Join the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society and the City of Coquitlam as we celebrate the annual return of chum and coho salmon to Hoy Creek on Sunday, October 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hoy Creek Hatchery.

The public and community groups will gather to view returning salmon and share information. There will be stream-side live salmon showing and talks, hatchery tours, a watershed walk, musical entertainment, interactive children’s activities,; food, educational exhibits, and more.

This free family event takes place rain or shine! The Hoy Creek Hatchery is located on Hoy Creek Trail Linear Park, west of the City Centre Aquatic Complex at the corner of Pinetree and Guildford Way, just a short 10 minute walk from the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain station.

Hoy Trail has a several entrances:

- Walk in from Princess Crescent;
- Walk in from behind Douglas College;
- Walk in from Guildford Way (between Johnson and Pinetree);
- Walk in from Walton Avenue, or behind Walton Elementary;
- Walk in from Lasalle Place.

RSVP to our Facebook event page to receive updates or alerts, and be sure to invite your family and friends! Our event hashtag is #salmoncomehome.

Hoy - Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We are actively involved in watershed restoration, public awareness, education and preservation. http://www.hoyscottcreeks.org/

Please mark your calendar, and join us for our annual general meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Coquitlam Public Library [Poirier Branch] The meeting will coincide with our regular monthly meeting.

Please note the following volunteer positions are up for renewal and will be voted on:

• Vice president (2-year term)

• Secretary (2-year term)

• Directors (annual term).

If you wish to nominate someone, or yourself, please email hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com. The nominee must be in agreement with the nomination. Your annual dues must be paid in order to vote. Pay online HERE. 

Only members in good standing are able to vote. Membership info: Individual - $15/yr; Family - $25/yr; Student - $5. (Dues are used to fund streamkeeper insurance to cover your participation in hands-on work at the hatchery, at events, or in the field)

The Hoy-Scott Watershed Society is always looking for people to assist in the volunteer operations of our Society.  If you are interested in helping please contact us at hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com

More about our current executive, HERE.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a year-round salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We are actively involved in watershed restoration, public awareness, education and preservation.

Come bid farewell and help release our Chum salmon Grads of 2024 as they leave us for the long journey out to sea!

Join the Hoy - Scott Watershed Society as we host Salmon Leave Home on Saturday, May 11, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Hoy Creek Hatchery.

The first 18 months of the life of coho salmon are spent in a freshwater stream environment. Society volunteers incubate coho eggs in the hatchery and rear fry to the smolt stage in our rearing pond.

Our chum salmon, unlike coho, do not reside in fresh water for an extended period. The Chum fry once emerging from the gravels could be only weeks before they begin their journey to the ocean. Fun fact - Chum salmon are the second largest of all the Pacific salmon, second only to Chinook salmon!

Once released to the creek, the Chum and Coho begin their journey to the ocean: Hoy Creek → Scott Creek → Coquitlam River → Fraser River → Strait of Georgia into the Pacific Ocean!

What to expect at our event:

• Meet our volunteers.

• Take part in the first ever ‘public’ release of Hoy Creek Chum fry!

• View our Coho fry.

• Play Plinko and get your salmon past predators to saltwater safety to win a prize.

• Take a family photo in front of our Grads of 2024 sign.

• Learn about the hatchery and the salmon life cycle.

• Explore Hoy Creek Linear Park.

This free family event takes place rain or shine! 

The Hoy Creek Hatchery is located on Hoy Creek Trail, west of the City Centre Aquatic Complex at the corner of Pinetree and Guildford Way. Here’s how to find the hatchery.

Stay notified and receive a reminder. Click the button below to go RSVP. Be sure to invite your family and friends. Our event hashtag is #salmonleavehome.  

Our annual SALMON COME HOME event co-hosted with the City of Coquitlam Municipality celebrates the return of the salmon to Hoy Creek.

The return is special because the salmon swim back from the ocean to the creek where they were spawned, after living most of their adult lives at sea.  They return solely to spawn and then die, completing their lifecycle.

Prime viewing for chum salmon is usually from mid-October through early November.

Our next monthly meeting is on Wednesday, June 20 at 7 p.m.

This will be a virtual meeting via the Zoom conferencing platform.

Open to members/volunteers. Non-members welcome to attend as observers. Resulting comments or suggestions may be directed to the Society email. 

If you would like to attend this meeting, please:

• Respond by March 13

• Send an email to hoyscottwatershed@gmail.com with “Meeting RSVP” in the subject line.

• Not mandatory, but feel free to provide more information like:
  1) I'm interested in volunteering;
  2) I want to learn more about the Society, or
  3) Other (and explain)

• If you would like to present at our meeting, please let us know about yourself and your topic matter.

Once we receive your email our secretary will confirm receipt and provide the meeting link two days before the meeting.

We aim to keep our meetings to one hour in length, but no longer than two hours.

NOTE: This is our final meeting until September, as we break for the summer months.

Join the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society to learn about and identify invasive and native species in the Hoy Creek Linear Park.

This is a free drop-in event between 9 and 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 29 at the Hoy Creek Hatchery.

Starting at the Hoy Creek Hatchery, you will learn about native and invasives species that benefit or challenge the local ecosystem and therefore benefit or challenge the health of our streams, which are home to salmon. Then head out into the Linear Park to explore on your own and use the iNaturalist app on your cell phone to take photos and record.

The Society joins the City of Coquitlam as it collaborates with the City of Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, other local stewardship groups, institutions and Metro Vancouver Parks to host free events and activities as part of the City Nature Challenge (CNC), a friendly global competition that encourages people to find and document wildlife in their cities.

The Tri-Cities will compete with communities around the world to gather the most observations about nature, find the most species and engage the most people from Apr. 28 to May 1 through the iNaturalist app.

You can always take part in this on your own. Just download the app and head out into nature to explore and document plants, animals and other organisms. Open to everyone, members can browse nearby posts, upload their own images and audio recordings, and receive feedback and information from the iNaturalist community.

To have your observations counted for the Tri-Cities in this year’s City Nature Challenge:

Go to inaturalist.org or download the free iNaturalist app from the App Store or Google Play and create an account.

From April 29 to May 2, click Observe on the app or Add Observations on the website to add observations of any wild living or dead organism you see in the Tri-Cities – including plants, animal, birds, fungi, etc. – or evidence of them, such as shells, feathers or scat.

Observations may include descriptions, uploaded photos, or photo or audio recordings through the app. Photos should be clear and full-frame.

Visit the CNC FAQ page at citynaturechallenge.org for detailed instructions and tips for making eligible observations.

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society is taking part in the City of Coquitlam’s Earth Day event!

It will be held on April 22 from 11 am – 3 pm at Town Centre Park in Lot C adjacent to the Tot Lot and Percy Perry Stadium entrance.

Meet stewards of our local streams, Hoy and Scott Creeks, as Society volunteers will share their challenges and successes of operating a salmon hatchery in the middle of Coquitlam's City Centre. Learn how you can help take care of our watersheds to ensure the safety of our salmon.

Coquitlam residents are eligible for one bag of compost. More information at Coquitlam.ca/compostearthday.

Join us on Earth Day for a community cut at Coquitlam Crunch with BroomBusters Coquitlam and help contain the invasive species Scotch broom.

Hosted by the Coquitlam chapter of the Broombusters Invasive Plant Society, a registered non-profit society in BC, whose mission is to educate and empower communities to contain the spread of Scotch broom, anywhere.

Questions? Email broombusterscoquitlam@gmail.com with 'Crunch Broom Cut' in your subject line.

Meetup location: Parking lot at the Northside Foursquare Church (1460 Lansdowne Drive )

What to wear: sturdy shoes, comfortable clothes

What to bring: water, gardening or work gloves

RSVP to the Facebook event and receive a reminder.

Learn more about BroomBusters at https://www.broombusters.org/

We’ll be joining BroomBusters Coquitlam to cut the highly invasive, Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) on Saturday, May 21 from 9 – 11 a.m. across from the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain station, and south of Douglas College — east of the Hoy Creek Hatchery.

LOCATION: Empty lot at the corner of Pinetree Way and Princess Crescent

This is a community cut and all are welcome to join.

• RSVP to the Facebook event page to receive a reminder.

• Wear sturdy shoes, comfortable clothes (long sleeves and pants)

• Bring water, gardening or work gloves

ABOUT SCOTCH BROOM:

• A single broom plant can produce up to 18,000 seeds that remain viable in the soil for 30-40 years.
  When exposed to sunlight, broom seeds sprout!

• Highly Flammable during the summer pod stage

• Spreads rapidly & densely

• Crowds out native plants

• Leads to loss of diversity

• Prevents forest regrowth

• Toxic to wildlife

• Allergen to humans

• Takes over farms

• Changes soil chemistry

Learn about Scotch broom at broombusters.org/about-broom

How to cut Scotch broom? Watch this informative video.

Join us for a community cut at Coquitlam Crunch with BroomBusters Coquitlam and help contain the invasive species Scotch broom.

Hosted by the Coquitlam chapter of the Broombusters Invasive Plant Society, a registered non-profit society in BC, whose mission is to educate and empower communities to contain the spread of Scotch broom, anywhere.

Questions? Email broombusterscoquitlam@gmail.com with 'Crunch Broom Cut' in your subject line.

Meetup location: Crunch parking lot off Lansdowne

What to wear: sturdy shoes, comfortable clothes

What to bring: water, gardening or work gloves

RSVP to the Facebook event and receive a reminder.

Learn more about BroomBusters at https://www.broombusters.org/

Explore ‘life in the water’ as you get up close with aquatic invertebrates that live in Hoy Creek.

Join volunteers from the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society as they help you to identify and document local aquatic species. Event is held at the Hoy Creek Hatchery.

This is a free drop-in event, no registration required. Join us between 9 and 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 30 at the Hoy Creek Hatchery.

Coquitlam is collaborating with the City of Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, local stewardship groups, institutions and Metro Vancouver Parks to host free events and activities as part of the City Nature Challenge (CNC), a friendly global competition that encourages people to find and document wildlife in their cities.   

The Tri-Cities will compete with communities around the world to gather the most observations about nature, find the most species and engage the most people from Apr. 29 to May 2 through iNaturalist, a project of National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences. 

You can always take part in this on your own. Just download the app and head out into nature to explore and document plants, animals and other organisms.

For updates on the Tri-Cities' results during the challenge, visit the Tri-Cities iNaturalist project page.

Read the City of Coquitlam information bulletin.

Using iNaturalist

An initiative of National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences, iNaturalist is a network of citizens, naturalists and biologists who map and share observations about biodiversity around the globe.

Open to everyone, members can browse nearby posts, upload their own images and audio recordings, and receive feedback and information from the iNaturalist community.

To have your observations counted for the Tri-Cities in this year’s City Nature Challenge:

Go to inaturalist.org or download the free iNaturalist app from the App Store or Google Play and create an account.

Under Projects, search for and join “City Nature Challenge 2022: Tri-Cities, British Columbia”.

From April 29 to May 2, click Observe on the app or Add Observations on the website to add observations of any wild living or dead organism you see in the Tri-Cities – including plants, animal, birds, fungi, etc. – or evidence of them, such as shells, feathers or scat.

Observations may include descriptions, uploaded photos, or photo or audio recordings through the app. Photos should be clear and full-frame.

Visit the CNC FAQ page at citynaturechallenge.org for detailed instructions and tips for making eligible observations.

We’ll be joining BroomBusters Coquitlam to cut the highly invasive, Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) on Earth Day, Friday April 22 from 9 – 11 a.m.

This is a community cut and all are welcome to join. Meetup in the parking lot off Westwood St. Look for yellow vests if you arrive later.

• RSVP to the Facebook event page to receive a reminder.

• Wear sturdy shoes, comfortable clothes

• Bring water, gardening or work gloves

ABOUT SCOTCH BROOM:

• A single broom plant can produce up to 18,000 seeds that remain viable in the soil for 30-40 years.
  When exposed to sunlight, broom seeds sprout!

• Highly Flammable during the summer pod stage

• Spreads rapidly & densely

• Crowds out native plants

• Leads to loss of diversity

• Prevents forest regrowth

• Toxic to wildlife

• Allergen to humans

• Takes over farms

• Changes soil chemistry

Learn about Scotch broom at broombusters.org/about-broom

How to cut Scotch broom? Watch this informative video.

The Hoy-Scott Watershed Society's Salmon Leave Home event will be held on Sunday May 1st from 11am to 2pm.  This annual event is to celebrate the release of our coho smolts.  Activities take place in and around Hoy Creek Hatchery, where the public is invited to help release our coho smolts into Hoy Creek. 

The first 18 months of the life history of the coho salmon is spent in a freshwater stream environment.  HSWS volunteers incubate coho eggs and rear fry to the smolt stage in our rearing pond.  From the creek, the smolts begin their journey to the ocean: Hoy Creek → Scott Creek → Coquitlam River → Fraser River → Strait of Georgia / Pacific Ocean!  

This is a free and fun family event, and takes place rain or shine! 

The Hoy Creek Hatchery is located on Hoy Creek Trail, west of the City Centre Aquatic Complex at the corner of Pinetree and Guildford Way.  Aerial view. To find our exact location simply Google "Hoy Creek Hatchery."

Hoy Trail has a several entrances:

- Walk in from Princess Crescent;
- Walk in from behind Douglas College;
- Walk in from Guildford Way (between Johnson and Pinetree);
- Walk in from Walton Avenue, or behind Walton Elementary;
- Walk in from the foot of Lasalle Place.

Stay notified via our Facebook page and be sure to invite your family and friends!  Our event hashtag is #salmonleavehome, so if you attend, feel free to tweet or share, and check out what others are posting with our event hashtag. Our 2016 Facebook Event Page.

(Photos from last year)

Join us for our next monthly meeting on Wednesday, October 21st at 7pm.
Location: Coquitlam Library.  Open to new members / volunteers!

Free parking at Coquitlam City Centre Public Library at 11169 Pinetree Way.

On Saturday morning on August 22nd, Hoy-Scott Creek Society members will be walking along and in-stream collecting trash at Hoy Creek.