From left to right: Andy Leong CFP, Vancity Branch Business Account Manager; Robbin Whachell, President, HSWS; Kyle Uno, Treasurer HSWS; and Omar Ganief, Assistant Branch Manager, Vancity Pinetree Community Branch.

On October 1st, 2016, Vancity Port Coquitlam presented a $500 checque to the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society for the upcoming Salmon Come Home festival which will take place on Sunday, October 23rd from 11am to 3pm at the Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam.

“Vancity is happy to support Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (HSWS) with their annual Salmon Come Home event. At Vancity, we make you Good Money, by putting money to good," said Omar Ganief, Assistant Branch Manager.

"This donation will go a long way toward ensuring our event is enjoyed by the community," said Robbin Whachell, HSWS president. "We are truly grateful for the support of Vancity again this year!"

Salmon Come Home is an annual family fun festival and is hosted by the City of Coquitlam and the Society and attracts thousands of people who come out to view spawning chum salmon in-stream, and learn about this amazing fish through educational demonstrationsand displays.

Enjoy music, children's crafts, costume parade and story telling with Angela Brown, prize fish pond, face painting, music by CKPM FM 98.7 The Point, and the Creative Café and guest artists will be serving up fun and Spirit Bear Coffee.

The free, family event runs rain or shine and provides a great opportunity to learn about the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society's salmon enhancement program, as well as the work of many other local stewardship groups who attend.

Hoy Creek Hatchery is located off of Princess Crescent, west of the City Centre Aquatic Complex and the Pinetree Community Centre in Coquitlam. Parking is available at City Hall or at Douglas College David Lam Campus where you can enjoy a short walk inland to the hatchery via Hoy Creek Trail. To find the exact location simply Google "Hoy Creek Hatchery."

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society has been in operation since 2002 and is a volunteer run society that operates a small salmon hatchery, and conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, with technical expertise from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The Society also works to restore and maintain the riparian habitat in the watershed by removing invasive plant species and re-planting with native plant species. Learn more about the Society at hoyscottcreeks.org

Salmon Come Home is environmentally-themed and designed to promote public awareness about conservation and spawning salmon that migrate back to Coquitlam. For more information on Salmon Come Home, please visit coquitlam.ca/enviroevents