Wild Bird Trust of BC

North Vancouver BC

səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)

Ocean Hyland & Jordan Gallie & · Corrigan Nature House, Maplewood Flats Conservation Area · North Vancouver, BC

səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) · Medium: Cedar & Plywood/Acrylic · Installed: 2018

Two Tsleil-Waututh artists. One conservation area on the shores of the inlet their Nation has stewarded since time immemorial. The art and the land are telling the same story.

The Work

The Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats sits on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet — the traditional territory of the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation, the People of the Inlet. It is a sanctuary for birds, wildlife, and the tidal ecosystem of the inlet's eastern mudflats. It is also, since 2018, home to two works by Tsleil-Waututh artists whose presence here is not incidental — it is a cultural homecoming.

Near the Eastern Mudflats, Ocean Hyland's cedar installation Niih ten sxelt nata skwi its'ay stands at the edge of the conservation area. The work depicts two figures in traditional cedar hats and clothing — one carrying a paddle, one carrying a basket — with a raven in flight on the panel beside them. They face the water. They have been facing it for thousands of years.

On the north side of the Corrigan Nature House, Jordan Gallie's Osprey Mural — painted in bold black and white on plywood — watches over the grounds where the osprey themselves nest and hunt each season. Gallie, a proud member of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation born and raised in North Vancouver, brought his practice to the place his people have always known.

Together these two works return Indigenous presence to a landscape that has always been Indigenous territory, in a form that belongs to that landscape naturally.

Know Before You Go

The Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats is managed by the Wild Bird Trust of BC. Entry is free. Open year-round during daylight hours. Dogs are not permitted past the bridge. Bikes are not permitted inside the conservation area.

Corrigan Nature House is staffed by volunteers — check the Wild Bird Trust website for current hours before visiting. Washrooms available during staffed hours.

This is a working conservation area — stay on marked trails, do not disturb wildlife, and do not enter the beach or mudflats. These areas are particularly sensitive to disturbance.

Best time to visit: Spring and summer offer the richest birdlife — migrating species, nesting ospreys, and the full bloom of the meadows and ponds. The tidal flats are most active at low tide. Bring binoculars.

Getting There

By Transit — SeaBus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay, then Bus 228 east along Dollarton Highway. Look for Wild Bird Trust signage on the south side of Dollarton Highway. Approximately 40 minutes from downtown Vancouver.

By Vehicle — Cross the Second Narrows Bridge, east on Dollarton Highway. Conservation area on the south side of Dollarton Highway between the highway and the inlet. Parking at the entrance.

By Bike — North Shore Spirit Trail connects to the Dollarton Highway corridor. Lock your bike at the entrance rack — bikes are not permitted inside the conservation area.

From the VCC: SeaBus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay, then Bus 228 east. Approximately 40 minutes.

From YVR: Canada Line to Waterfront Station, then SeaBus, then Bus 228. Approximately 55 minutes.