If nature could swirl a blue paintbrush through the still waters of a wetland than this helicopter shot of Minnekhada Marsh might be the result. Our Photo of the Week is described by photographer Dru! as being ‘landscape art’–and that’s just what it appears to be. Dru took the photo on July 4 and states that the swirls and channels are caused by drainage ditches that have been dug in the marsh and are also affected by past land use, as the area was once a farm.  

Minnekhada Farm is today a heritage site, but was both a working and a hobby farm from 1895 to 1975. The final owners placed a great deal of the property into the Agricultural Land Reserve. The land was shielded from development and was designated as a park in the 1980s. At that time, Ducks Unlimited and Metro Vancouver partnered to manage it and they continue to do so today.    

The marsh is an important site in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. Ducks Unlimited states that the marsh is one of the few remaining freshwater basins in the Fraser Valley. Migrating birds use the wetland and forest extensively, along with other wildlife such as ducks and beavers.

In the fall of 2011 the marsh had a ‘makeover’ and the weirs and dikes were repaired. The project helped to improve drainage of the area. Photos of the construction project can be viewed here.  

Minnekhada Marsh contains 126 hectares and 10 km of easy level hiking. It is accessible by car and is approximately 1 hour away from Vancouver, in the Coquitlam region. The trails take approximately 2.5 hours, are dog friendly, and are open year-round.

We thank Dru for sharing this photo in our Flickr stream and showing us the beauty of what nature can do. Perhaps this is what the birds can see as they hang on the breeze in the summer sky–if so we’re grateful for the chance to see Minnekhada Marsh from this lofty view. To see more photos by Dru, click here. To view or contribute to our growing collection of BC wetlands photography, click here!