The Kokanee salmon spawning season is well underway in the Central Okanagan and on full display at various Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) parks.
To celebrate the occasion and educate the public about the important natural phenomenon, the RDCO held their annual kikinee Festival at Mission Creek Regional Park this past weekend.
Saturday’s festival featured face painting, balloons, dancing, singing, educational booths, guided tours and more.
“I think it's such an important feature of this landscape here – for our biodiversity – feeding all the osprey, all the bears, eagles, herons, everything's eating,” said Kalin Ocana, an RDCO park interpreter.
While the majority of the activities were on the grass near the playground, the main stars of the show were a short walk away at the Mission Creek spawning channel.
At the channel, numerous event enjoyers gathered to watch salmon swim upstream while asking park interpreters about the spawning process.
“People come here with totally different amounts of knowledge,” explained Ocana.
“Some people have just immigrated here from all over the world. Some people have been here for a long time, but haven't really had the opportunity to learn about salmon.”
Mission Creek Regional Park is not the only spot locals can spot spawning salmon, but onlookers can catch a glimpse at Powers Creek at (lower) Glen Canyon, Deep Creek at Hardy Falls, Bertram Creek and Goats Peak.
The RDCO has stated that those are environmentally sensitive areas and viewing is encouraged from a safe distance.
“I'm always excited when I see the community coming together over something so important like salmon – and I love seeing the fish too,” said Ocana.
The spawning season is expected to last until around the end of the month, with the peak reaching in about a week.
“You got to come kind of soon-ish if you want to see them,” added Ocana.
More information on the RDCO and its parks can be found online at this link.
