Wednesday - June 4, 2025 - Fraser to recede after early snowmelt

🌤 High 22C

Good morning!

In high school, I did a science project on the potential existence of Sasquatch. It was one of those topics a kid selects because it seems fun and thought-provoking. I don’t recall bears playing a large role in my project though—which probably gives some idea of its depth and quality. Because this week, I discovered actual Sasquatch-science in the form of a recent study that found a correlation between Bigfoot sightings and black bear populations. You can read about it here. The underlying idea is that if you think you saw a Bigfoot or Sasquatch, you may have seen a bear. (The argument seems somewhat logical but it still probably won’t persuade die-hard cryptozoologists.)

Which brings me to this collection of photographs of particularly scrawny, just-out-of-hibernation black bears. The photos make a better case than the data, I think. Without their fall padding, many large bears don’t really conform to our understanding of “bears.” A lean bear standing on its hind legs looks bizarre. Its front legs look particularly alien. And if you haven’t seen many scrawny bears in your life, I can imagine why you might look to put a new tag on the lanky, semi-biped you came across in the wild.

– Tyler

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Traffic & Weather

🌤 Local forecast: Langley | Chilliwack | Abbotsford | Hope 

🚘 Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google, and find DriveBC’s latest updates.

🛣 Click here for links to road cameras across the Fraser Valley, including those for the Coquihalla, Highway 7, Hope-Princeton, Fraser Canyon, and Highway 1 in Langley and Abbotsford.

News

Harrison flip-flops, again, on evacuation route

Unless you’re riding an ATV, driving a boat, or flying a helicopter, there’s only one road out of Harrison Hot Springs—and it doesn’t look like another will be built any time soon.

The idea of building a secondary evacuation route out of the small town has been around for decades and was finally solidified in 2023, when both Harrison Hot Springs and the District of Kent jointly decided to move forward with a route planned through Sasquatch Park.

But since then, nothing has happened. And although Kent Mayor Sylvia Pranger still wants to go through with the plan if the province gets on board, Harrison Mayor Fred Talen says the village needs to focus on making sure evacuations can be safe and effective with the road they already have.

“We work with the reality today,” he said. “Hot Springs Road is the way out, and that’s the reality.”

With more research required from the municipality before the province can approve the evacuation route, that lack of enthusiasm could keep the project stalled at the starting line.

• Today, Grace Giesbrecht revisits Harrison’s on-again, off-again desire for a secondary evacuation route.

Related

Need to Know

🚫 Mission’s school district plans to cut 12 staff positions to save more than $1 million [Mission Record]

🚔 Police are hoping to speak to a Mission boy who ‘flew a considerable distance’ after being hit by a car while riding his electric scooter’ [Mission RCMP/Facebook]

🏘 Langley Township council approved the building of ‘lock-off’ secondary suites in townhome units [Langley Advance Times]

🗳 The BC Government re-announced an expansion of Abbotsford Middle School (having first announced the project 12 months ago) [Abbotsford News]

✅ Sq'éwqel (Seabird Island) First Nation members have approved a 50-year extension for the lease of a cement manufacturer on the band’s industrial park land [Sq'éwqel First Nation/Facebook]

🤠 The Fort Langley Community Hall will host a pride-themed country show on Friday [Langley Advance Times]

🛋 The Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation bought a new couch for an Abbotsford seniors’ home [Abbotsford News]

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The Agenda

Fraser nears peak as snowmelt accelerates

The Fraser River has risen considerably in the past week, exceeding its highest level last year. But don’t expect it to rise much higher.

Warm weather has left BC’s snowpack about 35% below normal and almost completely melted in many areas, according to BC’s River Forecast Centre.

The River Forecast Centre’s models predict the Fraser will start to drop beginning Thursday. You can see a chart here. The centre notes that across the province, drier weather and cooler temperatures will lead to stabilizing flows.

“The province is near the peak of freshet this season with another 1-2 weeks of high flows from snowmelt possible for most higher elevation areas and larger rivers,” the centre’s latest bulletin says.

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🗓 Things to do

Plant trail tour: The Fraser Valley Conservancy hosts a native plant trail tour at McKee Park in Abbotsford on Saturday. Participants can choose between multiple half-hour timeslots. The tour is free, although registration is required. Details online.

Chilliwack biking event: Chilliwack Community Services hosts Tour de Chilliwack on Saturday. Bike riders can choose routes between 10km and 100km, and can celebrate at the end with food trucks and live music. Details and registration are available online.

Have an event to tell us about? Fill out this form to have it highlighted here.

Catch up

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