The Maplewood Flats Conservation Area is a 126 hectare (310 acre) conservation area located in North Vancouver,

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. The area is composed of a 96 hectare (237 acre)

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

of mudflats and

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...

, and a 30 hectare (74 acre) upland area. It is preserved by

Port Metro Vancouver The Port of Vancouver is the largest port in Canada and the fourth largest in North America by tonnes of cargo, facilitating trade between Canada and more than 170 world economies. The port is managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, whic ...

as one of their ecological land initiatives. The land is located approximately 2 km east of the

Second Narrows Bridge The Second Narrows Rail Bridge is a vertical-lift railway bridge that crosses the Burrard Inlet and connects Vancouver with the North Shore. The bridge's south end connects directly to the Thornton Tunnel, which connects it to the main Ca ...

along Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver (20 minute drive from

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

city centre).http://www.wildbirdtrust.org/

History

In the 1940s, Maplewood Flats was inhabited by a community of squatters living in dilapidated cabins along the area's intertidal zone. One of the more prominent residents of the flats was English born poet and novelist

Malcolm Lowry Clarence Malcolm Lowry (; 28 July 1909 – 26 June 1957) was an English poet and novelist who is best known for his 1947 novel ''Under the Volcano'', which was voted No. 11 in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels list.

. Lowry was living in the flats while he wrote his novel

Under the Volcano ''Under the Volcano'' is a novel by English writer Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957) published in 1947. The novel tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic British consul in the Mexican city of Quauhnahuac, on the Day of the Dead in November ...

. In the 1960s, the Maplewood Flats community was home to an assortment of individuals including artists, writers and displaced loggers that were drawn to its natural beauty and sought refuge from the increasingly urbanized city of Vancouver. Tensions between squatters and the residents of North Vancouver grew over the years and in December 1971 most of the mudflat cabins were burned down by civic authorities. The area was subsequently used as an industrial site. In the 1980s, Maplewood Flats was designated as a conservation area by the district of North Vancouver. In 1992, Vancouver Port Authority, who are the owners of the majority of the area, agreed to lease the flats to

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ( ...

for 49 years to permit the land to be managed as a wildlife conservation area. The Wild Bird Trust, which was founded in 1993 by Dr. Richard C. Beard and Patricia M. Banning-Lover, were chosen to manage the area. Through the lobbying of public interest groups, actions were initiated to restore Maplewood Flats back to its natural state. Landscape architect Patrick Mooney, designed all the major enhancement projects for Maplewood Flats, including the freshwater marsh. The projects were installed from 1995 to 2004. In 1997, the system was dedicated and is now a breeding ground for marsh wrens,

common yellowthroat The common yellowthroat (''Geothlypis trichas'') is a New World warbler. In the U.S. Midwest, it is also known as the yellow bandit. It is an abundant breeder in North America, ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico. The genus name ''Geot ...

wood duck The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. Description The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typi ...

s, American coots, blue-winged teal, red-winged blackbirds, pied-billed grebes, soras and

virginia rail The Virginia rail (''Rallus limicola'') is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. They are also considered a ga ...

s. In 2006, under the Wild Bird Trust stewardship, Maplewood Flats became the leading breeding colony in British Columbia for the migratory

purple martin The purple martin (''Progne subis'') is a passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae. It is the largest swallow in North America. Despite its name, the purple martin is not truly purple. The dark blackish-blue feathers have an iridescent s ...

. In September 2012, the Wild Bird Trust secured long-term administration of the site until March 31, 2041.

Jurisdiction

The land is owned by

and North Vancouver under lease to

. The Wild Bird Trust of BC which is a non-profit membership based provincial organization, manages the area.

In popular culture

In the early 1950s,

wrote the story "The Forest Path to the Spring" about Maplewood Flats, and the deep connection and sense of community he felt with the land and the residents living there. In 2011 the

David Suzuki Foundation The David Suzuki Foundation is a science-based non-profit environmental organization headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with offices in Montreal and Toronto. It was established as a federally registered Canadian charity on Jan ...

created a short movie as part of their "Make Policy Live" mini series. In the short film, Professor Patrick Mooney who is the Chair of Landscape Architecture at The University of British Columbia, discusses how he transformed the former industrial site into a rehabilitated wetlands through use of a natural architectural landscaping process. In July 2012, the District of North Vancouver and the North Vancouver Arts Office unveiled

Ken Lum Kenneth Robert Lum, OC DFA (; born 1956) is a dual citizen Canadian and American academic, painter, photographer, sculptor, and writer. Working in a number of media including painting, sculpture and photography, his art ranges from conceptual i ...

's sculptural installation titled "from shangri-la to shangri-la" (located behind the site office). The sculptures depict scale replicas of the squatters' cabins that were once located in Maplewood Flats in the 1940s.

Biology and ecology

Maplewood Flats is classified as a tidal flat, as a substantial portion of its area is exposed during low tide. The area is composed of deciduous trees (44%), old field, meadow, and wetland. Wild blackberry bushes can be found within the forest area of the flats. The sub-tidal region provides key resources for many species of fish such as salmon and invertebrates, and dungeness crab, because of its ideal conditions for eelgrass. The conservation area is well known for its abundance in wildlife. It is located on the Pacific Flyway which is used by tens of thousands of migratory birds every year. 246 bird species have been spotted in this region. A few of the main types of birds commonly sighted in the area include waterfowl,

shorebirds 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

, raptors and passerines. In 1991 only one breeding pair of osprey inhabited the flats, in recent years the number has risen to four pairs.

Bald eagles The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

have also been known to nest in the area.http://www.judyb-eagles.com/eagles/hwf/BaldEaglesPastPresentFutureNestSitesDiscoveryFormat.pdf In 1985, the BC Purple Martin Stewardship and Recovery Program set out to re-establish the population of

s.http://www.georgiabasin.ca/PUMA%20publications/BC%20PUMA%20recovery%202006%20update%20%2707.pdf This program was extremely successful with a total of 66 breeding pairs observed in the area in 2006. Other commonly sighted animals include mammals such as black-tailed deer, coyotes, short-tailed weasels, raccoons and squirrels. Infrequent sightings of black bears, bobcats, river otters and sea lions have also been reported. Other species that have been reported in the park include the pacific tree frog, garter snakes and various species of

butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

Bird watching locations

There are seven distinct bird watching areas within the Maplewood Flats which are listed in order from the beginning of the walking trail to the end.

Recreation and facilities

Maplewood flats boasts just over 3 km of well-kept wheelchair accessible trails. Occasional resting benches and a viewing platform are available allowing visitors to rest and observe the wildlife. The "Return of the Osprey" Festival is held by the Wild Bird Trust bi-annually to celebrate the nesting osprey who return every year to their nests within the flats. Educational sessions for private groups and schools are available through the Wild Bird Trust.

Access

The flats are located at 2645 Dollarton Highway (North Vancouver District). The area is vehicle-accessible with parking available along the road beside the park and within the designated parking area during operational hours.

Translink Translink (or TransLink) may refer to: * TransLink (British Columbia), the public transport operator in Vancouver, Canada * Translink (Northern Ireland) Translink is the brand name of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHCo), a ...

route #212 or #C15 run to the 2500-block of the Dollarton Highway.

References

External links

TranslinkWild Bird Trust
{{British Columbia parks Protected areas of British Columbia