Burns Bog Delta Nature Reserve, Delta

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The Delta Nature Reserve takes visitors through a small part of the Burns Bog along boardwalks.

With its wide range of flora and fauna - some unique to the region, Burns Bog has mystified visitors and scientists who marvel at the world's largest raised peat bog. Sprawling over 40 square kilometres, the Bog is an important ecosystem in Delta, British Columbia which is sought to be protected from development. In the Delta Nature Reserve (consisting of only 2% of the Burns Bog as it is very fragile), visitors can walk along boardwalks to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Bog and its unique beauty.

Burns Bog - the largest domed peat bog in the world - rests alongside the southern Arm of the Fraser River and encompasses 4,000 hectares of land (10 times that of Stanley Park) in the region of Delta. It has been recognized as globally unique ecosystem due to its size, flora, fauna, form and chemistry and is considered one of the largest undeveloped ecosystems in the world. The Bog is home to over 24 species of animals (black bears, black-tailed deer, muskrat and beavers) and 150 species of birds (sandhill cranes, eagles and trumpeter swans) .

Burns Bog is protected by several zoning codes which aim to preserve the site for research purposes and for future generations but as of yet has not been fully protected and still faces development. The importance of this Bog may be in its composition as its thought to regulate the weather in the region as the peatlands soak up rainfall. The Bog has also been the site of several major fires due to large underground methane deposits.

Only a small portion of the Bog has been set up to teach visitors about this fragile and rare ecosystem on its eastern edge. The Delta Nature Reserve allows visitors to explore 60 acres of land (less than 2% of the Burns Bog ecosystem) along boardwalks built by the Conservation Society to protect the peatlands. The Society also offers guided public tours and visitors are reminded to stay only on the designated paths to ensure the continued preservation of the ecosystem.

The Burns Bog is a spectacular region to explore and its unique flora and fauna continue to make it an amazing experience. Enjoy the different trails which take visitors past several notable peat landscapes or join the International Bog Day festivities on the last Sunday of July. Be sure to print the Delta Nature Reserve map as a guide to the park.