“When you’re looking at the tidal marsh islands from a distance from across the South Arm, they look like they’re non-impacted. As soon as you step foot on the islands, however, you’ve collected a garbage bag worth of debris within two steps.” – Haiden MacDonald, BCWF Fish Habitat Restoration Coordinator.
In the age of readily made and consumable goods, it’s no surprise that trash is everywhere. A walk on the beach or by the river often means seeing lots of plastics and other waste. However, there’s some good news coming from the Fraser River estuary! The B.C. Wildlife Federation’s Fraser River Tidal Marsh Clean-up started its second phase in 2023. Their goal is to remove 15,000 kg of debris from the estuary’s shorelines over two years.
In partnership with the The South Coast Conservation Land Management Program and the Tsawwassen First Nation, field crews have been hard at work since July 2023, removing human-made trash and debris from the salt marshes of Metro Vancouver. Following in the footsteps of prior crews, the 2024 team alone has collected over 20,000 kg of waste, covering 350 hectares around Greater Vancouver. In total, the Phase 2 crews have removed an impressive 35,650 kg of garbage over the past two seasons, more than doubling their initial projections.
“Every time we add up how much trash and debris we have removed from the edge of the river and estuary islands, we double our goals for the next season,” said MacDonald.
The most recent season’s work (Spring/Summer 2024) began at the tail-end of winter around the South Arm Marshes of Delta. A significant aspect of the project’s goal was to access project areas by boat in the South Arm tidal marsh area, which usually don’t receive any cleanup attention. The team covered expanses of Kirkland, Barber, Westham, and Gunn Islands, traversing through the early growth of Reed Canary Grass and Skunk Cabbage, encountering numerous nesting Marsh Wrens and even Northern Harriers on their search for rodents.
“These areas are often forgotten when groups consider shoreline cleanups,” said MacDonald. “Tidal marshes are the primary dropping point for debris floating down the river – rising tides bring debris in, and falling tides leave it in the riparian area.”
Continuing east to the Boundary Bay Wildlife Management Area, with its expanses of Pacific Glasswort, Arrowgrass, and Saltbush, the Fraser River Tidal Marsh Clean-up team worked from Beach Grove up to Mud Bay Park in Surrey, collecting garbage along the way. These expanses of habitat may look pristine, but buried under log jams and tangled in the sand lie thousands of pounds of human-made debris, including some surprising finds.
The most common debris collected included styrofoam, treated wood, and tires. Among the more unusual finds were massage chair remotes, a chest freezer, and seven messages in bottles. Children’s toys and household items were also frequently found embedded in the shorelines of these remote ocean areas.
“It was surprising to see how much random debris was out there – shoes, hats, flip-flops,” said MacDonald. “It was all out on an island in the middle of the estuary where no one goes.”
While rescuing lost toys, household items, and other garbage is no easy task, removing debris from these areas has major benefits to the fish and wildlife who rely on the vital Fraser River Estuary ecosystem. Immediate impacts of the clean-up include improved ecosystem health and growth, allowing riparian zones to recover. Debris removal during the peak growing season in spring allowed vegetation to capitalize on the season to re-establish, providing immediate benefits.
In terms of long-term benefits, large debris such as styrofoam, tires, and contaminated wood needs to be removed to reduce the smothering of vegetation and prevent the breakdown of materials into microplastics and chemicals, which impact fish and wildlife.
“It’s inspiring to see how much of an impact a small group can have on an environment,” said Aidan Graham, Fraser River Tidal Marsh Field Technician. “Just by picking up a few wrappers or bits of plastic, a person can make a huge difference on the lives of the plants and animals that call these marshes home.”
Community Clean-ups and Collaborations:
During their tenure, the Spring/Summer Fraser River Field Crew hosted two community events with various partners, including the Invasive Species Council of BC and the Tsawwassen First Nation. At the first clean-up event under the Oak St. Bridge, the Invasive Species Council of BC provided public education about local invasives such as blackberry and black locust, both of which establish well in disturbed habitats. One of the Field Technicians, Josh, spent about an hour with participants removing invasives and making pencils from blackberry branches. Attendees practiced using their new pencils by drawing marsh species. Similarly, at the Tsawwassen First Nation event, volunteers picked up debris and learned about invasive species and the threat of debris to the ecosystem. Josh also braided bindweed into a cord and brought supplies for everyone to make keychains with horse chestnut pucks. Each participant got to take home a keychain they made.
“A lot of the volunteers are people from neighborhoods close to the river who just assumed that the area would always be littered with garbage,” said MacDonald. “After taking part in the cleanup, they really started to see the estuary in a new light, as a place they can and should care for. It would be great if they could take this newfound inspiration to their friends and family and either start or join future cleanup events.”
In addition to garbage removal, the Fraser River Tidal Marsh Clean-up crew assisted in other estuary conservation efforts. They partnered with Friends of Semiahmoo Bay and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to survey for invasive European green crab. They also collaborated with Raincoast Conservation to complete a smolt sampling program, aiding in the collection of salmon smolts across various sites. Pelagic invertebrate surveys and YSI meter water testing were also conducted at the sampling sites.
The Future of the Project:
All crews have laid a solid foundation for continuing the project scope. The BCWF has applied for additional funding and will continue the cleanup for Spring 2025 and Spring 2026. Through this, we will expand our targets in the marshes, focusing on the removal of more contaminated wood. We will also target areas with high wood density that are smothering the marsh, ensuring healthier ecosystems and improved habitat for wildlife.
Stats List:
Phase 1
Summer 2021: 9,530 kg
Phase 2
Fall 2023: 12,870 kg
Spring 2024: 22,780 kg
Total Debris Removed (2021-2024): 44,780 kg
Thank You:
Thank you to our project partners, Tsawwassen First Nation and the South Coast Conservation Land Management Program*.
Thank you to our project contractors Mad Props Marine Water Taxi for transport between the islands of the Fraser River Estuary and to Two Guys Recycling & Disposal Services for providing the disposal bin.
Additional project partners for Phase 2 of the Fraser River Tidal Marsh Clean-up project include the City of Delta and Metro Vancouver.
*The South Coast Conservation Land Management Program is a formal partnership between Ducks Unlimited Canada; the Nature Trust of British Columbia; the Province of BC’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship; and the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The Fraser River Tidal Marsh Clean-up project began in 2021, with a goal of restoring habitat quality and preserving the few remaining natural spaces in the Fraser River estuary and its surrounding areas. Stay tuned over the coming week for subsequent blog posts from members of the Fraser River Tidal Marsh Clean-up crew, highlighting the importance of the removal and proper disposal of various debris from the ecosystems of the marsh. Topics covered will range from tire leachates, vegetation smothering, microplastics, and how to organize your own shoreline cleanup.