The estuary of the Campbell River is at the heart of the City. Since the Estuary Management Plan was adopted in 1996 by the City of Campbell River, many positive changes have occurred towards de-industrialization of this important habitat. The updated 2002 Estuary Management Plan report summarizes accomplishments to date, identifies key challenges and activities remaining, and developed a plan to continue the work of restoration of the Campbell River estuary. Above photo courtesy of Greenways Land Trust.

This link takes you to a short video entitled “The Amazing Makeover of Campbell River Estuary”. Produced by the Vancouver Aquarium, the clip features Fisheries Consultant Jim Van Tine, Fisheries Biologist Shannon Anderson and Tim Ennis with the Nature Conservancy of Canada describing the extensive process of restoring a portion of the Campbell River estuary by volunteers and consultants. Amid the stunning backdrop of estuarine life and current view-scapes, you’ll see snap shots of the past while the narrators unravel the story, “100 truckloads of dirt a day were removed for 20 days.”

What’s next for our Heritage River? Continued partnerships will see restoration of brownfield lands near Woodburn Creek entering into Baikie Slough and the Ministry of Environment, The Nature Trust of BC and their conservation partners are working towards the creation of the Campbell River Estuary Wildlife Management Area.