COQUITLAM, BC, Oct. 14, 2021 – Coquitlam residents are invited to welcome the salmon back to local spawning grounds with a free outdoor celebration on Oct. 24 and fun self-guided activities.
Salmon Come Home returns this year on Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a safe pre-registered outdoor event at the Hoy Creek Hatchery. Registration is now open through a link at www.coquitlam.ca/salmoncomehome.
At that link, residents may also download instructions for a nature scavenger hunt and a map of local salmon-viewing locations. These family-friendly self-guided activities were introduced last year in place of the annual Salmon Come Home event due to the pandemic.
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.
Typically, chinook return from the end of September to mid-October, chum from early October to mid-November, and coho from late October to mid-December.
Registered participants for Salmon Come Home on Oct. 24 may visit the Hoy Creek hatchery facility and rearing pond, view live salmon, and learn about returning salmon species from members of the Hoy-Scott Watershed Society and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
Explore Coquitlam’s Outdoor Spaces
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 – as well as a map of places in Coquitlam to watch the salmon fight their way upriver at www.coquitlam.ca/salmoncomehome. One of several suggested locations is Hoy Creek Linear Park, where new interpretive signs were installed in 2020.
While residents explore Coquitlam’s outdoor spaces, they are encouraged to support local businesses for snacks and other supplies, and to pack up and dispose of all garbage and wildlife attractants properly.
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 (or storm drains) – and anything poured into them – empty directly into local creeks and streams? These curbside drains also 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 new Adopt-a-Catch Basin program. Participants adopt one or more of the City’s 16,000-plus catch basins and help keep them clear of leaves and debris. More information is available at www.coquitlam.ca/adoptacatchbasin.
It’s also 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.
Media Contact:
Caresse Selk
Manager Environment
City of Coquitlam
cselk@coquitlam.ca
604-927-3536