Meteor Lake Wetlands east of Prince George purchased for conservation

The Nature Trust of BC has purchased 235 hectares of the Meteor Lake-Wetland Bog for conservation.

The conservation area, located approximately 70 kilometres east of Prince George, is one of the three largest wetlands in the upper Fraser River.

“We’ve been fundraising since the fall of 2022 to secure this really special spot,” said Carl MacNaughton, Interior and Coastal Mainland Conservation Land Manager for the Nature Trust of BC.

“This particular wetland is important as a wildlife habitat and for it’s ecological function.”

MacNaughton noted they were only able to acquire the private land portion of the 2,000 hectare wetland.

“We don’t acquire crown land, but we do work in concert with the province on a place like the Meteor Lake Wetlands, where they have the crownlands portions of it,” he said.

“It means these lands are protected in perpetuity.”

“It’s got a really wide range of plant and wildlife species, wetlands in particular, are important for many things,” MacNaughton explained.

“Lots of animals will want to live in the wetlands or they’ll use the wetlands for part of their daily or annual needs.”

MacNaughton added boggy wetlands like the Meteor Lake are waterlogged, creating peatland from vegetation.

“That traps huge amounts of greenhouse gases like methane and CO2, so it’s really important for long-term climate change mitigation,”  he explained.

“The wetlands themselves act as a big sponge that filters and regulates waterflow, which then helps to prevent flooding downstream. These are nature-based solutions to climate issues that we have.”