Society Activities
2013, Maintaining Awareness Activities
In 2013, Society activities included:
- Participation in the Lumby Days Parade with animated float with thanks to Colleen and friends;
- Radio interview on CBC
- Wild Salmon Festival was held in September 2013 to bring awareness to the Salmon. The Festival included a play, artwork and guest speakers focused on the Salmon
- Hosted a dance to raise money for a permanent stage in the community for future events
- Attended Vernon Winter Carnival with an Awareness Booth
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- Attended the October 2013 Wilsey Dam Committee meeting with DFO, First Nations and other committee members to discuss amalgamation of studies and next steps.
- North Okanagan Regional District via the Monashee Arts Council for the provision of tents for artisans and performers on site and to assist with the costs of event insurance
- Cash Donations from individuals and business in the Lumby area for which we are grateful.
The Society received grants from the
- British Columbia Arts Council to assist the Wild Salmon Festival in hiring performers and technicians for the festival and from the
- North Okanagan Regional District via the Monashee Arts Council for the provision of tents for artisans and performers on site and to assist with the costs of event insurance.
Other Society related activities undertaken in 2012 include:
- Awareness at Vernon Winter Carnival
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- Third Annual Wild Salmon Festival, July 27-29 2012
- Continued monitoring and meetings to discuss salmon passage around BC Hydro’s Wilsey dam which is currently stalled while research plans are re-evaluated.
- A soft hatchery awareness program is being implemented in Cherryville this summer by First Nations. MSWSS is supporting that and wishes to recognize the individual efforts of area residents spearheaded by Colleen Lunzmann Ferri who are raising funds dedicated to this project.
- In May, MSWS Society Directors
- presented information about the MSWS Society, sustainability opportunities involving the BC hydro station at Wilsey Dam, and the upcoming Wild Salmon Festival to the local community at the Climate Change Day event in Lumby.
- attended Dr. Alex Morton's informative presentation on the issues related to fish farms on BC's open ocean,
- participated in the Okanagan Nation Alliance's release of forty Chinook fry into the middle Shuswap River
- presented information about the MSWS Society, sustainability opportunities involving the BC hydro station at Wilsey Dam, and the upcoming Wild Salmon Festival to the local community at the Climate Change Day event in Lumby.
Also, in 2012, the Wild Salmon Festival changes its name to better reflect the wider participation of artisans, performers, educators, and salmon advocates.
2011, Expanding Awareness
In 2011, Randy Rauck along with Lorelei Fiset, Garth Hemming, Priscilla Judd and Michelle Nickerson founded the society officially and established its mandate. To raise public awareness of wild salmon in the middle Shuswap, one of the Society’s key activities is the annual Wild Salmon Festival produced annually by Viva Promotions, with proceeds supporting the Society.
In 2011, the Festival had an increased emphasis on education and awareness of conditions for wild salmon. The Festival featured music, dance and guest speakers including David Loewen, the Wild Salmon Guy, the Cattleman's Association and travelling wild salmon advocates who created a banner on site of local supporter's messages and hand prints. A fish ladder model, information on vegetative sand beds, and information the Lumby Salmon Trails were on display. Onsite children's activities included fish trivia and fishing games. A wild salmon dinner was also held. To support a fish friendly event, the Festival adopted a consciousness for a low carbon footprint by eliminating the use disposable water bottles for volunteers, and using eco-friendly alternatives wherever possible.
Proceeds and donations from the festival go to the Middle Shuswap Wild Salmon Society. In 2011, The Society made a donation of $100 to the Ripple Relay Ride which raises awareness about wild salmon across BC.
Other Society related activities undertaken in 2011 include:
- Creation of a Society brochure, website and Facebook page
- Awareness booth at a Vernon Winter Carnival event
- Awareness and Festival ticket sales booth at Lumby Public Market
- Presentation to the Lumby community about the environmental problems for salmon and the mission to co-ordinate the fish ladder around Wilsey Dam given by directors Michelle and Priscilla in March 2011. Together they sang Priscilla's songs: Marching for the Commons, the Adam's River song and Song of the Wilsey Dam - an historical look at why, 80 years after building the Wilsey Dam, the fish ladder has not become a reality.
- Attendance at BC Hydro meetings to discuss salmon passage around the Wilsey dam
- Follow up on concerns raised about a commercial development adjacent to the Shuswap River near Cherryville
2010, Our Society Origins
Before the Society was envisioned, Randy Rauck and Lorelei Fiset produced the inaugural Wild Salmon Music Festival in July 2010 to raise awareness about the local wild salmon. While crowds were small, the event’s music and salmon dinner were well received and the need for a fish ladder has since become more well-known.
In August 2010, two of the Society’s subsequent directors, Michelle Nickerson and Priscilla Judd made presentations to the Cohen Commission in Kamloops which was investigating the decline of Fraser Basin Sockeye. Michelle completed a 2800km Bicycle Relay for watershed protection in August 2010, that formed the basis of her presentation to the Commission. Since then Michelle attended Commission hearings in Vancouver and both her and Priscilla made submissions that are published on the Commission website.
Priscilla and Randy submitted salmon songs to the 2010 Adam's River Salmon Song Contest. Judy Harris from Cherryville collected 700 signatures on a petition in support of fish ladder.
All of this led to formation of the Middle Shuswap Wild Salmon Society.