A pause in the barrage of negativity to applaud efforts expended to right past wrongs. And the wrongs in this case are legion. They include all the usual urban suspects: greed, land speculation, short-sighted- ness, complacency, oatishness and ignorance. File this under North Shore riches to rags. But it goes well beyond the North Shore. The riches are fish. Or at least they were. The rags are the remnants of that once bountiful resource that owed in a multitude of streams, creeks aa and rivers through acreage on this side of the Inlet. Less observant idlers pause not a moment to appreciate the abundance of such waterways on the North Shore. To them it might be mere runoff: further evidence fm . that this is an extremely . moist place in which to live. + But they would be deaf, dumb and blind to the reality . that the North Shore is home “ro one of the highest concen- - rations of fish-bearing _Streams in the Lower - Mainland. | This is more than runoff, citizens, it isa whole other | ecosystem that distinguishes a the North Shore from the rest of the Vancouver area. Fish is us. But we have done lite to rotect such abundance, We ave instead done much to - squander it. Dams, develop- ment and urban degradation have been heaped upon it. The Cleveland Dam, for 4 example, all but destroyed 4. one of the best Lower Mainland salmon rivers when it was built from 1952 to 1954. Sure, the Capilano fish hatchery, which was estab- lished in 1971, has helped restore coho runs to the river, but attempts to estab- lish chinook in the Capilano have failed. And the construction of the Seymour dam in 1961 was the first step in destroy- ing the fish populations in that river. Resource poor, commit: ment rich, the Seymour Salmonid Society, the original good fish works in these parts, has worked doggedly to bring fisn back to the Seymour, but stocks of coho in the river continue to mea- sure a mere fraction of what they once were. Both dams not only reduced the. habitable area available for fish, but also stopped the natural tlow of gravel from the upper reaches of the rivers. And female salmon dig nests and Jay their eggs in gravel. Elsewhere the dumping of used oil, anti-freeze and chlo- rinated poo) water into storm drains that run into area -creeks coupled with such insidious pollution as seepage of old oil from buried oil tanks have helped to contam- inate smaller creeks and fish-* bearing streams. Encroachment of homes INJURED IN-A~ CAR ACCIDENT? Call DEREK A. CAVE Trial Lawyer Get the settlement you deserve. #508, Kapilano 100 Building 100 Park Royal, West Van. 925-7880 DRAPERIES & BLINDS BY S.LAURSEN & SON Another one of our designs. Ask about our Seniors’ discounts. For Free Estimates Phone 987-2966 Serving the North Shore for 25 years on ereck and river banks, the degradation of creck beds from ill-advised and shore- sighted development have further added to the erosion of local salmon and trout populations, Such urban trash-tishing methods as using cadged shopping carts overturned in trickles of the Capilano when it is running low co catch what few fish escape brings bile to the guts of those who care. Bur before you reach for that dial to tune out such relentless bad news: hope, as is its wont, springs eternal. And in this case it springs trom community effort — the best kind. Over in West Vancouver, the British Properties Arca Homeowners Association (BPAHA) has taken up the task of bringing fish back to West Vancouver. Rich folk playing environ- mentalists? No, this is gen- uine effort to right past wrongs, West Vancouver has not been good to fish streams. Most have been culverted and otherwise urbanized into barren waterw Brothers C has possibilities, as Jim MacCarthy, past BPAHA president and co- chairman of the invaluable Coho Festival Society, will tell you: Brothers is the last major viable salmon stream in the municipality. {cis part of the Capilano River system. It supports small populations of coho and trout. Reports also have it chat chum, pink and chi- nook salmon once lived in Brothers. Trace populations remain. It is also worth saving. k, however, A ras Z fully warranty “This is a natural resource that we are losing very quick- ly. Unless proactive efforts are made we are going to lose our salmon streams and that would be a great tragedy,” says MacCarthy. “Losing them is much easier than trying to retrieve them.” BPAHA members and a host of stakeholders ranging from area schools to the West Vancouver Streamkeepers, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, West Vancouver municipality and Capilano Coltege agree. Representatives of the 27 groups involved in the Brothers Creck initiative met Oct. 16 co receive a report into the revival of Brothers Creek and its Hadden Creek tributary and to set a plan of action in motion. That plan includes re- stablishing fish habitat in Hadden Creek by removing concrete debris above the Upper Levels and building a fish ladder and fish passage on Brothers Creek near where it runs by St. David’s Church just above the Upper Levels. Though it is by no means a major fish-rearing project, the Brothers Creek revitaliza- tion push could bring one more North Shore creek back to life and also provide a blueprint for revitalizing other dying creeks on the North Sho It could help reestablish coho in another Lower Mainland waterway. And maybe it could help retarn a fittle to the Jocal nat- ural resource bank that has been systematically plundered by the North Shore’s human occupants. That would be a drop of real good news in the sea of bad. Cooling System Service Cornplete rad flush plus oil & fier change. including ai) materials 1362 Marine Drive 980-9115 Mon-Sat 8:30arm-6:30pm, Sun. 9:00am 5:00pm Expires Dec 7, 97 Best Ideas Kit. Our Best Investment Ideas for this RRSP Seascn. * Top mutual fund recommendations for right now! * High yield investment alternatives. ¢ Midland Walwyn’s top stock picks. ¢ And more! For your FREE copy CALL 925°5565 WALWYN BLUE CEP THINKIN Ge ™Bive Chip Thinking is a trademark of Midland Waiwyn Capital Inc. Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund Sponsored in part by: Fidolity iavestments- Sunday, November 23, 1997 — North Shore News — 7 Macintosh Computer? > Apple Warranty Service - Depot And On-Site > Macintosh Computer Sales and Leasing To Commercial And Corporate Clients All Phases of System Troubleshvoting > Memory and Logic Board Upgrades > AppleTalk And Ethernet Networking s Custom Database Systems and Custom Programming . > Offering the Best Hourly Rates Authorized Reseller In Vancouvert and Service Provider > Now Servicing Over 550 Steady Clients «Call Us if Your Mac ts Driving You Crazy™ Mountain Ridge Datawarks Tel: 983-9206 Fax: 983-9417 E-Mail: nvd@intergate.be.ca MRD tak ‘ONE GREAT NAME. § While other Gyms come and go, we've been around = since 1965. Join Golds today. Remember, it’s all about the survival of the fittest. Try our introductory offer and see why Gold's is the largest & strongest fam ‘ ie 2: be tpaliad Bev Sed M ‘SHIP TRADE-INS! FOR COMPETITOR'S FITNESS CLUB MEMBERSHIPS Gold's does not have time limits on cardio equipment. ne For. ~ Everybody.