The 30-Day Expedition
A living lifeline. A once-in-a-generation journey. A public mandate for permanent protection.
In 1995 and 2000, Fin Donnelly completed two legendary swims down the Fraser River, helping awaken Canada to the Fraser’s importance. From August 6 to September 5, 2026, a relay team will swim the 1,400-km length of the Fraser—retracing Fin’s historic routes. They’ll be joined by a marathon walker covering 1,000 km across the Rivershed, alongside businesses, non-profits, and unions journeying down the river by canoe and raft.
Across the watershed, the Expedition will:
Amplify urgency around salmon declines, fragmentation, and the need for permanent protections.
Engage communities through gatherings, events, and storytelling—from headwaters to sea.
Find thousands of new signatories to declare their support for habitat protection—building a public mandate for 30×30.
Translate the true scale of the Fraser into a journey people can understand—and support.
Why this matters
The Fraser is one of the world’s great wild salmon rivers—an ecological and cultural backbone for dozens of First Nations and communities, and the rivershed that supports three-quarters of BC’s population. But its health is at a crossroads. Habitat fragmentation, industrial pressures, and climate impacts are pushing salmon, communities, and ecosystems to their limits.
Protecting 30% of its habitat by 2030 is no longer optional—it’s essential.
This 30-day expedition is critical, because it turns a vast, complex rivershed into a human story people can actually feel: day by day, community by community, from Mt. Robson to the Salish Sea.
It’s where awareness becomes participation—and participation becomes a public mandate.
The Swim Relay
A Core Four will retrace Fin’s original route—an embodied story of courage, continuity, and commitment. The relay consists of swimmers Isabelle Côté, Michelle Connolly, and Naomi Devine, alongside a rotating Indigenous fourth swimmer who joins the core team through different stretches of the river.
The swimmers need support to make it through their journey — click here to donate.
The 1,000km Rivershed Walk
Justin Smith will walk 1,000 kilometres through the Fraser Rivershed to help build support for protecting 30% of the Fraser Watershed by 2030.
This is more than an endurance challenge. It is a public act of commitment to one of the most important river systems in the world — a rivershed that sustains salmon, communities, culture, and life across British Columbia.
Justin will document his journey to draw attention, spark conversation, and help more people see what is at stake in the future of the Fraser.
The Canoe & Raft Journeys
From Headwaters to Sea, Canoes and Rafts will join the Swim Relay on the river — giving organizations, businesses and non-profits an opportunity to experience the Fraser & support the Fraser River Challenge.