Dunbar Residents Association News and Events

I had lunch with my B. C.  Forest Service Workmates a few weeks  ago and I was lucky for Kelly the old time Logger, Tree Faller, Welder ect.  was there . I took along a old chart of the Broughton Archipelago, a large group of Islands to the North east of Vancouver Island and Johnstone Strait . Kelly was a logger who lived in a float-house on Baronet Passage, that was located between Harbledown Island and West Cracroft Island . He said he caught Wild Salmon by poking his fishing rod out of the float- house window, brought them in splashing, gutted them and dropped  them straight into the frying pan, now that’s fresh !  He loved Big Fir and Red Cedar trees , they were considered a challenge, for his new skills that he was  learning as a tree faller in the 1950ies

West Cracroft Island and Turnour Islands in the Broughton, had numerous Historic Native villages around the protective Island bays . Some  logging companies in the 1940, 1950ies used these bays as  camps and log booming grounds . Kelly worked on West Craycroft out of” Potts Lagoon” , felling mostly huge first growth Douglas Firs and some ancient Red Cedar trees . The big ones were the most Dangerous and some of the cliff trees were undercut and left for the wind to bring down . This one Douglas Fir tree about 8 feet in diameter stood tall on a cliff edge near Bend Island and defied the wind and all the chain saw cuts made by Kelly . The Fir stood out on top of a cliff near a First Nations  seasonal village site and looked out across Clio Channel to the” Ancient Village of Karlukwees”where Kelly also worked out of, when logging on Turnour Island .Kelly made cut after cut and the big fir  cracked and moaned and always settled down on its butt and as Kelly noted it was a “big pain in a fallers ass” .

Kelly was reassigned to finish the  logging on Turnour Island by the contractor company and was given the task of finding away of falling a huge 9 foot diameter Red Cedar overlooking Clio Channel across from the Reluctant still standing Douglas Fir on West Cracroft Island. The “Big Red Trouble” as Kelly always talked  about, and always  wondered why this massive straight grained Cedar was not used by the Ancient peoples for the building of a sea canoe or village pole ! The tree overlooked the abandoned Ancient Village of ” Karlukwees” also known as “Vancouver Village or Bay” by loggers and the Ancient Cedar was known by some  locals  as the Mysterious Village Watchman . The tree about 9 feet in diameter was a giant and in the 1950ies was located within a new Forest Clear Cut logging Block. The tree was given no special First Nation  consideration in those days ,when logging was planned for on Turnour Island .When the  logging was close to completion, Kelly was  given the job to take the” Karlukwees Village, Red Cedar Watchman ” down .

Young Kelly approached the job as a challenge,  as no other faller wanted or would do, because it was located in a very dangerous place.  With lots of falling wedges, cables and the longest chainsaw bar he could find he went to look the tree over . Kelly made numerous chainsaw cuts  and like the Cracroft Island Fir across Clio channel, the Cedar settled upon its cut butt and could not even  be pushed over by a small logging skidder !  Kelly and the skidder operator were frustrated and mystified . The “Karlukwees Watchman Cedar” just stood right up, still looking to the south east and the deserted Village site . Kelly went back to the logging  camp in the  Karlukwees Village Bay and listened to the wind blowing all night long !

Next day Kelly looked up and the Watchman was still standing !   His last destructive action was to fill his pack with  dynamite, caps and long fuses , climb to the tree and stuff the huge undercut with explosives . The huge explosion vibrated around the Island  and blew the bottom off the Cedar , and brought her down to the forest floor at last . Loggers from the camps on Cracroft Island say that the shock wave from the Karlukwees Cedar blast, also mysterously brought down  the Big Douglas Fir, near Bend Island on West Cracroft Island  . The big Red Cedar and Douglas Fir,” Karlukwees Village Watchmen” were bucked up , moved to tidewater , boomed up and sent to the saw mills on the North Arm of the Fraser River .

Kelly and I worked together in a B. C.  Forestry Shipyard and Maintenance Depot on the North Arm of the Fraser River, that was constructed of long Douglas Fir beams cut at the mills on the Fraser River  !  The Shipyard and Maintenance Depot was closed in 1988 and in 2003 all the huge Douglas Fir beams were removed from the now First Nations   Musqueam Celtic 1988 Shipyard and sold for new or restored building construction materials etc.

The West Cracroft Island and “Turnour Island,” Karlukwees Watchmen Trees” along with their spirits will never be forgotten, as a old Tree Faller and a Commercial Fisherman  love to bring our stories back, at a annual story telling time ,Christmas, New Years get together  !

” Happy New Year “     Terry

I have just completed a renovation  of my book room and installed new book shelves etc. , so out of the basement came the many stored cardboard boxes full of my favorite books . What to save and what to discard ?  Its the old books that I have enjoyed reading numerous times , jes I just cannot get rid of them ! I try to squish them once again into the last places on the new book shelves ! The books are kind of  me and take me back to lots of good  times that I can remember with the reading of each book . Yes I love them and always find room for them  on the upper shelf .

Here is a short list of a few  really good old Fisherman’s books, that I found and probably like  you,could never throw away !

1. This first book I found in a deserted cabin in Rivers Inlet B. C. . It has two bullet holes through it, so I missed some important sentences  “My Life as a Explorer ” by Swen Hedin  , Garden City Publishing !
2. The second, 3 volumes of the best uses of wood and how to  recognize and work with good milled timber .  Great sketches of old Historic Wood working tools etc. . , Being a wooden Boat builder I think these 3 books are the best I have come across “A  Reverance for Wood ” by Eric Sloane , Funk and Wagnall’s
3. Great Wooden Sailing ships of the West Coast , I just turn the pages and dream ! ” West Coast Windjammers ” by Jim Gibbs , Bonanza
4. I found this book during a visit to England many years ago in a book store and paid 50 pence for it,  thinking some one would love it and I was wrong !  ” The Farm and Garden Rule Book 1911″ by I. H. Bailey , Macmillan Press
5. Loving our Wild B. C. Salmon and wondering about their 1800 and early 1900 history, I was given this Great Book a few years ago, it is wonderful  ” Salmon Our Heritage”by Cicely Lyons , Mitchell Press Vancouver .
6. Local Dunbar , Southlands, B. C. Forest Service  Shipyard  History .” Forest Ranger Ahoy ” by Michael Coney , Porthole Press .
7. A wonderful  book about the history of the Columbia Coast Mission in B. C. .” Gods Little Ships” by Michael Hadley , Harbour Publishing
8. Yes I wanted  laughed until I had tears in my eyes, this book reminded me of my early days fishing the Fraser River in a leaking old  Gill-netter, with a old Make and Brake Easthope Marine Engine “The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float ” by Farley Mowat , McClelland and Stewart .

Well all these wonderful books some how found their way back on to my new book shelves , yes its good  to say “Yes I have read you many times before, but I really could read and enjoy you one more time  .

Got any good books you find it hard to give up !

Terry

Vancouver City has declared that December 9th, 2009 is May Brown Day and we announce this with pride as May Brown is probably our most notable Dunbar Resident.

Click on the links below to hear and see what others say about May and her lifetime of civic duty over the decades.

• Vancouver City Hall Council Meeting: A video of Mayor Gregor Robertson proclaiming Dec 9th  as May Brown Day.
• Vancouver Sun: Vancouver honours May Brown with a day in her name on Dec. 9.

Hi All “Anna’s Hummingbird Helpers” and I am proud to say there are many of us in Dunbar!

The Anna’s hummingbirds are still here in Dunbar and doing very well this year !  The brave little birds stay year round and do need a little  human help during a cold spell like we are having .

I checked on my Camosun Hummers this morning at about 6.00 A. M., by putting on my back porch light and placing my little hummer feeder with warm sugar water 50% sugar to 50% water, No Food coloring please and do not place the feeder too close to the Porch Light Bulb ! Out of the Breaking light they came to stoke up on their first early morning life giving drink !

As it gets colder I have to bring in the Feeder for it starts to freeze and they cannot get their little beaks into the liquid . Watch carefully as it gets colder, the freeze up of the sugar liquid happens very quickly . When the temp. gets down to minus 8 or lower the Anna’s will be visiting frequently and the last important feed will be just as it gets dark.

Yes the Question “Where do they go at night”? Well they have a certain house picked out with Large overhanging eves and warm air leaking out from siding etc. and that is their nite time roosting place !   They settle in and fall into a very deep sleep with their vital signs barely detectable .

At first light the Little bird has to fly very quickly to his first known feeder and replenish his body with the Sugar water that we provide . Its the same first  feeder every morning that they visit , so” Dunbar’s Anna’s Helpers” must continue all winter to feed early in the morning of course !

Going on Christmas Holidays , have a student with specific instructions, continue to feed, or do not start feeding at all in the fall, if you are not considering winter feeding , for the birds are dependant upon you for their survival in the winter months .

Questions ?   Terry

[Editor update] Read more

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna%27s_Hummingbird
• http://www.birdinfo.com/AnnasHummingbird.html
• http://fohn.net/hummingbird-pictures/annas-hummingbird.html

More from Terry

Hi, I have received some Anna’s Hummingbird questions I will try to answer :

Anna’s Humming birds have been permanently moving north over the past 8 years and I think Comox is as far as they have decided to move to permanently . The year round population is increasing in the lower mainland.

They are great pollinators and love red Flowers or really any bell shaped flowers in spring and summer . They nest very early in Late March and early April and compete with Rufous Hummingbirds for food in early May . The Wild Salmonberry flower when it is full open is a wonderful early wild nectar food source for both species of Hummingbirds .

Rufous Hummingbirds migrating north through or over Vancouver are always looking for a aerial Dogfight rumble with Anna’s during late April and Early May . Anna’s do not get along with Rufous Hummers at all !

We see Anna’s with newly hatched young , usually one or two weeks only, around early June . We rarely see Anna’s in the early summer around our house at all. The hot spot to see Anna’s in Dunbar is all along 18th Ave. from Dunbar west to Camosun Bog and you can see them there most of the time . The Rufous Birds have their young in early July and move out of the Van. region by about the end of July, migrating south to Texas and as far as Costa Rica . We at last see our Camosun Anna’s returning back to the flowers in our yard once again, after the Rufous Birds have left . When it warms up to about 8 degrees above we will see Anna’s also feeding on insects like spiders etc.

But cold weather means” Anna’s Helpers” will have to feed and look after them in the wild of winter for a while yet ! Hey you have to be a committed “Anna’s Helper”, to put on your housecoat at 6.00 A. M., push the snow off the porch and put the humming bird feeder out ! !

Terry

Getting or letting  Urban road runoff do what it should do, percolate into the ground, really is a great Wild Salmon Friendly Idea !

A very recent good example of this  comes from the new 2009 road and sidewalk replacement at 29th ave and Kevin Place  in Vancouver’s Dunbar district .  This location is one of the upper drainages of Musqueam Creek and historically there was a shallow lake near here . Instead of installing new sewage lines to collect the road runoff in front of Saint Georges Senior School at 29th ave. , at a great cost  to taxpayers , a decision was made to use the old natural collector system, of letting the water move in a shallow depression in to Pacific Spirit Park to the South . This depression was part of one of the old shallow lake outlets and it has probably helped move surface runoff and lake water down to Musqueam creek since the begining of our wild salmon time .

The little hard to find Seasonal Stream does a wonderful job especially during heavy rain events, it collects and cleans road runoff ! Like the Crown Street Swail and ground collector, this road and new sidewalk work is another  recent example of letting nature continue to do its work !   Not disturbing the old drainage patterns, just working to improve them naturally , now that is good Vancouver Salmon City Engineering ! Historic Musqueam Creek and its great runs of  of wild Salmon, for thousands of years had many feeder and spawning  streams west of Highbury Street and north of South West Marine Drive in Dunbar .

With the 29th ave  street and sidewalk projects,  the City of Vancouver has saved taxpayers  lots of money , Musqueam Creek and its salmon will continue to benifit and the Iona Primary Sewage Treatment Plant gets less road runoff water to try to clean .  Its a Win Win Win for everyone !

Note:  St. George’s footed the whole bill for West 29th improvements between Kevin Place and Camosun, not just the sidewalk. So technically the School saved taxpayers a lot of money!

Terry Slack