A Victoria-based environmental planner is part of a consortium of women scientists, Indigenous swimmers and conservation advocates who launched a 30-day, 1,375-kilometre relay down the Fraser River on Aug. 7 to draw attention to gaps in protections for the watershed and the crucial estuary near Delta.
From Mt. Robson to Richmond: a public campaign in the water
The expedition, called the Fraser River Challenge, began in glacial waters near Mount Robson and is scheduled to culminate at Garry Point in Richmond on Sept. 4. The relay is accompanied by a separate 1,000-kilometre solo walk by endurance walker Justin Smith. Both undertakings are intended to rally public support to press the federal government to meet its commitment to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030.
Naomi Devine, an environmental planner based in Victoria, is one of the relay’s core swimmers. Devon’s participation anchors Victoria’s direct involvement in a challenge that traverses the Fraser Rivershed — a landscape for which only 17.6% of area is currently protected, according to the Fraser River Challenge organisers.
"That would mean adding another 2.9 million hectares, roughly the size of Vancouver Island, as protected areas to the rivershed."
The comment refers to the gap between current protection levels and the 30% target — a shortfall of about 12.4 percentage points for the Fraser Rivershed that organisers say equates to roughly 2.9 million hectares.
Who’s on the water and why it matters locally
The relay team includes Simon Fraser University marine ecologist Dr. Isabelle Côté, forest disturbance ecologist Michelle Connolly, rotating Indigenous swimmers, and is led on the river by Fraser Riverkeeper Fin Donnelly — a former member of Parliament and B.C. MLA who has swum the full length of the river in earlier campaigns. A motorized safety team accompanies the swimmers.
For Delta and the southern Lower Mainland, the Fraser’s health is tightly bound to agricultural lands, commercial and Indigenous fisheries, and shoreline stability. The river’s estuary is a vital stop on the Pacific Flyway, supporting millions of migratory birds and underpinning fisheries and related livelihoods.
- Start: Kinney Lake, near Mount Robson (part of the Fraser Rivershed)
- Distance: 1,375 kilometres by relay swim
- Duration: 30 days (Aug. 7 to Sept. 4)
- Companion effort: 1,000-km solo walk by Justin Smith
Local stakes and calls for Indigenous-led conservation
Organisers say the expedition is not only a public awareness effort but an explicit push for First Nations-led conservation measures, specifically Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), to secure the remaining lands and waters needed to meet the 30% target within the rivershed.
The Fraser Rivershed spans diverse ecosystems and jurisdictions; achieving an expanded network of protected areas would require coordination among federal, provincial and Indigenous governments as well as local communities and stakeholders. Organisers frame IPCAs as a means to centre Indigenous stewardship and governance in conservation planning.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Current protection in Fraser Rivershed | 17.6% |
| Target protection (30 by 30) | 30% |
| Protection gap | 12.4 percentage points (~2.9 million hectares) |
Victoria residents will see local relevance in several ways: connections between the Fraser and regional fisheries, migratory bird pathways that extend along the coast, and broader provincial commitments to biodiversity conservation that can influence land-use and marine-management decisions. The relay’s timeline and route create opportunities for downstream public events and media attention, culminating at Garry Point, a site familiar to many Lower Mainland residents and connected to coastal ecological values shared across the region.
The Fraser River Challenge positions endurance, science and Indigenous leadership as intertwined tools to translate a national 30 by 30 promise into concrete, locally led protection measures. By centring swimmers, walkers and researchers in visible, sustained action on the water and on the shore, organisers aim to turn a conservation target into a civic conversation about what protection looks like for one of British Columbia’s most consequential river systems.
