Happening Now
The Fraser River Challenge Expedition
A living lifeline. A once-in-a-generation journey. A public mandate for permanent protection.
From August 6th to September 4th 2026, a swim relay, a marathon walker, and teams of paddlers will travel through the Fraser Rivershed, highlighting the urgent need for protection.
You can follow their journey on this page, or on Instagram/TikTok @Fraserrivkeeper
The Swim Relay
A Swim Relay team 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 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.
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.