Floodplain Habitats
河川沖積平原(Chinese)

Sloughs emerged as natural drainage channels in the sedimentary material. Although they contain fresh water, both from the Fraser River and from rainwater seepage, their location in the estuary of the river makes them subject to periodic inundation of salt water. These rich floodplain lands are one of the most significant natural areas in the Lower Mainland from a biological perspective, supporting bird, fish and mammal habitat, and considerable plant diversity.

Vegetation along the sloughs, located in the silty floodplains of the Fraser, support forests of black cottonwood, broadleaf maple and red alder, with an understorey of shrubs such as salmonberry, red-osier dogwood and elderberry. Coniferous floodplain communities of Sitka spruce and western red cedar are now confined to a few sites.

Hardhack is the most abundant plant on the floodplain and patches of bulrush and reed grass are common. Riparian woods along streambanks contain red alder, crab apple, cottonwood, willows, sweet gale, and salmonberry grading into the wetter bogs with Labrador tea, swamp-laurel, blueberry, cranberry, marestail and into riverine marshes, with burreed, rush, bullrush, yellow water lily, quillwort, ribbonleaf pondweed, and millfoil.

河川沖積平原生態(Floodplain)
最近自然歷史步行導覽活動
最近綠色文化生態旅遊活動

典型的沖積平原 (Flood Plain)森林生態，它們擁有適應潮濕的森林溼地 (Swamp)與草原溼地(Marsh)。沖積平原森 林通常位於漲潮地帶。溼地植被對大自然的功能就像大塊海棉，它能吸收大量的雨水與雪水，於乾燥季節再慢慢釋出水分。它能減少洪水氾濫、水土流失。它也能吸收礦物質與化學物質，減少汙染，淨化水質。

位於森林與草原溼地的過渡地帶, 更提供許多動物最佳棲息場所，包括大藍鷺 (Great Blue Heron)、貓頭鷹(Owl)、老鷹(Eagle)、鴛鴦(Wood Duck) 與鳴鳥(Warbler)。它們既可以在森林內築巢棲息，也可以到草澤吃青蛙、蠕蟲、小魚、與Puget Garter蛇。

主要植物有白楊樹(Cottonwood)、赤楊樹 (Alder)、鼠李(Cascara)、野生酸蘋果樹葉(Crab Apple)、與各種草莓樹，如鮭莓(Salmonberry)、頂針莓(Thimbleberry)、雪莓(Snowberry)、接骨木果(Elderberry)。藉此您可以輕易的看見菲沙河船隻往來繁忙的景象。當您漫步於河邊步道時，您將可以欣賞夏天的各種野花如野玫瑰(Rose)、黑莓花(Blackberry)，還有三角葉楊(Cottonwood)的種子棉絮隨風到處飄揚。

菲沙河是本省最大的河川，它流經二十萬平方公里的地區。春夏之際，冰雪融化，河水高漲，每秒流速可達 一萬五千立方米。相當於七萬五千浴缸的水量。冬天最慢流速僅有七百立方米每秒，海水漲潮可達新西敏市。菲沙河是全世界鮭魚產量最多的河流，包括五種鮭魚與一種鱒魚。每年有四百萬尾鮭魚洄遊菲沙河產卵。 隔年有將近三億尾小鮭魚遊至此河口地區，來適應其未來的海洋生活。

菲沙河口三角洲除了每年冬天飛來數萬隻多種度冬的水鳥外，你可以在三、四月間發現來此捕食小魚的秋沙鴨(Merganser)。七、八月間有流刺網魚船在此捕抓上千洄遊的Sockeye 鮭魚，菲沙河上你也同時可以看到各種漁船、貨船、商船、釣魚船、運船木伐。

生態學家更進一步指出聚落農場與菲沙河中的道格拉斯島(Douglas Island)以及素里灣地(Surrey Bend) 已是菲沙河谷下游僅存的少數野鳥遷移地，應該及時予以保護。