Audra Dore Right.

Respect forests, say kids

AS PART of a forestry project, this Ross Road Elementary School class in Lynn Valley, protested the devel-
opment of treed areas of Lynn Canyon for residential housing. In the foreground, showing some of the artwork
they prepared are, left to right, 19 year old Wai-Ling Ho-Ching, 11 year old Matthew Biock and nine year old

GREATER RESPECT for our forests is something that 2
group of Grade 4 and 5 students at Ross Road Elementary

is demanding for the future.

Their recent study of the ferest
industry under the tutelage : of
teacher Jean-Luc Gruat led them
to prepare a presentation that was
given at the May 30 public hearing
held by the North Vancouver
District regarding the proposed
residential development in the
wooded wilderness area between
Lynn Creek and Seymuur River.

The media coverage of the pre:-.

entation, given by . 10-year-ol¢
: elassmate Marc Low, came as a
surprise to the kids.

“But it’s great that they now
perceive themselves as having
something to say that people want
to bear,’’ said their teacher, Gruat.

Low, in a speech garnered from
fellow students’ vicwpoints, spoke
against the development.

But a few days later, he turned
around and played a developer of
forested land in a classroom role-
playing exercise. ,

While that was difficult for him
because of his convictions, he and
the other students feel they learned
a lot about the pros and cons of
the forest industry.

‘“We should keep the forest in-
dustry because that’s what keeps
Canada rich and in business,’
admitted Matthew Block in a re-

cent classroom interview. —

“‘But it’s also very important
that we protect our trees,’’ added
Aidan Pendleton.

Jacob Barker, who is the son of
a forester, pointed out that 2 lot of
people will be out of jobs if
Canada runs out of forests.

**We have to mellow out on fog-
ging,”’ said Barker.

The children were also concern-
ed about the effect the loss of
forests would have on animal
habitats and the quality of the air,
as well as the loss of quiet places to
go to ‘‘get away from it all.””

“*If our environment gets wreck-
ed,. this place will just become
another overgrown New York or
Los Angeles,’’ said Nigel Joseph.

Maddie Mitchell calied for lower
allowable cuts, while John
Papanikolopoulos said that for
every tree cut, several new ones
should be planted.

But while the students were in
favor ef a continued forest in-
dustry, in ths context of preserva-
tion and management, they did not
see any reason for logging of the
proposed development area in the

Book tells how to help

LOCAL CHILDREN, - teenagers
and young adults are becoming in-
creasingly concerned about en-
vironmental abuses, and more ac-
tive in. making sure their concerns
are heard. :

The Canadian Wildlife Federa-
tion has recently published a
booklet for children called ‘You
Can Do it!’’, outlining actious in-

dividuals can take to help the en-
vironment. It covers a range of
topics, including air and water
pollution, recycling, wildlife
habitat improvement, energy con-
servation and endangered species.

“You Can Do It!’’ can be had
by writing the Canadian Wildlife
Federation, 1673 Carling Ave., Ot-
tawa, Ontario, K1A 321.

3 - Sanday, June 18, 1989 ~ Lynn Valley Echo

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Lynn Valley.

““We understand that adding the
new houses will fower taxes, but
that money shouldn’t matter. It’s
what we see and have around us,”’
said Barker,

Gruat said that the forestry
reports his students have produced
show an interesting mix of op-
timism and pessimism.

They look to a more respectful
future for Canada’s forests, so,
that in the words of one student
“to go into the forest should be
like going to the zoo.”

13-16
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Breakfast

July 15&]16

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COME

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Lynn Canyon
Ecoiogy Centre

swale e e

a ae eee oot

Children day program
activities for three year olds
and up. Weekend: family
hikes and daily park nature
walks. ;

For full information phone

987-8922