Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media /

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Wetlands construction in Chilliwack

Wetlands restoration project begins near Vedder Rotary Trail in Chilliwack

Jul 10, 2024 | 2:00 PM

CHILLIWACK — Construction activities have begun on a project just north of the Vedder Rotary Trail that will transform invasive plants, primarily reed canary grass and Himalayan blackberry, into an off-channel wetland connecting to Peach Creek and the Vedder River in Chilliwack.

According to a statement from the Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition, the restoration project in this area will enhance a culturally significant area for the Ts’elxwéyeqw tribe and reconnect people to nature.

“By maintaining and caring for the natural resources in this watershed we are supporting healthy salmon populations, providing resilient riparian and biodiversity values and improving ecosystem processes for generations to come,” the watersheds coalition wrote in its news release.

This project is being led by the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe Governing Council, with the support of the Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition, Province of B.C. Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship, DFO Centre for Salmon Habitat Expertise, Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, Semá:th (Sumas) First Nation, City of Chilliwack, and community supporters and volunteers.

Construction got underway this past Friday, July 5 and will continue through to Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30. The stated purpose of the project is to restore salmon habitat along the Vedder River (Ts’elxwéyeqw) by respecting and applying traditional ecological knowledge and scientific knowledge, known as “2-eyed seeing.” Through these project enhancements of the floodplain, the watersheds coalition believes that ecology will occur in order to promote conservation and community values.

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Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / A sign on the Vedder North Dyke Trail advising pedestrians and cyclists of the ongoing wetlands restoration project.

“Through this project, we will increase (restore) the amount of available off-channel habitat to support Indigenous salmon and wildlife species in this urban area,” Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition said. “This new wetland is anticipated to be over 2000m² in size (just larger than one hockey rink). It will be hand replanted with thousands of Indigenous trees and shrubs.”

The watersheds coalition cited the following benefits as a result of this wetlands restoration project:

• Increased complex aquatic habitat for salmon and steelhead.
• Enhanced climate resilience by absorbing floodwater from the Vedder River and storing it through droughts.
• Enhanced biodiversity by replacing invasive species with Indigenous species for floodplain habitats.
• The increase in Indigenous plants will also help this wetland store about 25,000 kg of carbon dioxide each year.

The coalition says construction of this wetland will require the use of heavy machinery, such as excavators and dump trucks, that will excavate the new wetlands and install rootwads and stones to complex the habitat. In the fall, Indigenous trees and shrubs will be hand planted by Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe, guardians, FVWC and community volunteers.

The coalition asks that pedestrians and spectators kindly obey trail closures and posted safety signs.