A SPECIAL PLACE WHERE THE RIVERS MEET THE SEA.

What is an Estuary and Why is it Important? 

Estuaries form where rivers and the ocean meet. Estuary ecosystems are comprised of salt marshes, mudflats, rocky intertidal shore, sea grass beds, tidal streams, and barrier beach habitats. The diversity of habitats found in estuaries, combined with the constant mixing of salt and fresh water produces a highly productive environment that is home to a great abundance of flora and fauna. When an abundance of organisms interact in an ecosystem this area is said to be a hotspot for biodiversity. Given the interdependent nature of ecosystems, the health and resiliency of an ecosystem depends on its biodiversity, or the number of organisms in a given area.
To learn about the current work being undertaken in the estuary check out our dedicated website at Restore The Shore.

The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh/Squamish River Estuary

For nearly 30 years, the central estuary at the mouth of the Squamish River sat cut off from its fresh water source buried under thousands of yards of river dredge material.

With funding and agreements in place, the Squamish River Watershed Society commenced work with BC Rail, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and countless community volunteers to restore the Squamish River Estuary. ​​

You can also read more about the Squamish Estuary through the listed documents:
(1) OceanWatch: Howe Sound Edition
(2) BC Ministry of Environment Management Plan on Skwelwil’em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area
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​The SRWS has led the restoration of the Squamish River Estuary since the early 2000s, check out this short video on our efforts:

History

  • late 1970's: Squamish River Estuary was cut off from fresh water source
    • ​BC Rail developed the Squamish River Training Dyke to move the Squamish River towards the west bank, and dry out the central estuary for development of a proposed deep sea coal port.
    • Squamish River was dredged and 13ha of dredge material was used to infill the central estuary in preparation for development.
    • Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) did not allow the proposed coal port to proceed. 
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  • ​1979: Squamish Estuary Committee formed by DFO in partnership with the BC Ministry of Environment and community stakeholders.
    • ​tasked with development of a balanced industrial, commercial and environmental vision for the Squamish Waterfront that all parties could voluntarily agree on and use to guide their land use decisions.
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  • 1982: First Squamish Estuary Management Plan was published.
    • ​Parties agreed that the west side of the Squamish oceanfront would be designated conservation area, and the east side would be designated industrial/commercial area.
    • Implementation of this plan required reclamation of the central estuary and land transfers to move industrial activity out of the central estuary and into the industrial/commercial area. 
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  • 1982 - 1999: Estuary Management Committee continued to meet to discuss plan implementation.
    • A revised Squamish Estuary Management Plan was published in 1999
    • An addition to the Plan included a transportation corridor on the eastern edge of the estuary that could be developed under this volunteer agreement document, if and when needed.
    • It also identified key supporting agreements to implement the plan.​​ ​
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  • 2007: The Squamish River Estuary was designated as Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area under the Provincial Wildlife Act. These sites are established where the wildlife, fish and/or related habitat values are of regional, provincial, or national significance. They may be used for a variety of purposes including the conservation and management of:
    • ​Habitat for endangered, threatened, sensitive, or vulnerable species
    • Habitat required for a critical life-cycle phase of a species, such as spawning, rearing, nesting, or winter feeding
    • Migration routes or other movement corridors
    • Areas of very high productivity or species richness ​
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  • 2000 - 2019: Projects and monitoring of the Squamish Estuary through the SRWS has been active throughout the past years, including: 
    • Chelem/Seagrass Trail Restoration 
    • West Wind Brownfield Restoration
    • Eelgrass Restoration
    • Blue Carbon monitoring
    • Central Estuary Restoration along the Spit for fish access
    • Wildlife & Heritage Tree monitoring

Who lives in the Squamish Estuary?

The Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area ​is recognized nationally as an Important Birding Area. This bird use study, conducted in 2006, 2007 and 2010, confirmed that the Estuary is a great spot for bird watching all sorts of migratory and resident waterfowl, shore birds, raptors, and song birds. The slow moving tidal channels, lined in eelgrass and sedges, provide space for juvenile salmon to feed, grow, and hide from larger predators. The roots of the cat tails, shrubs and tress in the estuary filters and purifies water before it enters into the Howe Sound, and the estuaries soil prevents floods by absorbing excess water in the rainy season. Because of the high productivity of the Squamish River Estuary, there is a wide range of biodiversity which includes, but not limited to: 

  • Invertebrates like ghost shrimp, diving beetles, mites, water striders, moon jellyfish, clams, crabs
  • Insects like dragonflies, moths, butterflies, and bees
  • Amphibians like frogs, toads, and salamanders
  • Fish like salmonid and trout species (Chinook, Coho, Chum, Pink, Steelhead, Cutthroat, Bull trout), herring, sea lance, flounders, sculpins, lampreys, gunnels, stickleback
  • Reptiles like garter snakes 
  • Birds like great blue herons, eagles, turkey vultures, trumpeter swans, purple martens, hummingbirds
  • Small Mammals like little brown bats, voles, mice, squirrels, rabbits
  • Large Mammals like coyotes, cougars, black-tailed deer, black bears, river otters, seals

Visiting the Squamish Estuary

Discover and enjoy the Squamish Estuary by biking along the Spit, spotting juvenile salmon in the channels, watching the migratory birds through your binos, feeling the estuary mud between your toes, paddling through the waves of the fluctuating tides, or taking a walk down the scenic trails accessible thorough downtown or Bailey Street. Note that campfires and camping is prohibited in the Estuary. Please be mindful of this highly sensitive area and pick up after yourself and pets. 

​We love the Squamish River Estuary and we hope you will love it just the same!