My Location: Mission, BC.

Located within the Fraser Valley, a lot of Mission’s history really shows how people and nature can/have interacted. Over time, a lot of the land in Mission has seen a lot of changes in terms of Indigenous land use, resource use, restorative efforts, and overall growth as many people move here to call it home.

Long before Europeans came, the Sto:lo (Or People of the River) Indigenous people took care of and controlled much of the lands now known as Mission. During this time period, the Sto:lo people traded dried salmon, fruits, and other things with groups from the coast and the inside parts of British Columbia using the Fraser River. The Fraser River also maintained and provided a lot of salmon, which was important for people and animals (Reference 1 & 2). In the late 1800s, European settlers came and greatly changed the landscape of Mission forever. This included cutting trees down to use as wood and turning the vast forest lands into farms. While this did help the economy grow, it also caused problems like pollution and the destruction of important habitats. Additionally, in 1861, Mission was selected to be the site of the St Mary’s Residential School, terribly impacting the Indigenous people’s lives and cultures (Reference 1 & 5).

Mission also has a large variety of different animals and wildlife, including a lot of bears and salmon. Salmon played a crucial role in the local ecosystem, serving as a source of humans, eagles, and lots of other wildlife (Reference 3 & 4). But with the arrival of more people, the balance of nature has slowly started to shift. With the increasing human population in Mission brought about more changes that affected the well-being of animals in the area. Fortunately, many efforts were made to address these challenges, such as dedicated parklands and protected areas. Furthermore, there’s support for the struggling salmon population with more fishing regulations and protection of spawning areas (Reference 3).

Similar to many other municipalities in the Fraser Valley, as Mission expanded and developed into a bigger city, new plants and animals were introduced into the area, which brought about sudden challenges. Some of these non-native species, such as noxious weeds, established themselves and began to increase, often impacting some of the native plants and animals. The aggressive spread of these new species resulted in them out-competing native vegetation in certain areas, leading to a disruption in the balance that had previously existed in the local ecosystem (Reference 6). This disruption had falling effects, affecting not just the native plants themselves but also some of the animals that could have depended on them for food or some sort of shelter. The disruption of some of these new plant species and animals can throw off the natural balance of Mission’s historical environment, which highlights the importance of trying to maintain a good balance of diversity in the natural environment.

Again, as Mission grew from a small town to a notable urban area in the Fraser Valley, the demand for more housing and commercial spaces lead to the transformation of land uses. This residential and commercial development led to the change of some natural features, including the drainage of wetlands and alterations to streams to the south and north of the city’s core. These changes also impacted the previous balance of the local ecosystem, by affecting water quality in certain areas and creating more challenges for the survival of the wildlife that might have depended on these habitats (Reference 7).

The District of Mission did take some practical measures to address the some of environmental issues that came with its growth. To try to manage rainwater, flooding (due to Mission’s location and proximity to the Fraser River), and pollution, the city created modern rainwater management systems. These systems are designed to try to assist natural processes by facilitating more infiltration of rainwater into the ground and replenishing groundwater (which overall supports the health of other green spaces) (Reference 7).

Another big step in Mission’s history was trying to minimize waste with the adoption of composting practices within Mission. This approach included the conversion of food waste soil through natural decomposition instead of simply being put into the Mission landfill. By removing all the organic waste from landfills, this composting not only reduces the amount of total trash created but also helps to reduce gas emissions. These benefits of both waste reduction and air quality improvement also highlight the changes Mission has made in its commitment to environmental protection and sustainable waste management systems (Reference 7).

References:

1 Mission District. “About.” August 2023. https://www.mission.ca/about/

2 “Sto:lo.” Wikipedia. August 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%B3%EA%9E%89l%C5%8D

3 “Wildlife in Mission.” District of Mission. August 2023. https://www.mission.ca/city-hall/departments/engineering/environment/wildlife/

4 “Fraser River.” Wikipedia. July 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_River.

5 “History of Mission, British Columbia.” Wikipedia. August 2023.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission,_British_Columbia

6 “Invasive Species.” District of Mission.  August 2023. https://www.mission.ca/city-hall/departments/engineering/environment/invasive-species/

7 “Environmental Charter. Adding Ability to Sustainability” District of Mission. August 2023. https://www.mission.ca/wp-content/uploads/Environmental-Charter-FINAL-1.pdf