Big Bar Landslide Incident
On June 23, 2019, a landslide in a remote and rugged canyon along the Fraser River, north of Lillooet, was reported to the B.C. government. Over 85,000 cubic metres of rock had sheared off a 125-metre-high cliff and fallen into the river. These huge pieces of rock created a five-metre waterfall, which trapped migrating salmon below the slide.
Using an Incident Command System (similar to what’s typically used by the BC Wildfire Service to respond to fires), a Unified Command was established to lead the remediation response and included all levels of government (First Nations, provincial and federal). This team included field and support staff from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, the First Nations Fraser River Aboriginal Secretariat and the BC Wildfire Service, as well as scientists, engineers, First Nations fisheries crews and archaeological monitors, biologists, rock scalers, hydrologists and many others.
In September 2019, due to decreasing water levels and the efforts of rock scalers, some migrating salmon were able to pass naturally past the site of the landslide. The Province, the Government of Canada and First Nations have continued to work together to ease fish movement past the site. The effort to re-establish fish passage has included blasting rocks and widening the river channel. The installation of a nature-like fishway, a Whooshh Passage Portal System and other mitigation measures were undertaken to limit disruption to fish during the 2020 migration season.
To read ongoing updates on the Big Bar landslide response and details about the work that’s being done, please click on the Information Bulletins tab below.
2021
January
2020
December
September
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – September 18, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – September 4, 2020 (PDF)
August
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – August 8, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – August 14, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – August 21, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – August 28, 2020 (PDF)
July
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – July 3, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – July 10, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – July 17, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – July 24, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – July 31, 2020 (PDF)
June
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – June 26, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – June 19, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – June 12, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – June 5, 2020 (PDF)
May
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – May 29, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – May 22, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – May 15, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – May 8, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – May 1, 2020 (PDF)
April
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – April 24, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – April 17, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – April 9, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – April 3, 2020 (PDF)
March
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – March 27, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – March 24, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – March 13, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – March 6, 2020 (PDF)
February
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – February 28, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – February 21, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – February 14, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – February 7, 2020 (PDF)
January
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – January 31, 2020 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update – January 17, 2020 (PDF)
2019
November
September
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 26, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 24, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 22, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 20, 2019 (PDF)
- Rock Scaling Operations Information Bulletin - September 19, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 18, 2019 (PDF)
- First Nations Role Information Bulletin - September 17, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 16, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 15, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 14, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 13, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 12, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 11, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 10, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 9, 2019 (PDF)
- Fish Passage Information Bulletin - September 8, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 8, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 7, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 6, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 5, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 4, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 3, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 2, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - September 1, 2019 (PDF)
August
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 31, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 30, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 29, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 28, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 27, 2019 (PDF)
- Partial Natural Fish Passage Achieved at the Big Bar Landslide - August 26, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 26, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 25, 2019 (PDF)
- Innovative Ideas Implemented at Big Bar Landslide - August 24, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 24, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 23, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 22, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 21, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 20, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 19, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 18, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 17, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 16, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 15, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 14, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 13, 2019 (PDF)
- Fish Monitoring Information Bulletin - August 12, 2019 (PDF)
- Unified Command Incident Management Team - August 12, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 12, 2019 (PDF)
- Fraser River Salmon Information Bulletin - August 11, 2019 (PDF)
- Blasting Operation Information Bulletin - August 11, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 11, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 10, 2019 (PDF)
- Water Flow Information Bulletin - August 9, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 8, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 7, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 6, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 5, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 4, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 3, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 2, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - August 1, 2019 (PDF)
July
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 31, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 30, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 29, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 28, 2019 (PDF)
- Pilot Salmon Enhancement Information Bulletin - July 27, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 27, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 26, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 25, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 23, 2019 (PDF)
- Words of Encouragement - July 21, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 20, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 19, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 16, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 15, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 14, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 13, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 12, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 11, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 10, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 9, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 7, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 6, 2019 (PDF)
- Big Bar Landslide Incident Update - July 5, 2019 (PDF)
During the summer 2019 response, the Unified Command team collaborated with two talented B.C. artists. Trevor Mack, filmmaker, and Gina Anderson, photographer, captured the spirit and efforts of those who dedicated their time to restore salmon passage. Their multimedia highlights the significance of the Big Bar Landslide and the impact that it continues to have both locally and globally.
Trevor Mack
Trevor Mack is an award-winning Tsilhqot'in nation filmmaker from the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Raised by his mother and family on the Tl'etinqox reserve, his culture and upbringing provided a strong foundation for his unique storytelling expressed through his film work.
Gina Anderson
Gina Anderson began working in the photography field in her 20s, as a custom-darkroom printer for professional photographers. It wasn’t long before she realised: “I can do all of this myself”. Shortly after this she began shooting professionally. In the early 2000s, Gina moved cautiously into the digital photo world. She now travels extensively, shoots extensively and sells her photography. Her forte remains photographing people, landscapes & scenes in their natural settings, as organically as possible.
FYI: gina_gerl, was initially a pneumonic to help people pronounce her name with the intonations her parents intended; it now represents an arresting, emotive, creative body of photographic work.
Pink salmon is prepped to be tagged. Photo by Gina Anderson @gina-gerl imaging.
Crews catch salmon to affix radio tags to track fish movements, behaviour and health. Photo by Gina Anderson @gina-gerl imaging.
Sockeye salmon fitted with a radio tag. Photo by Gina Anderson @gina-gerl imaging.
Tagging crews check radio tags. Photo by Gina Anderson @gina-gerl imaging.
Rock scaler work site at the top of the cliff face on the west canyon wall of the Fraser River, above the slide site. Photo by Gina Anderson @gina-gerl imaging.
A rock scaler begins his 125-metre rappel from the top of the cliff face, on the west canyon wall, towards the work site below. Photo by Gina Anderson @gina-gerl imaging.
Rock scaler work site at water level on the west side of the Fraser River. Photo by Gina Anderson @gina-gerl imaging.
From the onset of the incident at the Big Bar Landslide, a government-to-government-to-government response was envisioned and implemented. An innovative collaboration between First Nations, Federal, and Provincial governments has been formed in the spirit of reconciliation and recognition of First Nation’s place at the table.
Within a week of the slide being reported, First Nations representatives from the Fraser River Aboriginal Fisheries Secretariat participated in early strategic planning that included First Nations engagement. The Unified Command then reached out to First Nations to invite participation on the Big Bar Landslide First Nations Leadership Panel. The Panel includes 47 participants from 30 communities and Tribal Councils from the Fraser River and Marine approach First Nation groups that have an interest in Fraser salmon stocks. The Panel, which makes decisions by consensus, provides guidance and decision-making on strategies to address the landslide. The panel provides input, reviews response options and endorses options, all while considering cultural sensitivities and incorporating First Nations’ traditional ecological knowledge and perspectives.
First Nations continue to be involved as the incident transitions into a new phase of response. First Nations’ traditional ecological knowledge and perspectives have been vital to the fish health and environmental unit, the Joint Executive Steering Committee and project director positions. This traditional ecological knowledge underpinned fish capture methods that were used before fish achieved natural passage which included: fish wheels, beach seining and dip netting. Local First Nations Cultural Heritage experts were able to conduct assessments of ongoing works to ensure cultural values were preserved.
The landslide has impacted numerous First Nations communities and organizations in British Columbia. Salmon are critical to Indigenous communities for food, social, and ceremonial needs. Leadership and delegates from communities across BC have taken helicopter overview flights. These flights are vital to understanding the scope and scale of the incident. Participants can subsequently share response updates with their communities from a firsthand perspective.
As such, the Big Bar Landslide response has set a precedent for future cooperation and to ensuring that information flows as efficiently as possible throughout communities and organizations across the province.