MARCIE CALLEWAERT
Special to the Westerly
Autumn is coming and so are the salmon!
The Friends of Clayoquot Sound Salmon Festival is coming up September 15 – 23, 2017.
The event’s mandate is to “Protect, Educate, [and] Celebrate” the salmon that are an integral part of our coastal ecosystem.
The Clayoquot Salmon Festival is on its third year and grows larger each season. The festival occurs as wild pacific salmon return to their spawning grounds in coastal rivers and streams.
Jeh Custerra with Friends of Clayoquot Sound explains that “the festival aims to offer residents and visitors an opportunity to reflect upon, and build an active appreciation for, the irreplaceable value of salmon in Clayoquot Sound”.
This year’s events include a Surfrider beach clean up on Wickaninnish Beach on Sunday, September 17, from 1-4 p.m., meeting at the Kwisitis Visitor Centre. Also running that day is a Regional Gathering hosted by the Ucluelet First Nation and Clayoquot Biosphere Trust’s from 11a.m. to 4p.m. at the Kwisitis Visitor Centre.
Join the Salmon Forest Walk, hosted by the Raincoast Education Society at the Schooner Cove Parking lot at 1p.m. on Thursday, September 21 for this free, guided tour of a “salmon forest”.
There will also be a series of salmon solidarity short documentaries in collaboration with Monday Night Movies. Titles include “Caretakers”, “Salmon Will Run”, “Voyage for Salmon”, and “Wild Salmon Mural”. This event will happen at the Clayoquot Community Theatre on Monday September 18. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8. Tickets are $8.
On Thursday, September 21, at the Tofino Community Hall at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Kristi Miller, a leading scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will speak about her research being shut down by the Harper administration of the Government of Canada.
Raincoast Education Society will be presenting a series of presentations at Darwin’s Café on water quality monitoring in Clayoquot Sound on Friday, September 22. The Raincoast Education Society will be joined by the University of Washington-Tacoma and Royal Roads University to present their findings.
For those interested in food security and canning there will be a canning workshop on Saturday, September 23rd at the Tofino Community Hall from 1-3 p.m. This event is free and will teach participants how to can salmon!
The festival will kick off with music performances by Compassion Gorilla and Ms. Panik at the Tofino Legion on September 15th at 9p.m., and Def 3, Praxis Life, Pud Fluff and Sliceoginger on September 16, at 9 p.m. at the Tofino Legion. Caleb Hart and The Royal Youths, and Buckman Coe will perform at the Tofino Legion on September 22, at 9 p.m. I M U R and Butterflywingtip will wrap up the festival on Saturday, September 23 at the Tofino Legion at 9 p.m. All concert tickets cost $15.
To volunteer for the Clayoquot Salmon Festival contact the festival organizers at salmonfestival@focs.ca or 250.725.4218. People are needed for promotion, set up, take down and manning the door at events.
To stay up to date with location specifics, participating businesses, and updates, please check the festival website www.focs.ca/salmonfestival or Clayoquot Salmon Festival on Facebook.