We've all seen it. A nice lot full of trees gets levelled only to be replaced with young landscaped trees. These trees are all evenly spaced, and planted uniformly around the subdivision that will soon be built. This urban restructuring may indeed impress potential home buyers, but it makes very little sense ecologically.

As discussed in previous issues of the Creekside News, the Haig-Brown Kingfisher Creek Restoration Project envisions completing the project with virtually all the natural vegetation and existing land profiles preserved. When considering the work and the machinery that will have to be involved, this vision suddenly seems quite complex.

The current construction plan for the project involves a large 200 series excavator manoeuvring up the stream channel to do the initial dig. This excavator will be followed by a much smaller mini-excavator, that will grade the banks and build the stream channel to the required specifications.

The efficient co-ordination of two dump trucks working at the site will be essential for a seamless operation. These dump trucks will haul away the unwanted excavated materials, and then bring in the new clay and rock that will line the streambed. As well, four labourers, armed with shovels, picks, and wheelbarrows, will be on the scene moving materials around the active site.

In charge of organizing these details - hiring machine operators, arranging for a schedule of work, and organizing materials - are the operations supervisor, Dan Bernard, and the site naturalist, Jeff Mason. So far, at least seven different access points to the creek have been designated to try and minimize the harmful "foot print" of the machinery.

These access points have been placed wherever there is already a nearby road or existing clearing, in order to avoid cutting more new routes to the creek. Including the cost of dumping the excavated materials and the acquisition of new gravels, rock, and clay, approximately $3000 per day will be pumped into this part of the project over the course of a month. As early as July 22nd, one should be able to see the clearing of access points in preparation for the arrival of the machinery.

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