Enderby education centre to let community race along salmon migratory route, virtually

The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre Society is as dedicated as ever to stay connected to the community while sharing knowledge about the migratory route of Pacific Salmon with a virtual race.

“The race itself follows the migration route of Pacific Salmon, so it follows the Pacific Salmon from the mouth of the Fraser River then along the Fraser then on to the South Thompson River then to the Shuswap and Lower Shuswap then it comes back here to the Kingfisher Interpretive Centre,” said Mika Puchinger, Kingfisher Interpretive Centre Society administrative consultant.

To take part in the Great Virtual Salmon Run, all you need to do is bike, walk, run, paddleboard, or whatever you prefer and log your distance onto the virtual platform as you travel the 640 river kilometres salmon travel each year to spawn.

“The cool thing about the virtual race is along the route there are milestones set up and those milestones are going to offer education about salmon, local first nations culture and things like that along the route so we get to educate at the same time as people are getting active,” said Shona Bruce, Kingfisher Interpretive Centre Society executive director.

The creative way of staying connected continues the society’s mission to ‘build awareness, understanding and appreciation of the natural world.’

“When you have a connection to nature you are going to be more inclined to protect it, and so I think that it’s important if we want to preserve the natural spaces that we need to have people understand them and feel a connection to them and respect them,” said Bruce.

“The virtual event is an attempt to keep people engaged with the Kingfisher Interpretive Centre and all of our salmon stewardship and conservation efforts during the COVID restrictions. The past year has been tough for the centre, as we have had to limit events, school field trips and even cancel our annual egg take to the public,” said a press release from the Kingfisher Interpretive Centre Society.

The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre Society raises 50,000 to 60,000 Chinook Salmon every year and release them back into the river at the hatchery. They also normally offer multiple in-school programs for children and more.

They offer an adopt-a-salmon program for kids to get more involved, as well.

The Great Virtual Salmon Run will continue until October 31. For information about how to sign up, visit www.kingfishercentre.org.