New Westminster Environmental Almanac (2917 ... - Douglas College

Status of Original Ecosystems
Wetlands
Wetlands are any area of land that is covered by shallow water for at
least part of the year. This includes saltwater and freshwater marshes,
which are dominated by grasses and sedges, swamps, which are
dominated by trees, and bogs. Swamps are characteristic of tropical
environments while marshes and bogs generally occur in more temperate
areas. Within the Lower Mainland, both bogs and marshes can be found.
Prior to European colonization, marshes would have lined both banks of
the Fraser River far upriver of New Westminster. Historically, marshes
have been thought of as waste lands difficult to develop because of their
water content. Many have been dyked, drained, and filled in to
accommodate agricultural and urban developments. The marshes of the
Fraser have not escaped this pattern. The best remaining example of
marshes today can be found in west Delta,
around the Westham Island Bird
Sanctuary, and off Lulu Island in
Richmond.
Around New Westminster, most of the
Fraser foreshore would have been
marshes. Today the only remnants of the
once widespread marshes are around
Poplar Island and the south bank of
Queensborough (Lulu Island) in the
Annacis Channel. Fortunately, the value of
marshes is generally recognized now and
there has been a great deal pressure to preserve what marshland there is
left. In fact due to initiatives such as the Fraser River Estuary
Management Program there has been a net gain of marshland in the
Fraser Estuary of 215, 965m 2 between 1986 and 2000.
Marshes are extremely productive ecosystems, especially when located
in the already rich estuary environment. Cattails, sedges, and rushes
dominate the typical marsh. Many types of wildlife thrive in the
productive and protective environment of a marsh. Water in marshes is
generally slow moving allowing for a build up of nutrient rich organic
matter, which fuels a large and complex food web. Today over 2 million
6
GVRD