new beok

Layne Christensen

News Reporter
layneGasnews.com

THE 1991 ceturn of the osprey to North Van’s
Maplewood Flats is a symbol of hope for the
: conservation area.
The osprey are kind of a magical bird for Maplewood,”
says North Van author
Patricia Mason.
Mason is author of the
- children’s book Return of
_ bhe Osprey (Harbour
Publishing, $9.95), available
at various bocksellers start-
this month. Mason will
celebrate the launch of tie
’ book at “family day” at
Maplewood Flats tomorrow,
Oct. 9.
The osprey is a large bird
of prey that winters in
Central America. Popularly
known as the fish hawk, it is
one of several species of
migratory birds that
returned yearly in springtime
Sts in the wetlands of Burrard Inlet before indus-

‘Ten years-ago local conservationists a their fight to
habilitate the wetlands now known as lewoud Flats, |
just east of the Second Narrows Bridge. The Maplewood:

conservation area is'a 130-hectare remnant of what was once...

bout:2,600 hectares of marshland along the whole porth :
: {Burrard Inlet.;...
the midst of activists’ ‘efforts to gain support from the
‘ 2's laod rs —the municipality and Vancouver Port:
¢ Osprey returned, says:Mason, a supporter of...
Trust “of B.C, (WBT), which now manages the | -
“Tt was a' stron, yeaa for us.” |

WILDUFE has returned to the conservation area at Maplewood Flats in the decada, since conservation

their fight to rehabilitste the former industria! alte, says author Patricia Mason, pretoornne’ Osprey

The s stor is is ge eared towards children ages six and up.
” The boo! ased on “the sorts of miractes thst can hap-
en in life — the osprey returning, the miracle of saving this
and,” says Mason.”
it is illustrated by Christopher Bateman, a student of
environmental studies at the University of Victoria. The
cover art is a collaboration between Christopher and father

~ Robert Bateman, who is a patron of WBT.

Both Batemans will join Mason from 2 to 5 p.m. tomor-
row, Oct. 9, at the conservation area to sign copies of,

: Return of the Osprey.

t and author will donaze 80% of their royalties
from the sale of the book directly to Wild Bird Trust to
continue the work of restoring wildlife habitat like
Maplewood Flats. :
Also on Saturday, at 10 am., naturalist Al Grass will lead ©
a two-hour nature walk through the ares. At 12:30 and 3°

_p.m., naturalist Kevin Bell, che author's husband and the -
districts manager of natural ark land, will lead a 45-minut 7
“nature’s treasure hunt for :

iidren.”
Bell says the numbers and species of birds coining to

"Maplewood is on the rise since the land became a sanctuary.

~. Six years ago, purple martins returned to the area, nest-
boxes buile ty volunteers, The marsh’ birds hich

well as fact tous ora interesting i
tion ‘about particular words.: .

ten-years-old but the large format book :

should make

an excellent resource for chil

winter in the Amazon; had been inissing from th
Mainland since the late-°70s."~

Three years ago woud ducks turned ip for, the first
and have been nesting ever.since. Virginia’ rail (a marsh b

_about the size of 2 pigeon, rufous-brown

curved beak and large feet) i is also'a new species’

‘breeding at Maplewood. '

The conservation area is located at-2645 Dollarton

. Highway, North Vancouver,’

the Second Narrows Bridge. Look
the left and the Wild Bir ‘Trust sign on th

© entrance is just past the ‘sign on the: right