At the end of summer 2026, recreational boaters in British Columbia's Williston Reservoir stumbled upon a strange and unusual sight: a floating island covered in trees. The structure, spanning about 9,800 square meters—roughly the size of two football fields—appeared to drift across the water. The Williston Reservoir, created by the W.A.C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River in 1968, is the largest freshwater body in British Columbia and one of the world's largest artificial lakes. The discovery was first reported by CBC News on August 29, 2026, following footage shared by Rocky Avery, a local boater with 40 years of experience in the area. Avery described the island as an "incredible sight," something he had never encountered before. Initially, BC Hydro, the provincial utility responsible for managing the reservoir, dismissed the report as a prank. However, satellite imagery confirmed the existence of the structure, which had mysteriously vanished from radar before reappearing a few days later, drifting approximately 30 kilometers northwest. Experts from BC Hydro and Natalie Kramer Anderson, a fluvial geomorphologist with the non-profit Gorge Ecology Outdoors, identified the island as a floating wooden mass, or a "giant ice jam." According to Anderson, interviewed by National Geographic, the structure formed when fallen trees accumulated in a sheltered part of the reservoir or nearby rivers. Over time, the decomposition of the trunks allowed moss, vegetation, and new trees to take root, forming a layer of soil. A sudden rise in water levels or strong winds likely dislodged the mass, turning it into a drifting island. Floating wooden islands are rare phenomena, often referred to by scientists as "ghosts of the past." Their decline is largely linked to human activities such as the construction of hydroelectric dams, the regular cleaning of waterways, and industrial logging. These activities have disrupted the natural processes that once allowed such islands to form. Despite the rarity and intrigue of the event, authorities have issued strict warnings to boaters, emphasizing the danger posed by the unstable structure. The island could suddenly break apart or capsize due to waves or wind, making it a hazardous presence on the water.