The seasons are changing, the weather is cooling down, and the salmon are now spawning.
On Saturday, Sept 9, the Regional District of the Central Okanagan (RDCO) held multiple educational sessions for the public to learn about salmon spawning and more. One of them was the kikinee festival, which was held at Mission Creek Regional Park.
“This is one of the biggest events we hold,” said RDCO event planner Rose Maunder. “We’re celebrating the fact the kokanee salmon are starting to return up the creek and celebrating nature and what makes this place special.”
Fresh salmon are making their way back down Mission Creek, which is a six kilometre stretch.
“It’s nice to recognize that these fish are making their journey back from where they were born,” said Maunder.
Salmon spawning season is just starting and because of that, not many fish were seen on Saturday but according to Maunder, the next 2-4 weeks is the best time to see the fish swim through the creek.
“In the next two weeks is when you really want to come by to check them out,” said Maunder.
During the month of September, the RDCO has a park interpreter at Mission Creek Regional Park every Sunday to take residents on tours and educate them about salmon spawning and nearby nature. Lots of schools in Kelowna will take field trips to the park as well to use as a learning experience for students, with RDCO.
At the kikinee festival, there were many of the RDCO’s community partners with booths around the park that provided learning experiences and fun activity for the kids.
On Saturday, the RDCO also held an event in Peachland at Hardy Falls.
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@cunninghamjordy
jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com
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