Tatalu River
The Tatalu (SENĆOŦEN), or Little Campbell River, is a productive, multi-jurisdictional, transboundary watercourse located in the heart of the Salish Sea (or Georgia Basin-Puget Sound Ecoregion). This river meanders west from its headwaters in Langley, through South Surrey and into White Rock where it enters Semiahmoo Bay. The Tatalu watershed serves as the study area for A Rocha Canada’s conservation science program, defining the geographic scope of the surveys, research, and habitat restoration projects.
The Tatalu watershed is home to a diversity of wildlife and plant species, including five species of Pacific salmon and trout, as well as over 30 species at risk. The river and its associated habitat are characterized by unchannelized streams, an undyked floodplain, an undeveloped estuary, and several large wetlands. Along with other watersheds located in the Salish Sea, the Tatalu and its surrounding natural habitat are faced with increasing anthropogenic impacts and threats, including poor water quality, seasonally low water levels, and loss of wetland and forest habitat due to pressures from urbanization and agricultural land development.
The goals of A Rocha Canada’s conservation science program are the following:
- Thriving ecosystems and communities
– Protect and enhance biodiversity
- Transformational learning
– Mentor and equip interns and volunteers - Conservation leadership
– Engage decision makers with science that inspires action
Caring for a unique and vulnerable river.
The latest news on our projects
Frogs, Food and Finches
Frogs, Food and Finches Written by Natalie Allen, Tatalu Conservation Resident, pictured above. --- Arriving at A Rocha BC has been a season of new encounters. A new place, a new community, and lots of [...]
A Cause for Shell-ebration
Native oysters rebounding in Boundary Bay Written by Amelia Hesketh, former Restoration Biologist --- The bustling tube feet of sea stars, the biting chelipeds of crabs, the sporadic squirts of burrowing clams — beside the [...]
Nature’s Voice
Written by past Tatalu Conservation Resident, Isabel Gutierrez, pictured on the left above. --- My experience at A Rocha has been full of delight for all the different languages each creature speaks, mimics and embodies. [...]