I live on Fairfield Island, near Island 22 Regional Park that rests along the banks of the Fraser River. As of today, when adventuring around this small island, it feels like a mix of suburbs, farmland, with lots of recreation along the riverside. The environmental history revealed the transformation that occurred from Indigenous land use, river dynamics, colonial agriculture, and an engineered dike system. 

          Long before the Europeans settled in this region, it was part of the Stó:lō Nation territory. This group’s identity is deeply connected to the Fraser River. The Stó:lō Service Agency explains, “’Stó:lō’’ is the Halkomelem word for the Fraser River.” The Stó:lō are thus ‘’the river people’’” (Halq’eméylem: Our People). This relationship was both cultural and ecological. The Fraser river gave structured seasons of life through its salmon runs that shaped spiritual practices, trade, and food systems. 

          Fairfield Island sits within the Fraser River lowland floodplain that formed through post-glacial sediment deposition after the Cordilleran Ice Sheet retreated. Over many years, the Fraser River built deep layers of sediment called alluvium, which created fertile soils, wetlands, and shifting river channels during seasonal flooding (Fraser Floods Research Group). These floodplain cycles were not the same disturbance to life as they seem to be now; they were necessary ecological cycles that supported and renewed agricultural fertility and helped to connect salmon habitats. 

          European settlement in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries disrupted this system. Displacement and disease significantly reduced Indigenous populations. Colonial expansion boomed after the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. Land that had been a natural seasonal floodplain system was soon treated as property to be cleared and regulated. Extracting natural resources and reshaping wetlands into farmland were some early endeavors of colonial expansion. 

          Fairfield Island is a significant environmental transformation in the Fraser Valley. Major flood events such as those in 1894 and 1948 led to large-scale dike construction across the Lower Mainland. Fraser River flood modelling research shows that these interventions were significant in the altering of the natural floodplain by separating the river from side channels and wetlands (Fisheries and Oceans Canada).This changed how water, sediment, and nutrients moved through this little island. These changes have now enabled a large and flourishing agricultural production across Fairfield Island. Dairy farming and the cultivation of corn, berries, and fields of hay have become how much of the Fairfield Iland is used. Though these changes have also drained wetlands and caused a loss of biodiversity (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). The Fraser River became increasingly confined and limited in its ability to reshape the landscape naturally. 

Wildlife patterns reflect these changes. The Fraser River still supports salmon runs, though their numbers have declined due to habitat loss, environmental pressures, and reduced floodplain access. Key spawning habitats have been lost and this has reduced the ecological resilience in our local system (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). Species such as the white sturgeon remain even with an extensive amount of catch-and-release sport fishing. I have participated in this and it is exhilarating pulling up a seven foot muscular fish after reeling it in for almost an hour. Though looking back I can see how these types of activities would put a great amount of stress on the natural ecosystem. 

          Urban development has greatly reshaped Chilliwack from its former agricultural region into a more suburban landscape. Fairfield Island remains relatively low-density, but new roads, housing expands, and infrastructure continue to take over former natural spaces and farmland. Even with this in mind, throughout the years, stewardship and management practices have tried to improve and new practices have evolved. Island 22 Regional Park provided a protected green space along the river, allowing a more natural ecosystem as well as public access. Newer approaches of flood management incorporate drainage planning designed to reduce runoff impacts of the waterway, while the former rigid diking and river containment did not have this in mind. This system is an attempt towards a more sustainable river system (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). 

          Through my runs along the dike near Island 22, I see how environmental history is still a part of the landscape. The dike is a human-made structure that separates the river from its natural floodplain. This dike allows myself and many others to live, farm, and enjoy this land that was one seasonally flooded. The artificial nature of this system is clear, with the river confined and the banks to the river sitting higher than they would have been naturally. The Fraser River remains an active river system with salmon runs and sturgeon fishing, even with the heavy human modifications. 

          Climate change has added a further variable to the engineered landscape. With a greater amount of atmospheric river rainfalls alongside shrinking snowpacks have increased the vulnerability to future flood events. This vulnerability has been evident through the floods of the last few years. Continued development has reduced the natural capacities of the habitats and sustaining life in the floodplain environments. The land beneath my basement suite was once an ice sheet, resulting in a flood plain; a place where river processes were once stewarded by the Stó:lō people prior to colonial engineering that forever altered the landscape. 

Works Cited: 

          Fisheries and Oceans Canada. “Fish, Floods and Habitat Connectivity in the Lower Fraser.” Government of Canada, https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/publications/habitat/highlights-faitssaillants/pac/connectivity-connectivite-eng.html.

          Fraser Floods Research Group. Fraser River Flood Analysis: Simulating a 200-Year Flood Using Cellular Automaton. Geotechnical Services Report, n.d.

          “Halq’eméylem: Our People.” FirstVoices, https://www.firstvoices.com/halqemeylem/our-people.