Time: 12pm-3pm

Length: 3 hours (approx. 10 km) (option - drive around and meet group on trail at far end of walk)

Meeting Location: Parking Lot at Fraser River, Matsqui Trail Park, very end of Riverside St., under the Mission Bridge.

Walk Description: This "out and back" walk, combining local history and the science of flood/river management, will first engage participants with historical events from the 1894 and 1948 floods, and how these shaped Abbotsford's Fraser River dyking and drainage plans. We will walk under the Mission Bridge, then the old railroad bridge (once used by cars as well as trains). We will continue east along the river on the dyke trail, to view river bank erosion areas and some bank stabilization efforts now underway. Is "hardening" the banks of the Fraser River the best way to manage flood events? Considering downstream consequences to other communities, and climate-change induced flooding becoming more common, are there other, more sustainable options?

Accessibility: Easy walk on dyke trail, but 10 km might be a long for some. Option to drive and meet group at far end of walk.

Contact: John Vissers, johnvissers@gmail.com, 604-308-0520