Excellent chum return for Salmon Come Home 2016

Left to right: Maurice Coulter-Boisvert, DFO; Caresse Selk, City of Coquitlam; Ed Hall, Kwikwetlem First Nation; Beverley Mrockowski, Kwikwetlem First Nation; and Rodney Lee, Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (Photo: Robbin Whachell /HSWS)

Hoy Creek was teaming with chum salmon during the annual signature event for both Hoy-Scott Watershed Society and the City of Coquitlam, as residents of the tri-cities came out to enjoy a day in nature and learn from many local environmental groups at the Salmon Come Home festival. The rain held off and children and adults were delighted to witness the jumping and spawning salmon traveling up the creek. 

Opening words were offered by special guests, Kwikwetlem First Nation Councillor Ed Hall, and Elder Beverley Mrockowski.  Also providing words of welcome was Coquitlam mayor Richard Stewart. Society volunteers held several live salmon demonstrations where Department of Fisheries community advisor for Lower Fraser Salmon Enhancement Program, Maurice Coulter-Boisvert, offered commentary and answered questions. Salmon educator and founding HSWS member, Chris Hamming kept children active and busy by the rearing pond learning about the salmon and its life cycle.

AJ, a volunteer with Hoy-Scott Watershed Society shows the underside of a chum salmon while Maurice from the DFO commentates. (Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS)

Angela Brown and her nylon circus was enjoyed by little ones as they dressed up their parents and paraded through the festival grounds. The Creative Café and guest artists, Elaina Buenaventura, Etienne Siew, and Alana Crockett provided continuous musical entertainment and Spirit Bear Coffee was served.

Hosted by the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, and the City of Coquitlam who had their Bad Seed/Urban Forestry; Park Spark; Solid Waste and Recycling; and Water Conservation Departments out, other exhibitors included: Articipation; BC Salmon Marketing Council; Burke Mountain Naturalists; Coexisting with Coyotes; Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable; Coquitlam Riverwatch; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC; Kintec; Maple Creek Streamkeepers; and Port Moody Ecological Society.

Residents gather along Hoy Creek to view the return and spawning of chum salmon at Salmon Leave Home on October 23rd.  (Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS)

VIEW MORE Photos on our Facebook album HERE.

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Enjoy a video overview BELOW of the day's activates courtesy of the Tri-Cities Community TV.

Kwikwetlem councillor Ed Hall speaks at Salmon Come Home 2016

Kwikwetlem First Nation Councillor Ed Hall returned for our event Salmon Come Home held in conjunction with the City of Coquitlam, after visiting us earlier in 2016 for a blessing of the salmon at Salmon Leave Home last May. 

This year's Salmon Come Home was held on October 23rd to a great return of chum salmon visibly swimming through, spawning, and dying in Hoy Creek. Read more about the event HERE.

Councillor Hall was accompanied by First Nation Elder, Beverley Mrockowski.

It is always an honour to include Kwikwetlem First Nation at our events.  The name Kwikwetlem means "red fish up the river." Words were offered standing on the bridge adjacent to the Hoy Creek Hatchery overlooking the spawning salmon.

Listen as Councillor Hall welcomes the salmon (and guests) to the ancestral unceded lands of the Kwikwetlem people.

Salmon Come Home returns to Coquitlam on Sunday, October 23rd

Hoy-Scott Watershed volunteer Kyle Uno holds up a chum salmon for others to see at Salmon Come Home 2015.  (Photo: Ed Paulino / HSWS)

The salmon are coming!  Join the City of Coquitlam and the Hoy-Scott Creek Watershed Society to celebrate the return of the salmon to Hoy Creek at the annual Salmon Come Home at Hoy Creek Hatchery on Sunday, October 23rd from 11 am to 3 pm. Bring your family and friends to participate in this exciting community event which attracts thousands of people to view spawning chum salmon in-stream, and learn about this amazing fish through educational demonstrations and 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.

Hosted by the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, and the City of Coquitlam who will have their Bad Seed/Urban Forestry; Park Spark; Solid Waste and Recycling; and Water Conservation Departments out. Other participants include Articipation; BC Salmon Marketing Council; Burke Mountain Naturalists; Coexisting with Coyotes; Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable; Coquitlam Riverwatch; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC; Kintec; Maple Creek Streamkeepers; Port Moody Ecological Society; and Kwikwetlem First Nation.

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

Vancity Port Coquitlam supports upcoming Salmon Come Home festival

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
 

Tree Planting and Invasive Species Removal Volunteer Opportunities in Coquitlam

The City of Coquitlam has advised of the following volunteer opportunities as it relates to removal of invasive species and native tree planting:

If you are able to volunteer please see the details below:

Sunday, September 18th – blackberry root removal and native tree/shrub planting. Hoy Creek near Johnson Street and Guildford Way

The City is working with the Lower Mainland Green Team to remove the roots of invasive Himalayan Blackberry along the salmon-bearing creek edge. The area will then be planted with native trees and shrubs to restore it to a functional riparian habitat. If you are interested in this event, you can sign up for either the blackberry removal (in the morning) or the native tree/shrub planting (in the afternoon) or both! Please see the links below to sign up.

Blackberry Removal 9:45am - 12:00pm
http://www.meetup.com/The-Lower-Mainland-Green-Team/events/232900219/

Native tree and shrub planting 12:30pm - 4:00pm
http://www.meetup.com/The-Lower-Mainland-Green-Team/events/232900479/

Sunday, September 25th, 1pm - 4pm: Native tree and shrub planting. Hoy Creek near Johnson Street and Guildford Way

Through a generous grant from the TD Tree Days program, the City is working with TD to plant over 300 native trees and shrubs along the salmon-bearing creek edge in an area previously covered with invasive Himalayan blackberry. If you are interested in this event, you can sign up for it at the link below.

TD Tree Days Event https://www.tdtreedays.com/en-ca/events/539-hoy-creek-at-guildford#.V8n2Nmf2amR

Saturday, October 15th - blackberry root removal and native tree/shrub planting. Hoy Creek near Guildford Way and Pacific Street

The City is working with the Lower Mainland Green Team to remove the roots of invasive Himalayan Blackberry along the salmon-bearing creek edge. The area will then be planted with native trees and shrubs to restore it to a functional riparian habitat. If you are interested in this event, you can sign up for either the blackberry removal (in the morning) or the native tree/shrub planting (in the afternoon) or both! Please see the links below to sign up.

Blackberry Removal 9:45am - 12:00pm
http://www.meetup.com/The-Lower-Mainland-Green-Team/events/232900754/

Native tree and shrub planting12: 30pm - 4:00pm http://www.meetup.com/The-Lower-Mainland-Green-Team/events/232900850/

Hatchery Manager Internship / Assistant Hatchery Manager Position Available

Hoy Creek Hatchery is located east of Douglas College David Lam campus in Coquitlam, along Hoy Trail.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society in Coquitlam, B.C. has an internship opening for a fish hatchery manager.

The individual will work with current hatchery manager, Rodney Lee as an assistant in managing the hatchery. No previous experience is needed.  This role will act as the manager's backup, and will train in all aspects of managing the hatchery including brood stock collection, egg takes, equipment operation and maintenance, egg incubation and caring for the alevins and fry. 

Interested persons should provide a brief essay stating your interest, previous experience (if any) and why you'd like this role. 

Time commitment: Late September to end June.  Hours vary but would typically require at least 3 hours every Saturday morning through the season.  This commitment will coincide with our season where we capture broodstock all the way through until the fry are marked (adipose clipped) and can be transferred across to the rearing pond.  The commitment ends with season ending equipment cleaning.

Communication: Needs to be available by cell phone and text message as a primary means of communication.  Email is secondary.

What will the intern do?:
- Learn how the hatchery operates
- Learn how to start-up and maintain equipment
- Learn about salmon and primarily the 2 species we will be incubating - Chum and Coho
- Learn about and conduct the egg take and fertilization process.
- Learn about and maintain biosecurity protocol for the facility.
- Assist with weekly and season maintenance activities
- Assist with the care and feeding of all generations of fish
- Assist with fish length and weight sampling including started fish health calculations
- Assist with taking water quality measurements
- Assist with operation of the rearing pond including the operation of the lower pond and outlet weir.
- Learn about aquaculture in the context of the Salmon Enhancement Program through Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
- Assist with planning and execution of fish marking (adipose clipping).
- Assist with transport and release of surplus Coho fry to Upper Hoy and Upper Scott if necessary.
- Help with riparian restoration by removing invasive plants (maintain sites that have been recently restored) - optional.
- Assist at our public events: Salmon Come Home (October); Salmon Leave Home (May)
- Act as the backup for Rodney in terms of managing the hatchery once trained.

Please email Rodney Lee with questions or to state your interest in this role: rodneyclee@gmail.com

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society (HSWS) is a volunteer run non-profit society that operates a small salmon hatchery beside Hoy Creek, and conducts a salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and with technical expertise from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The group stewards the Hoy and Scott Watersheds, promoting public awareness and education, and is involved in watershed habitat restoration and preservation.  Learn more at our website: hoyscottcreeks.org

Barred owls observe Himalayan blackberry cull at Hoy Creek

Two barred owls along Hoy Trail in Coquitlam, BC, Canada (Photo: Ed Paulino)

On August 23rd, volunteer members of Hoy-Scott Watershed Society joined members of the City of Coquitlam parks team to clear invasive Himalayan Blackberry at Hoy Creek in one area north of the Hoy Creek Hatchery. The blackberry had grown over a fallen log and was so thick it was blocking the creek.

With the anticipated salmon return in October we worked for approximately 4 hours to remove the invasive from that section of the riparian area. 

Rodney shows the area that has blocked Hoy Creek (Photo: Robbin Whachell)

We had an unexpected guests! Two barred owls were observed first in the high trees watching us. One of the owls flew down to a branch hanging over the water, and continued to obverse us, not bothered by our talking and noise. The one owl then dropped to the water and began bathing itself. We were able to capture this video.

Later in the week, other members of our society spotted the barred owl couple closer to the hatchery. (CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH VIDEO)

Work removing large swaths of blackberry. The roots were also dug out after (Photo: Robbin Whachell)

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Fish kill in Scott Creek reported

Photo: Robbin Whachell / HSWS

On August 22nd, the City of Coquitlam Environmental Services Division reported a salmonid fish kill on August 22nd in Scott Creek of approximately 200 juvenile fish.

"This was most likely due to extreme heat, (30 C plus degrees) experienced last week in combination of the introduction of fire foam and contaminants to the creek through the storm sewer as a result of a large multiple vehicle fire on August 19th in the area of Lansdowne and Charter Hall," said the notice advising the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society. The notice also stated, "The condition of the fish indicated they had been dead for several days, and the location was along Scott Creek from Eagleridge Drive to Guildford."

"Not all pollutants entering the storm drain are intentional, but they still kill fish," said Rodney Lee of the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society. "Research has indicated that contaminants from roadways (e.g. wiper fluid, automotive fluids, brake dust etc) kill fish.  Individuals may occasionally, deliberately dispose of contaminants like paint, concrete wash water etc into a storm drain which also kill fish.  However, this occurs less frequently as the public has become knowledgeable about acceptable waste disposal practices. It's quite possible that the combination of products used to fight fires (pollutants), low water levels (pollutants stay in the water longer) and high stream temperatures (reduce dissolved oxygen levels in the stream causing stress on fish and reduce their ability to cope with poorer water quality) all contributed to the fish kill."

The public is encouraged to be mindful of storm drains, which are meant for rainwater, and not for refuse disposal.   Individuals observing a fish kill in our streams or the presence of any other possible pollutants are encouraged to immediately report the event to the Fisheries & Oceans Canada "Observe, Record, Report" (ORR) 1-800-465-4336 [Call: 1-800-465-4336] or in Greater Vancouver: 604-607-4186 [Call: 604-607-4186]   http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/points/ORR-ONS-eng.html

HSWS volunteers walk Hoy Creek in annual cleanup

Ryan, Kyle, Nathen, and Chris with the trash hauled from Hoy Creek

Every summer, usually in August, the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society cleans a section of either Hoy Creek and/or Scott Creek. It's the safest time of year to walk in stream without disturbing fish and eggs.

On August 10th we spent 4 hours walking along Hoy Creek clearing out garbage, starting downstream from Pinewood Street and ending just south of Guildford Way. This area was cleared two years ago, so trash was not as heavy, but a good haul was removed, as you can see from our photo.

The 'creek crawl' as we like to call it, can be hard going in places as sometimes we crouch to move under bridges, or climb over fallen trees. It's a good time for us to assess (and clear) heavy invasive species areas blocking the stream, and check for any wind fall blockages which could restrain the returning salmon from making their way upstream in the fall.

Thanks to Chris, Ryan, Kyle, Nathen, and Robbin for a job well done!

See more photos on our Facebook album.

Hoy-Scott Watershed volunteers clean trash in Hoy Creek during the summer

HSWS Host Judges for "Communities in Bloom"

Communities in Bloom judges with HSWS members. Left to right: Emily Rossi, HSWS; judge Richard Daigneault; Robbin Whachell, HSWS; and judge Stan Kochanoff

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society members hosted the "Communities in Bloom" judges on July 20, 2016 at the Hoy Creek Hatchery.

Thank you judges Richard Daigneault and Stan Kochanoff for stopping by!

Not only is a healthy watershed important for healthy fish, a watershed enhances the surrounding community, and offers a wonderful sanctuary for residents to enjoy the benefits of nature.

The City of Coquitlam - Municipality qualified for the nationals in the annual civic pride and beautification competition this year after achieving the top “five bloom” ranking at the provincial level in 2015.

We look forward to the favourable results!