Relay swimmers tackle Fraser River amid ongoing wildfire season

FRASER RIVER — A team of four swimmers is set to challenge over 1,300 kilometres of the Fraser River, from its frigid origins near Mount Robson, through the raging wildfires at Boston Bar, all the way down to the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland.

The core relay team of campaign manager Naomi Devine, Simon Fraser University marine ecologist Dr. Isabelle Côté and forest disturbance ecologist Michelle Connolly, along with a fourth position for Indigenous swimmers rotating along the route, will be taking on the Fraser River Challenge Expedition starting Thursday, August 6.

“We are following the Fraser from its source to the sea because it must be understood as one living system,” Devine said. “The fires, forests, salmon, communities and waters are all connected. Protecting the river means protecting those relationships.”

Only 17.6 per cent of the rivershed is currently protected. The flagship initiative is part of a six-year campaign to protect nearly a third of the Fraser Rivershed by 2030, which will require conserving another 2.9 million hectares – roughly the size of Vancouver Island.

“The Fraser is the lifeblood of British Columbia, but we are still treating its protection as optional,” said former MP Fin Donnelly, Fraser Riverkeeper. “This expedition is about turning concern into action—and building the public will to protect the river at the scale required.”

The journey will be passing through the Fraser Valley region, starting from Boston Bar and Yale on Saturday, August 29, before moving on to Cheam Fishing Camp by Chilliwack, Dewdney Regional Park in Mission, and Glen Valley Regional Park in Langley on September 1.

The expedition ends with a celebration on September 4 at Garry Point Park in Richmond.

Details can be found through the Fraser Riverkeeper’s website.