COQUITLAM, B.C., Oct. 13, 2022 – Coquitlam residents are invited to celebrate local salmon-spawning creeks with a free outdoor celebration and self-guided activities on Sunday, Oct. 23.
Salmon Come Home returns this year on Sunday, Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with an outdoor event at the Hoy Creek Hatchery, as well as in the adjacent parking lot behind Douglas College on Town Center Blvd., with the event sites connected via the Hoy Creek Linear Trail.
Attendees can visit the fish hatchery, see salmon fry, view a salmon dissection and learn about returning species. Other activities include the popular Nylon Zoo with the salmon mascot and costume parade, arts and crafts, musical entertainment, five food trucks and an explore nature contest.
Visitors can also chat with members of community stewardship groups, the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and City staff from our environment and parks divisions.
Celebrate the Life Cycle of Salmon
Co-hosted by the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, Salmon Come Home celebrates the life cycle of salmon, which spend their adult lives at sea and then return to the creeks where they hatched to spawn and die, completing their life cycle (up to 7 years).
Typically, chum salmon return to local creeks from early October to mid-November, and coho from late October to mid-December. Return dates of salmon fluctuate annually based on weather conditions. Coquitlam residents can keep their eyes open all fall and visit other local creeks as well using the City’s map of salmon-viewing locations.
For those who enjoy self-guided activities, the City is providing instructions for a family-friendly scavenger hunt – seeking items such as a spider web or pinecone. These documents are also available at www.coquitlam.ca/salmoncomehome.
Stay Local
While residents explore Coquitlam’s outdoor spaces, they are encouraged to support local businesses for snacks and other supplies, and to properly pack up and dispose of all garbage and wildlife attractants.
Coquitlam also has many other parks and trails to discover on crisp autumn days – visit www.coquitlam.ca/parkfinder and www.coquitlam.ca/trails for information.
Help Protect Fish and Aquatic Life
Did you know that catch basins, also known as storm drains – and anything poured into them – empty directly into local creeks and streams and can impact salmon and other aquatic life? These curbside drains help prevent flooding by directing rainwater into the City’s drainage system.
Coquitlam residents and businesses are invited to help protect local streams and their neighbourhood by signing up for the City’s Adopt-a-Catch Basin and Storm Drain marking programs.
Participants can adopt one or more of the City’s 16,000-plus catch basins and help keep them clear of leaves and debris.
In partnership with the DFO, the City also offers local residents and community groups the opportunity to protect our streams by marking storm drains with yellow fish. The yellow fish remind us that the storm drains on our roadways empty directly into local streams and anything that goes into the drains could affect fish and other wildlife.
More information is available at www.coquitlam.ca/adoptacatchbasin, or contact the Water Conservation Coordinator by emailing waterconservation@coquitlam.ca or calling 604-927-3546 for more information.
Keep Toxins out of our Streams
It’s important to remember that pool and cleaning chemicals, pesticides, paint, oil, fertilizer and other toxins require careful disposal. Using storm drains to dispose of them is not only harmful to fish and other wildlife but could lead to penalties. Visit www.coquitlam.ca/recyling and us the Waste Wizard tool to find out where you can safely dispose of these and other materials.
Coquitlam’s Environmental Sustainability Plan
Coquitlam finalized an Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP) in January 2022 that will guide decisions and ensure the long-term resiliency and sustainability of the community. The ESP is organized into five themes: Climate Action, Built Environment, Waste Management, Water Management and Natural Areas, Wildlife and Habitat. The implementation plan includes a final list of 135 actions along with a Top 10 list of priorities for 2022. Collaborating with community partners to provide environmental education opportunities like Salmon Come Home is one of the actions in the plan. Learn more about the ESP at coquitlam.ca/enviroplan.
Media Contact:
Caresse Selk
Manager Environment
City of Coquitlam
epw@coquitlam.ca
604-927-3500