The South Fraser Witness Trail is the Wilderness Committee’s first urban wilderness trail accessible by public transit. It is intended to draw attention to the threat the proposed South Fraser Perimeter Road (part of the Gateway freeway expansions scheme) poses to crucial salmon habitat on the Fraser River; and how freeway building threatens to worsen the global warming crisis.
We want this area protected as a park, rather than being paved over for a riverfront freeway. It could also become the jewel of the proposed “Experience the Fraser” trail network from Hope to the Strait of Georgia.
The first section of the South Fraser Witness Trail is adjacent to Surrey Bend Regional Park, created through the efforts of Surrey residents with the support of groups including the Wilderness Committee. But the park only covers part of this precious urban wilderness. The trail, outside the park, goes through habitat for salmon and endangered species such as the Pacific Water Shrew.
Surrey Bend is located on the Fraser River upstream of the Port Mann Bridge. It is a biologically-rich area of undiked floodplain, bog and forest. Most other areas of the shoreline of the lower Fraser have been diked resulting in a massive loss of wildlife habitat.1 Surrey Bend Park is just a little smaller than 400-hectare Stanley Park, but the sensitive wetlands and forest extend well beyond the park.
Surrey Bend and Centre Creek which runs through it combine to form an area that has the greatest diversity of wetland types in the Fraser Valley lowlands. Surrey Bend Bog is one of the largest bogs in the Fraser River system. Surrey Bend supports wild salmon including Chum, Coho, Chinook, and Sockeye.2
The Ministry of Highways proposes to build the SFRP through the sensitive wetlands adjacent to Surrey Bend Park. Highway construction cannot be done through this sensitive wetland ecosystem without major damage. The use and maintenance of highways also leads to the introduction of various chemicals, many of which are toxic to fish, into adjacent water and land.3
Air pollution from trucks and cars is damaging to human health, and parks should be places where people can get away from noise and pollution. But, air pollution can also be very harmful to wildlife, including salmon. Pollutants fall back to the surface via rain, snow, fog and dry particles and accumulate in the tissues of plants and animals.4
In 1995, the Wilderness Committee published a report titled Surrey's Stanley Park on the Fraser River and helped get an important part of Surrey Bend designated as a park. Surrey Bend is in danger again, including the park area, and needs your help.
We need your help to complete the South Fraser Witness Trail and stop the Gateway freeway scheme. Contact Wilderness Committee Volunteer Coordinator Stephanie Gribble stephanie@wildernesscommittee.org
More: Watch the Surrey Bend Video - Surrey's Last Wilderness
References:
1 Metro Vancouver (2009) http://www.metrovancouver.org/about/media/Media%20Releases/2009-06-11-Me...
2 The Land Conservancy (no date) Centre Creek. http://www.conservancy.bc.ca/content.asp?sectionid=67
3 The Effects of Highways on Trout and Salmon Rivers and Streams in the Western US. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/EMO/sched/Trout_Streams.pdf
4 How Does Air Pollution Affect the Chesapeake Bay? http://www.chesapeakebay.net/airpollution.aspx?menuitem=14693
It was a WILD summer having 42 WWOOFERs (organic farm volunteers from all over the world) stay with my extended family on our land at Seton Portage. Thanks to the Wilderness Committee for organizing this and thanks for all the help building trails, cabins, working on the farm, and caring for the land. See you in 2010!