26 — Wednesday. May 13, 1998 — North Shore News

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AR A Tie
Yardeit Talic

Your yard could be a wildlife sanctuary

NOW that Spring has
arrived you are probably
working, on your back-
yard and garden prepar-
ing them for the seasons
ahead.

Have you considered con-
verting, your back or front yard

into a smal] wildlife refuge? By
doing so, you can help to pre-
serve valuable wildlife habitat
and maintain plant and animal
populations that are decreasing
as a2 result of urbanization.
While backyard habitats
cannot tke the place of large
wilderness arcas, they can foster

the diversity of wildlite popula-
tions in urban areas.

The greater number of
plant species you have in your
yard, the greater the varicty of
animal life that will find it
attractive. And the more species
there are, the less likely it is that
any of them, such as pest

insects, will get cut of hand.
Not only that, but the
greater the diversity in a given
area, the greater the narural
balance, and the less tending is
needed. In other words, less
feeding, watering, culovating
and pest control is needed.
Regardless of where vou

eee

to the North Shore

Irs spring! And just in time for all
those outdoor projects, Valley Rentals
-|--is pleased to announce the opening @
of their newest location in North
Vancouver, at the corner of 2nd and f
Bewicke. Servicing North Shore,
Squamish and Whistler, the locally
owned, full-service rental company
offers the best selection anywhere.
“Our 16 stores now have the largest
inventory of _ rental related
equipment and the widest coverage
in all of the Lower Mainland,” says President Doug
Johnson. “And with over 60 delivery vehicles on the
road daily, we can get to a customer site within an
hour of receiving their phone call. We also have an
extensive maintenance program to ensure that our
customers get products that work. In fact, we upgrade
our equipment on a yearly basis to keep our inventory

‘current. That means our customers always have an up

“Y date product on a regular basis.”

‘Valley Rentals has a wide variety of heavy-duty
equipment including air compressors, generators,
heavy compactors, bobcats, scissor lifts, mini-
excavators and light towers. The store also carries a full
range of home renovation equipment such as
wallpaper steamers, floor sanders, ceramic tile saws

PRESSURE WASHER

“Large or small, ;
Glenn Schmidt — Manager

and power tools. For outdoor
8 cleaning projects, Valley Rentals has
f an extensive selection of lawn and
garden equipment including
pressure washers roto-tillers, lawn
de-thatchers and aerators, chippers
and trimming tools. The store also
has an excellent selection of new and
used equipment for sale.
Those who visit the store will find
professional staff who are more than
happy to assist them. “At Valley
Rentals, our branch managers and their staff take great
pride in our reputation for excellent customer service,”
says Doug. “I tell them that it’s not me but our
customer who is the boss at Valiey Rentals. And our
staff is very knowledgeable. In fact, all of our managers
started as yard staff and worked their way up the
ladder. They've learned the business from the ground
up!” .
Best of all, customers don’t have to leave Valley Rentals
to get the extras that go with the equipment they are
renting. “If you rent a sander, you will also be able to
buy sandpaper and dust masks from us. We've tried to
create one-stop shopping for our clients.”
Drop by Valley Rentals for your next outdoor project,
says Doug. “Large or small, we rent it all.”

we rent it all”

‘or offer
|

Rentals © Sales © New & Used Equipment

705 W. 2nd St.

-
North Vancouver 990 8559

ras

_ pis nw weve ee
. at

live, you can turn even che
smallest yard into a wildlife
haven with a little time and
careful planning.

Planning your backyard
habicat is key, not only to
ensuring the success of any veg-
etatian that you may wish to
plant, but also to providing
Sohitar for a variety of species.

Keep ins mind
that wikdlite consid-
erations can be
included in the
design without sac-
nificing aesthetics.

Begin your plan by:

@ mapping your

vard to seafe

@ mapping the
location of your

house and other
structures, such as a

peol or deck

@ plotting existing plantings
@ showing paths and patios
@ locating power lines, pipes
and underground cables.

The following = factors
should be taken into account to
determine the species that ure
the best choices for your areca.
@ Size — height and spread of
trees/shrubs, now and at
maturity.

@ Soil — drainage/workabili-
ty/fertlity.

@ Sun --- what areas receive
sun /shade?

@ View —- are there any views
you want to maintain/hide?

§§ Scasons — what food/cover
is available cach season?

You should also consider
the amount of time that you
are willing to spend to get your
backyard habitat started and
maintain it, and your budget.

How you arrange your
olants is almost as important as
what you plant. Wildlife tends
to congregate where owo dif-
ferent habitats meet. Therefore,
try to design your yard to alter-
nate plant masses with open
areas. This will result in an edge
effect, which can encourage
species diversity.

Shrubs and trees should be
planted in clumps or
hedgerows to provide a dense

habitat and protection for a
variety of wildlife.

Combining trees, shrubs,
vines and herbaceous plants will
increase the diversity of wildlife
that is attracted to your yard.
For instance, not all birds nest
at the same level. Jays and
robins prefer taller wees where-
as warblers and sparrows nest in

shrubby — bushes
and vines. Mature
trees provide cover
and nesting places
for squirrels and
many birds. Many
species of vines
produce _ berries
and are often visu-
ally attractive. The —
dense foliage pro-
vided by vines give
exceptionally good
cever for small
birds.

You can attract a wider vari-
ety of wildlife to your yard by -
providing diversity not only in
plant rypes and height, but also
in non-growing habitats. Brush
piles act as shelter for iabbits,
squirrels, mice, voles and birds,
Old iogs or tree stumps may
provide a nesting site for cavity-
nesting birds and small mam-
mals (house wrens, chickadees,
nuthatches, woodpeckers and
chipmunks), and a food source
for certain insects, as well as
woodpeckers, nuthatches and
creepers and other birds that
feed on those insects,

Nesting boxes (birdhouses)
will attract. many birds that
would choose a hole in a tree as
a nest site. So, if you are plan-. -
ning to install a nesting box, be.
sure to situate it in a way that is
appropriate for the birds you
particularly wish to attract. ‘

Finally, share your ideas,
information and enthusiasm
with a neighbor —adjoining
yards can provide a larger and
more diverse environment in
which to attract wildlife.

For a free booklet on how “

to tum your backyard into a.
wildlife habitat call The Wild
Bird Nature Company at 264-
1556.

Rush Hour at

the perfect place to stroll
| Open daily from 10am all year

Adults $5.50 Seniors $2.75 Children under 6 free
Family memberships $35.00

5251 Oak St. (at 37th) 878-9274