OUTREACH
& EDUCATION
To raise awareness of the importance of local creeks for salmon spawning and rearing, and of the hazards that threaten fish habitat.
OUTREACH & EDUCATION.
We target the community at large with a broad range of engagement and education programs.
The goal is to raise awareness of the importance of local creeks for salmon spawning and rearing, and of the hazards that threaten fish habitat.
School
Programs
Adopt-a-Fish
Festivals &
Events
Adopt-a-Fish lends a helping hand to the next generation of McDonald Creek coho salmon. Read more
The Coho Festival is a long-running, successful North Shore community event sponsored by the Coho Society of the North Shore. Read more
Our educational programs for K-12 students focus primarily on outdoor-based learning, combining good stewardship practices and education. Read more
School
Programs.
Elementary Schools
Storm-drain painting:
We organize and lead storm-drain painting programs for elementary school children, working with two or three schools each spring. Under Streamkeeper's guidance, the students paint yellow fish on roadways adjacent to storm drains to raise awareness of the impact of pollution to streams from products that may enter storm drains. Rain water entering storm drains goes directly into the creeks through underground piping. Students have painted more than 3,000 storm drains since the program began in 2008.
CreekTalk:
This program provides insights into creeks, fish, aquatic insects, vegetation and habitat to students in the classroom. Streamkeepers also guide students on field trips to streams and the ocean for hands-on learning.
Senior Secondary Schools
Spawner Salmon Surveys:
We guide teams of senior secondary students on weekly spawner salmon surveys in the fall of each year. Each team completes one survey a week for seven weeks starting in mid-October. The students are members of the Environmental Protection Network at five local senior secondary schools.
Student representatives are invited to present survey findings to a regular West Vancouver Council meeting. Around 800 students have participated in this program since its inception in 2007.
Our program is endorsed by West Vancouver’s Board of School Trustees and Mayor and Council. Fisheries and Oceans Canada describes it as a unique partnership, bringing together good stewardship practices and education.
Other education and engagement opportunities include removing invasive plants, planting native species, cleaning up shorelines and creeks, and salmon egg-takes for our hatchery.
Adopt-a-Fish.
Adopt-a-Fish lends a helping hand to the next generation of McDonald Creek coho salmon. Elementary-aged school children have the opportunity to release a one-year-old coho salmon (called a smolt) into McDonald Creek, where it begins a two-year journey at sea.
The annual educational event increases awareness about the salmon that return year after year to spawn in local rivers and creeks. It is held in mid-April in Memorial Park on McDonald Creek in conjunction with the Coho Society of the North Shore, West Vancouver Public Library and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Festivals &
Events.
Coho Festival.
This long-running, successful North Shore community event is sponsored by the Coho Society of the North Shore. Held on the second Sunday in September in Ambleside Park, the festival celebrates nature’s annual miracle of salmon returning to North Shore rivers and streams. We display the many interesting aspects of streamkeeping activities at this popular event.
West Vancouver Bridge Festival.
West Vancouver Bridge Festival is held on the first Saturday in June each year. West Vancouver Streamkeepers have an active display tent, featuring an aquarium with cutthroat trout and coho fry from local creeks.