The annual event Salmon Come Home event hosted by the City of Coquitlam and the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (HSWS) took place on a very wet Sunday (Oct. 20). Approximately 1300 residents geared up and came out anyway to take part in learning about their watershed and about the salmon lifecycle.
The heavy rain and high water flow dampened the ability to see salmon in the stream for the most part, but several chum salmon were spotted throughout the day in the lower-lying creek areas along Hoy Trail.
The event’s expanded area, allowed for families to enjoy a ‘watershed walk’ between two festival sites, the main site behind Pinetree Community Centre situated next to a Hoy Creek Linear Park trailhead, and the feature site, the Hoy Creek Hatchery. Along the watershed walk between both locations, HSWS put out interpretational signage for the public to enjoy information about plant-life, insects, birds and other animals of the watershed.
Naomi Higo, Institute of Urban Ecology Coordinator for Douglas College provided hourly guided tours along Hoy Trail between the two sites assisted by Lani Lehun of Hoy/Scott Watershed Society.
Chief Ed Hall of Kwikwetlem First Nation offered words of welcome and acknowledged the Society’s loss of HSWS founding member, Chris Hamming in 2019.
HSWS members gathered to pay tribute to Earl Elliott, the recipient of the inaugural Hatchery Manager’s Award presented by Rodney Lee.
Angela Brown’s coho tent provided fun and dry retreat from the rain, as children’s gathered inside the inflated fish to hear stories before suiting up in nylon zoo costumes for a parade along the trail.
Hoy/Scott Watershed Society volunteers had the hatchery on full display and provided talks in front of the rearing pond which houses the young coho fry which will be released this coming May at Salmon Leave Home.
Maple Creek Streamkeepers provided salmon dissection for all to view the inside of the fish up close.
The Wild Salmon Creative Cafe kept hearts warm with music provided by several local performers, and hands and bellies warm with Spirit Bear Coffee. Food trucks, BC Taco and Bannock Queen kept everyone well fed. Creative Cafe musical performers were Elaina Buenaventura, Julia DePieri, and Bobby Ravensdaughter,. Metis artist, Pat Calihou gave a carving paddle demonstration.
Other contributors to the event were: Articipation; Burke Mountain Naturalists; City of Coquitlam Urban Forestry (Bad Seed); City of Coquitlam Environmental Services; Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable; Coquitlam Riverwatch; Friends of DeBoville Slough; Hyde Creek Watershed Society; Maple Creek Watershed Streamkeepers; Port Moody Ecological Society; VanCity Pinetree Branch; Kwiketlem First Nation; and the Minnekhada Park Association.
With the heavy rain behind us and current cool clear weather, it makes for idyllic conditions for salmon spotting at both Scott and Hoy Creeks.
Hatchery volunteers have begun their broodstock collecting. Salmon spawning time runs through to mid-December.