It is with great sadness that we share with our Mossom family that Ruth Foster, co-founder of Mossom Creek Hatchery, passed away on September 28, 2026.
The salmon are returning to Mossom Creek today with the rain, as they have every fall for decades because of the work she started with co-founder and teaching partner Rod MacVicar. It is hard to imagine a more fitting farewell for Ruth, we know she would be down at the inlet today pointing at the jumping coho.
She will be missed dearly by all those who had the honour of knowing her.
In 1976, Ruth and her Centennial Secondary teaching partner Rod MacVicar took eight students to a creek that appeared to have no salmon left. What began that day has since brought thousands of students, families and neighbours to Mossom Creek to learn about salmon and the environment and how to care for them.
Ruth believed learning sticks when young people get their boots wet. Over three decades of teaching in Coquitlam, she and Rod built fisheries and wildlife courses that reached far beyond the classroom. Her students built the hatchery’s first incubation box, testified in court when construction silt destroyed their first eggs, and went on to careers in biology and conservation. Many still come back to volunteer, some with their own children and grandchildren.
When fire destroyed the original hatchery in December 2013, Ruth helped lead the community effort to rebuild. The Mossom Creek Hatchery and Education Centre, opened in 2015 and continues to be a gathering place for everything she inspired in others.
Her stewardship reached well beyond the creek. She served for many years as Vice-President of BIMES (Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society), was founding Vice-President of the Port Moody Ecological Society, a director of the Pacific WildLife Foundation, and a longtime member of the Burke Mountain Naturalists. In recent years she spent countless hours pulling invasive plants along Port Moody’s North Shore so native species could return. Her many honours included the Canadian Environment Award Gold Medal for Environmental Learning, the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Although she would always rather talk about a student than an award.
We are so grateful for Ruth’s care and guidance at Mossom Creek over 50 years and the legacy she has helped build. We are also grateful to her loving family (husband John, children Emily & Doug, and grandkids Austin & Marlo) who have supported her life’s work as a teacher and environmental educator and shared her so graciously with the community over the years.
Ruth taught us that the creek needs people who will show up, year after year. The best way for us to honour her is to keep doing this.
In lieu of flowers, Ruth’s family has asked that you consider donating to the Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society in support of Mossom Creek Hatchery and the work she dedicated 50 years to. You can do so here.
The family will share details of a celebration of life when they are ready.
We expect to have many stories, photos and warm memories to share of Ruth in the coming weeks and months. Please feel free to reach out at info@mossomcreek.org
