Wilderness hikes through endangered habitat often require long drives and days of treking but on Sunday August 8, Wilderness Committee members in the Vancouver area discovered a hidden wilderness accessible by public transit.

We hiked from the bus stop in Surrey’s Fraser Heights nieghbourhood to a strip of unprotected public land along the Fraser River and Surrey Bend Park. This is an area slated to be bulldozed to make way for a riverfront freeway as part of the Gateway Program, the so-called South Fraser Perimeter Road. We were surprised to discover what appeared to be an endangered species, the red legged frog, sitting quietly next to the makeshift path. A Surrey Wilderness Committee member on the hike also sighted what was likely a red-listed Pacific Water Shrew.

We will be scheduling more Trail Club hikes along the Fraser River, likely including a shoreline clean up and survey trip on Saturday September 19.

For more information on future hikes, or if you are interested in helping document the endangered species habitat threatened by Gateway, please contact me at our office at 604-683-8220 or by email at eric@wildernesscommittee.org

Eric Doherty | Campaign Assistant