Sumas Prairie

Sumas was a district municipality in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, located between the then-Village of Abbotsford (W) and Chilliwack (E). It was amalgamated with the Village of Abbotsford in 1972 into the District of Abbotsford.It, prior to amalgamation and after, was a part of the Central Fraser Valley Regional District until the district's abolition in 1995. Notable distinct communities with the municipality were Kilgard and Huntingdon, the latter being the Canadian side of the Sumas Border Crossing into the United States. Most of the municipality was farmland - its dominant landform was the rich agricultural land of Sumas Prairie, which was created through the draining of Sumas Lake early in the 20th Century.

McDonald Park, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, is a dark-sky preserve, designated thus by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.The park is located in a valley, and at night light pollution from the nearby cities of Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission is blocked by Sumas Mountain. The park opens at night for observations under the auspices of the Fraser Valley Astronomers Society.

Sumas Lake (Halq’eméyle: Semá:th Lake, Nooksack: Semáts Xácho7, (Level Place Lake)) was a shallow freshwater lake surrounded by extensive wetlands that once existed in eastern Fraser Lowland, located on the south side of the Sumas River between the foothills of Sumas Mountain (not to be confused with the same-named American mountain) and Vedder Mountain. It disappeared after being artificially drained for flood control and land reclamation from 1920 to 1924, leaving behind a low-lying flatland known as the Sumas Prairie, which is nowadays drained by the Saar Creek (a lower tributary of the Sumas River) and the namesaked Sumas Drainage Canal. The traditional territory of the Semá:th people (Sumas First Nation), a band of the Sto:lo Nation, the lake lay midway between the present-day Canadian cities of Chilliwack and Abbotsford, British Columbia, and extended past the Canada–United States border into the territory east of Sumas, Whatcom County, Washington, necessitating a British Columbia Electric Railway trestle (which remains today as a dyke) across it from Huntingdon to the foot of Vedder Mountain. The lake used to support sturgeon, trout, salmon, grizzly bears and geese, and its wetland habitat was a destination for migrating birds and a breeding ground for both fish and waterfowl. Flocks of white-fronted goose as well as whistling swan and Hutchins geese also used the lake. Its partially sandy banks also provided for sturgeon spawning grounds. The lake supplied food to the Sumas Band, and their life ways were intimately connected to it. In the late 1800s, the lake drew the attention of various naturalists within the growing European population engaged in the work of cataloging the flora and fauna that they encountered where they settled.

Sumas Mountain, also referred to as Canadian Sumas to distinguish it from an identically-named mountain just 10 km (6.2 mi) to the south in U.S. state of Washington across the border, is a mountain in eastern Fraser Lowland, in the Lower Mainland region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It sits on the south bank of the Fraser River, west of the smaller Chilliwack Mountain across the Vedder River mouth, and serves as a geographic landmark dividing the Fraser Valley into "Upper" and "Lower" sections. The mountain is separated from the Vedder Mountain and the North Cascades by the drained Sumas Lake, now a flatland called Sumas Prairie that is part of the greater floodplain of the Fraser River basin, south of which is a same-named sister mountain (American Sumas) in Washington state's Whatcom County. West of the mountain is Matsqui Prairie, another floodplain, and north of the Fraser, which lies along the mountain's north flank, are similar floodplains - Nicomen Island and Hatzic Prairie. The urban area of Abbotsford is located to the mountain's west, and it is home to a number of Abbotsford's suburban areas, notably Clayburn. In its central portion is the historic community of Straiton, officially named in 1904 for Thomas Bell Straiton who founded a homestead on Sumas Mountain in 1893 and also a store and post office. Its higher eastern reaches tower over Greendale, a community within the City of Chilliwack and is mostly wilderness; the mountain's summit, Sumas Peak, is located in this area, along with Chadsey Lake. Sumas Mountain Provincial Park is located in the higher, northern reaches of the mountain. Historic industry on the mountain includes livestock and crop farming, logging, and mining, notably brick-clay, which gave rise to the mining community of Clayburn. Farming, gravel mining, and logging continue on the mountain to the present day. Located on the mountain's north foot, adjacent to the Fraser, is a Canadian Forces base naval station. On its south side is the reserve of the Sumas First Nation. The mountain protects McDonald Park, a dark-sky preserve, from the light pollution caused by the nearby cities of Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Mission.

Kilgard is a neighbourhood of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, located a few kilometres east of that city's core, on the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway at the foot of Sumas Mountain. The community and its name are connected with a former brickworks at the site, which produced a good quality fire brick; it was a sister community to Clayburn, which is nearby on the northwest side of Sumas Mountain, which also had a clay mine and brickworks. The Upper Sumas 6 Indian reserve of the Sumas First Nation is located at Kilgard.

The Columbia Valley is a small valley and unincorporated settlement stretching southwest of Cultus Lake and extending across the Canada–United States border into Whatcom County, Washington. It is located to the south of the City of Chilliwack and east of Abbotsford, lying between Vedder Mountain and the main bulk of the Cascade Mountains. There is no border crossing in the valley, which has only a few farms in it. The community of Lindell Beach is located in it, on the south shore of Cultus Lake. Its terrain is similar to that of the Fraser Valley, though at a slightly higher elevation.

Chadsey Lake, also known as Lost Lake, is located on Sumas Mountain near Abbotsford, British Columbia.

The Vedder River, called the Chilliwack River above Vedder Crossing, is a river in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington. The name Chilliwack comes from the Halkomelem word Tcil'Qe'uk, meaning "valley of many streams".

The Yarrow Ecovillage is an intentional community in Yarrow, British Columbia, Canada. Yarrow is a settlement of 3,000 population within the municipal boundaries of Chilliwack, British Columbia. The Ecovillage is a member-designed community that aims to achieve a more socially, ecologically and economically sustainable way of life. The Ecovillage's master plan for the 10-hectare (25-acre) former dairy farm, foresaw three main legal entities: An 8-hectare (20-acre) organic farm, a 31-unit multigenerational cohousing community (later increased to 33 units), and a mixed-use development with just under 2800 m2 (30,000 sf) of commercial space, a 17-unit senior cohousing community and a learning centre.Chilliwack City Council approved the plans, granting "Ecovillage zoning" in 2006. In January 2015, the Ecovillage had 100 residents (one third of whom were children) in the multigenerational cohousing community ("Groundswell Cohousing"). The organic farm has been in operation since 2003. In January 2014, Groundswell Cohousing at the Yarrow Ecovillage was awarded the "Sustainability Leadership Award" by the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce at the 19th Annual Business Excellence Awards.

Yarrow is a small community located 90 kilometres east of Vancouver within the City of Chilliwack in British Columbia, Canada. It is in the Fraser Valley at the foot of Vedder Mountain. The village was first settled by Mennonites in the late 1920s, following the draining of Sumas Lake and the reclamation of the former lake bed for agriculture.

Castle Fun Park is an amusement park located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, by the Trans-Canada Highway. The park is built like a castle resembling medieval architecture and includes many attractions and arcade games. The park is currently run by the Wiebe family.

The Sumas River is a river in the Fraser Lowland and a tributary of the Fraser River system, coursing across the international border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington.