Addington Point Marsh

Highlights

Addington Point Marsh consists of 260 hectares (621 acres) of tidal floodplain marshes and channels lying between the Pitt River and the steep-sided rocky terrain of Minnekhada Regional District Park.

This marsh is the most westerly component of the extensive 3,000 hectare Pitt-Addington Marshes Wildlife Management Area, the largest stretch of undeveloped floodplain in the Lower Mainland and represents a long standing wetland management partnership between the provincial government and Ducks Unlimited Canada.

Its trails and viewpoints provide exceptional views of the landscape and wildlife using the marshes and sloughs in the area.

Background

Addington Point was dyked and used as livestock pasture 100 years ago. Its location in the floodplain of the Pitt River made it susceptible to periodic flooding at freshet when these river dykes were overtopped, and after several decades, it had gradually reverted to a mix of wet meadows, marshes and sloughs. In the 1970’s Addington Point was purchased by The Nature Trust of BC and leased to the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (WLAP). It is part of the Pitt-Addington Marshes Wildlife Management Area managed by the provincial government. Nearly all fresh water floodplain marshes in the Fraser estuary area have been dyked and farmed or have otherwise been threatened with drainage or development.

In 1984, Ducks Unlimited repaired the existing dykes and installed a water control device that allows regulation of marsh water levels to optimize waterfowl feeding conditions over the winter months. The marsh retained many of the characteristics of natural floodplains because of this water management regime. In 2004, a new management approach was taken. Dykes were removed to allow the re-establishment of a natural tidal floodplain ecosystem and to allow the natural passage of fish between the marsh and river. The area supports over 220 species of birds, as well as deer, bear and cougar and many river fish species Like other parts of the Fraser River estuary, it is used heavily by hundreds of migratory waterfowl, herons and shorebirds throughout the winter months and supports a wide variety of nesting wetland birds in summer.

Project Partners

Department of Fisheries and Oceans
BC Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection (MWLAP)
BC Habitat Conservation Trust Fund
Ducks Unlimited Canada
The Nature Trust of BC