Glenrose Tidal Marsh Project

• Main Authors: Tranmer, Mike, Williams, Gary
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2016
• Subjects: Fresh Water Studies; Life Sciences; Marine Biology; Natural Resources and Conservation; Fraser River; First Nations
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2016ssec/habitat/45

The Glenrose Tidal Marsh sites are located in North Delta on the South Arm of the Fraser River. The project involved the creation of intertidal brackish marsh habitat at three locations: Glenrose Downstream, Glenrose Cannery and Gunderson Mudflat. The project is part of Port Metro Vancouver’s Habitat Enhancement Program, which focuses on creating, restoring and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat. The project was undertaken to improve the overall productivity of the Fraser River between the Alex Fraser Bridge and Gunderson Slough, by providing high-quality habitat for juvenile salmon rearing and other fish and wildlife. Another aspect was addressing requests from local First nations to protect archeological values as some of the sites had been subject to degradation from erosion and the illegal collection of exposed artifacts and archeological material. Work at the three sites included brush clearing, slope protection, placement of containment berms, channel dredging, and infilling for the establishment of marsh habitat using locally-dredged sediments. Planting of marsh vegetation (Lyngbye’s sedge, spikerush, tapered rush, Baltic rush, wapato, hardstem bulrush and cattail) was completed in September 2014. M&N will partner with project wetland ecologist, Gary Williams, to discuss the three specific designs that were implemented across the sites: riprap berm with marsh infill, riprap blanket, and riprap groynes with open marsh. The presentation will showcase the design criteria, approach, adaptive management, and results of the first year monitoring results for each site from an engineering and biological perspective.