. this high perch. ;
_ _Pm- returning to: my. old. home from: Vane --

-couver where there ate more people: and’ more - |:

: traffic - than theré- was last, year,’ ‘where, the: ‘am .

“movies: .
‘The day. before my. ‘inaiden. ‘rip. on the’ ‘Mil: -

‘lennium. Line, I ‘shared ‘a ‘similar’ perception.

with a:échool of: eminent grey. steelheaders over,

_ oasis of the Jaguar. Hotel. :
“Vancouver. isa: village: compared: to: the.

' ROB BROWN. :

_ Stoney Creek

. “shopping . malls, car. ‘dealerships, i

which cars -and trucks speed along like so. many
multi-coloured corpuscles. Even: though T grew:
up heré everything, even: the’ familiar, long |
: looks. new and, -exatic from. pe

standing. ‘features,

bient noisé-is incessant and where. businessmen:
and businesswomen stride purposefully through

. the. buskers,. beggars, bike. couriers and gawking
~ tourists creating | scenes réminiscent ‘of the. car-

nival ‘atmosphere - of. one. of Frederico: Fellini’ s

a bowl of -onion: soup in. the.ai conditioned

really big cities.of the world,”. said one who.

had recently returned froma: trip'to. London; ©

-From.the high speed coach.1 see bands. of

- trees. where, just. shy of. half a century ago, |
‘there were imany, and’ where: only : ‘a_ hundred.

years before, that: there: ;Stood: 2 a ‘great primeval

rain forest dominated. by Douglas fit, ‘all. of {

-them cut:the ‘hard’. way by.’ men’s andinig.. on
~ planks wielding’ Swede’ Saws; then ‘hauled: away
by horses. * 2:
Through the midst of what j is: left’ isa ‘con: 7
. tinuous green ‘band, a thin tortuous’ line. of. hard- ;
“woods. C peer closet. ‘There’s.a bridge.. L Tecog- “oy
nize it as‘ one T: crossed. more: than. a.few times -.
“on my: bike: too’: ‘many: years: ago.. At spans Still.
- Creek, ‘And. there it-is, Still Creek, the dark: im--

perceptibly” slow-flowing. ‘stream: that flows from
somewhere in east. Vancouver, gathers: what: lit-
Ue momentum. it: has" from-feeder™ steams near.

-Renfrew and ‘follows: the’ rail line? through ac
peaty : bog: ‘that “bisects: Burnaby, eventually,
reaching its terminus: at. Burnaby Lake, .-

*” Still Creek; the. place where,.we found gela-’:
tinous masses of. frog“ eggs and: carried: them ..:
“home in- clear j Jars; where we: hunted bull frogs :

from ~ leaky: ‘rafts, and. where,” -One : day; I

watched, transfixed, -as. dn: older -boy, a teen-

ager, performed: the amazing feat of catching a.

‘dozen fish with a skarp spinning rod," float
“and worm, only: to let-them all “go. They. were:

“all squawtish,. as I: later found out, -but this. dis-

covery in. no way tarnished the brilliance of the

~ achievement,

“As. 1. follow’: the ‘disippearanices ‘and: reap=-
pearances: of Still Creek, 1 wonder. if the off- |
spring of the: survivours of. that particular’ close. ;
. Gallon that. brilliant day over forty, years ago, -|~
unprotected, ‘ancared for, forgotten by -me until -
how. and’ generally unknown, still: populate. ‘the .-
stream, -and. think: it. would ‘be 3 a wonder ap

proaching a Aniracle’ if” ‘they ‘did. -

-. Familiar Jandmarks: remind: me my: stop. is:

approaching.’ I ‘look: away front. ‘SiillCreck and :
_ around the coach. ‘There-i ‘isan’ old Chinese: ‘lady ”
sitting, in’ the’ front: ‘seat where-you'd. expect a:

.. pilot to be, staring ahead-at.(he-ribbon: of track,

“The ‘next. stap is’ Holdom. Station,” sails.
‘out the female: automaton. ” 7
- A short time, later; Tm. 1 sitting: outside the:
station waiting for a ride. ‘Someone. has. left a f-
copy.of The, News” Leader.on‘a bench. T pick. it *
“up and ‘read “ A: ‘Remarkable: Success 8
the feature atticle. ©.” ;

~. Over the headline i is

tely, a-group commiited to resurrecting another
stall creek -that, flows down. Burnaby Mountain

and joins’ the: Brunette: River, neat the Lougheed “

Highway. wee ]
] remember the: Brunetié. ‘River from, my .
Still Creek. days. ‘It.was rumoured to have’ trout.
-and steelhead and ‘salmon. “Apparently . itt still

does, thanks to’ the restorative. exertions: ‘of Ms.

“Atchison ‘and: her collcagués who, ‘since 1998;
| have. brought so. many ‘chum; coho, ‘steelhead :
“and .searun, ‘cuits. back :to the. system’ that.
they’ ve had. ta ‘enlist the help. of DFO to step-a’-
- culvert-and ask. for ‘permission from the. Burling:
fon Northern Railway: to. free up: mote Spawning -

habitat:

‘Preserving’ the riparian: vegetation: riext. tofo f
: Still Creek; like bringing back the .denizens.of ||. |
the Bruriette River: and. her. tributaries ftom, the:
magnificent ‘and. impor-.-
tant Jabour:— alittle light atthe end of the-cul-
vert, ina sociely bent on | growing, ‘tsel to » death, .

brink of: extinction, 1

hie: recently: completed. Millennium -
~« Line. rockets through the North Bur:
. naby sky over a sprawling tapestry of .

dustrial, parks, electrical substations,
subdivided ‘houses and apartment: ‘complexes,
all of them: knit together by asphalt’ arteries:on

picture of Ierinifer AL
: chison ‘of the Stoney ‘Creek Environmental: Soc-'

Riverboat Days sports wrap up

“FROM: BIKING. ta volleyball, there was ‘an event: t for

évery” athlete i in and-around Terrace: ceed

Clackwise from top: Freestyle Motocross. riders: Reagan
Sieg and. Kris Garwasiuk. wow the:crowd with their. stunts:
‘over the old Co- “op “parking lot. Sherrie Hamer’ ascends
‘Swimming ‘Pool’ inthe Adventure: ‘Challenge Ctinbing
Competition. at Chist Creek. Forest. ‘Rec Site. Tan: Black,
car #24, leads: Dave Reinhardt - inva: ‘Pro Stock race at.
Terrace: Speedway. Terrace. Drag. ‘Racers test.their speed
at the Northwest: Regional: Airport. ‘Youth shoot and ‘score *
‘atthe Street: ‘Hockey: Challenge ‘in. the: Canadian: Tite
parking. lot. Team’ Squid's Danie! Dykman leaps’ 10 spike |:
“the. ball ait the’ Beach Blast Volleyball’ tournament’ on.
; Mr. Mike's beach, -