, the common alder tree. When I first moved into my house four summers ago, the back acre looked like a desert. The previous owners had which chewed and stomped everything into a biological wasteland, as is their wont. We figured we had enough horse manure to keep a substantial garden going for a thousand years, so we turned down the kind offer to keep the horses, pulled down the fences, and waited for a pleasant meadow to grow up where the beasts had trashed everything. Lo and behold, by the time the following summer was halfway through, the meadow had grown in — just exactly as I'd dreamed! It was lovely. The tall grass performed a silent ballet in the wind. Bambi might dwell there, it was so perfect. horses, But by the fall, there were | an astonishing number of pencil-thin shoots with sand- papery leaves, which when you pulled them up, had roots the size of a bony hand with clusters of nodules on them, like a disease. An unsavory-looking and restored to manutacturer’s specs by our own experts on the premises SALES PIANOS THE WAY THEY USED TO BE Choose trom art-decorator or contemporary, uprights, and grands you'll find nowhere else trom $1295 Names like Heintzman, Steinway, Baidwin Setected for their unique tonal qualities DD Fe VANCOUVER | ORGAN CENTRE scorns 1377 Marine Drive. West Van 926-5111 Check our large selection of new ptanos too strictly personal NV bus by Bob Hunter Bambi meets Godzilla I FIND myself, as summer draws to a close, once again gearing up to fight the endless, hopeless war plant, I thought, one of these years TH have to do something about these .. By the end of summer, the alders were three feet high. And they were everywhere _in my ex-meadow. There were alternative approaches to take in the war against the alders, but every method of attack had at least one fatal flaw. I could bring in goats, cows, sheep, camels, elephants - you name it. But each of them was going to require feed, shelter, ten- ding, protection. I could just see the neighbours ... I tried pulling them up by the roots but that resulted in several emergency trips to the chiropractor. Hacking them down with a scythe or machete was nobie, but they quickly grew back up, like the legendary Hydra-headed monster, with more stems than ever. As an experiment, I left one row of them along the fence untouched. In three summers, those trees have grown at least 12 feet tall! I actually tried taking a Weed Eater to the alder hordes, but the dainty little machine was no match for its opponents. It is perhap some comfort to learn that the lowly alder plays a major role in the cycle of “econogical suc- cession” whihc regenerates our forests through the ages. Did you know — or care —~ that those nodules on the roots of the alder convert nitrogen from the air into nitrates in the ground which pl can be picked up by other plants and changed into protein? It’s really quite amazing. The stuff is pumped up into the alder’s leaves, which become power-packed with nitrates. When they fall to the ground, they transform the soil into highly fertile gumbo which the mighty firs and hemlocks and cedars find just perfect as a place to drop their seeds. Up grows the alder. Its own seeds won't grow in its shadow — only the other, gicater trees. In the end, after roughly 35 years, the alder withers away, leaving the land covered with a robust coniferous forest. In other words, the humble tree-weed that keeps engulfing my precious open back yard is actually the mid-wife of our proud Emily Carr world. Isn't that wonderful? Meanwhile, what I really want to know is, is there some way to nuke an alder? Would it be legal? If not, why not? I'm not entirely convinced that it’s a good thing for everybody to have weapons, but I’m 100 per cent behind a man's right to bear chain- saws. Alder, you die! FINE ENGLISH BRASS ‘Hardware — Special introductory Sale 7” House Numbers - $14.50 Old English Brass Lt. 1631 Welch St. N. Van. V7P 5G9 BC: ants Headmaster VBP 4aPs Phone SCHOLARSHIP The 1982-83 Sir Joseph Pope Memorial Scholarship to St| Michaels University School in Victoria, has been awarded to John Hauer. aged 16, 4 fine all rounder from Powell River, Sir Joseph Pope (1854 1925), born in PET, was the Private Secretary and biographer of Str john A] Macdonald and a close friend of Su Wilfred Laurer. As Canada’s first Under Secretary of State, he established the Depart to the Municipal Clerk prior to 3:00 p.m., 1982 ment of External Affairs and gave to Canada September 13 and will be read out at the Meeting. its motto “A Mart Usque ad Mare” The Pope Submissions received after the close of the Public Scholarship is donated by one of his descend Hearing will not be considered by Council St Michoaels University School attracts outstanding young men and women from seven provinces and territones of Canada For anfocmation. contact John Schalfter St Machoels University School 3400 Richmond Road VICTORIA, BC (604) 902 2411 Our Year-End Sale Now On ¢Floor Models Discounted Models Foam Beds *Coil Beds *Electric Beds BALL AT FANTASTIC DISCOUNTS changes" coming ADDITIONAL service on . the 240 Marine Drive bus . route and revisions to the 246 Highland route are - among transit system changes for the North Shore announced by the Greater Vancouver Regional |; District. The changes will go into effect on September 10. The extra afternoon rush hour trip on the 240 Marine route will leave the Van- couver bus depot at 4:47 p.m. The existing trip leaving at 4:54 p.m. will depart at 5 p.m. On the 246 Highland, the Open Daily: 9:30-5:00; Fri: 9:30-8:00; Sun: 12-4 We sell only the most wanted name brands Mr. Mattress Lid. 842 W. 15th St. N.V. 980-6715 Present this Ad & with Bed Unit Purchase Receive: Pillows, Bed Frame, Sheets +2 Price existing afternoon irip leaving Vancouver bus depot at 4:06 p.m. has been cancelled. The following trip, which currently leaves at 4:13 p.m., has been rescheduled to depart three minutes earlier, at 4:10 p.m. Specials: Roses, $4.99 $2.99 1821 Marine Dr. West Van. 922-4171 nce sorry — no delivery on these items A route change will also go into effect on the 246 Highland for trips in non- rush periods. During mid- day and evenings and on weekdays and holidays, this bus will be rerouted to terminate at Park Royal Shopping Centre. Passengers travelling to and from downtown Vancouver will be able to transfer directly to a 240 Marine Drive or 241 Upper Lonsdale bus _ to complete their trip. The rush hour routing of the 246 will remain unchanged. Elegance Carnations 922-3968 as \_& Giftware THE CORPORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF WEST VANCOUVER NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ZONING BY-LAW NO. 2200, 1968, AMENDMENT BY-LAW NO. 3052 Notice is given that a Public Hearing will be held in the Municipal Hall, 750 - 17th Street, West Vancouver, B.C. on Monday. 1982 September 13 to consider the following: Applicant: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 60 Location. 580 - 18th Street (Lot 1, Block K, District Lot 775, Plan 4140) Proposed To rezone this site trom R.M.2 Amendment: Multipie Dwelling Zone 2 to C.U.4 Community Use Zone 4 and designation of same as a mandatory Development Pemnit area. To bring the existing use of the operty into conformity with the ning By-law This application does not invoive a change in the existing use Department of Development Planning, Municipal Hall. A copy ot the proposed By-law may be inspected at the Municipal Hall on regular business days between the hours of 8 30 am. and 4:30 p.m. Written submissions are requested to be submitted (604) 980-4881 Purpose Enquiries and JO Allan Municipal Clerk 1982 August 25 DUCHESS AVENUE MA [Castitatyy