Kalamalka Lake: A visual treat to paddle
After recently kayaking the beautiful Salmon Arm Bay Nature Preserve, yet another outing on Kalamalka Lake might have seemed a little anti-climatic. The Sheriff was wrong. We had planned a day trip to Crooked Lake north of Beaver Lake but this summer's unpredictable wildfires put a damper on that excursion so we opted for Kalamalka Lake with kayaking buddies Nora and Harry, Sally and Gordon.
They wanted a shorter, leisurely paddle than our usual route: Along the east side north toward Vernon. So we circumnavigated the small bay east of Kaloya Regional Park in Oyama.
For those not familiar with this 3.7-hectare green space, it is a great place during the summer months for families to swim, boat, picnic and take a short but picturesque walk around the peninsula. There are many shady areas, spots on the beaches for sunbathers and swimmers, and lots of grass and benches.
It has lily pond with pink water lilies blooming most of the summer (and for our visit), a swim area on Kalamalka Lake, a covered picnic area, gazebo, walking trails, a playground, a wedding arbor and a boat beach.
The area has great habitat for waterfowl and supports grebes during their breeding season in the spring and summer. If you bring your binoculars, you can enjoy the birdwatching up close.
The bay turned out to be just such a paradise with dozens of Canada geese and other waterfowl along the eastern shore as well as hawks roosting in the trees. There were no blue herons or large white pelicans like Salmon Arm Bay but lots of other wildlife to watch.
And there were fewer powerboats zooming around this bay, although two young women on a personal watercraft soon started doing circles at high speed. The Sheriff can hardly wait until October when no one will be around.
******** In other outdoors news, the kokanee are coming, the kokanee are coming.
And so are the interpretive programs by parks staff with the Regional District of the Central Okanagan.
You’re invited to witness this annual rite of nature while learning more about the life of the kokanee salmon at the Kokanee Spawning Interpretive Program on weekends in Mission Creek Regional Park off Springfield Road in Kelowna and Hardy Falls Regional Park in Peachland.
Parks interpreters will be at both locations to answer questions and share kokanee secrets on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. now through Oct. 1.
Weekday school tours and special presentations for community groups started on Friday (Sept. 8) and can be booked by donation through the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan (EECO).
For more information on this and other EECO and regional parks programs, go to the regional district website: regionaldistrict.com/parksevents or contact the EECO at 250-469-6140.
******** Late each summer, land-locked kokanee salmon make their annual spawning run along the tributaries and waterfront of Okanagan Lake. Through the fall, local streams will be full of the red, freshwater cousins of the sockeye along with hungry black bears ready to fill their bellies.
Now through early October, learn more about this interesting and important animal relationship in the Okanagan at the Fins and Fur exhibit in the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan (EECO). It’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, in Mission Creek Regional Park, Springfield and Durnin roads in Kelowna. For more information on this and other EECO programs, check out Your Guide to Regional Parks, visit the regional district website: regionaldistrict.com/parksevents or contact the EECO at 250-469-6140.
******** Bring your imagination to Eco-Art at the EECO and see what you’ll create using recycled and natural materials.
It’s fun for the whole family at 11 a.m. each Saturday. There’s no need to pre-register for this free program, just drop into the EECO a few minutes early. All ages are welcome to take part.
******** The Kalamoir Community Pancake Breakfast is going ahead today, but in a new location.
It was planned for today in Kalamoir Regional Park, but with little prospect for rain and any change in the fire danger rating, Regional Parks Services and the Friends of Kalamoir Regional Park have decided to move the event to the Lakeview Heights Community Hall, 860 Anders Road from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The annual community pancake breakfast is a fundraiser for the ‘Friends’. For a donation of $3 per breakfast, Westbank Lions Club members will be on hand serving up hotcakes, sausages and a choice of beverage.
******** Students of all ages are welcome to join in the EECO After School program.
This is a perfect activity for children and teens to have some fun after the school day ends on Tuesday (Sept. 12), Sept. 28 and Oct. 10 for free, hands-on learning activities that explore the ‘wild’ in local parks.
The one-hour program begins at 3 p.m. in the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan (EECO) in Mission Creek Regional Park, Springfield and Durnin roads in Kelowna.
Parents of school-aged children can enjoy a child-free hour in the park by dropping of their child for the program. Registration is required for drop-off. Pre-register by dropping into the EECO, email eeco@cord.bc.ca or phone 250-469-6139.
For more information about this or other regional park programs, go to the regional district website: regionaldistrict.com/parksevents or contact the EECO at 250-469-6140.
******** If you join in Wild Walks, you can learn some secrets and natural features of regional parks in the Central Okanagan when a park interpreter will turn an ordinary walk in the park into something extraordinary.
Each of the Wild Walks lasts approximately 90 minutes, is suitable for all ages and they range from easy to moderate in difficulty. Participants should dress for the conditions, wear appropriate sturdy footwear and not forget sunscreen. There is no cost to take part but you should pre-register for Wild Walks on the following dates and locations:
Today at 10 a.m. and Thursday (Sept. 14) at 1 p.m., learn about the unique geological formations in Kalamoir Regional Park. The round trip tour starts at the waterfront parking area located off Collens Hill Road in West Kelowna.
On Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. and Oct. 12 at 1 p.m., take a trip through five climatic zones and view some special flying species in Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Regional Park.
Thanks to the efforts of the original property owners, this jewel in the city was saved from development. Meet at the parking lot off Raymer Road in the South Mission area of Kelowna.
To save a spot for your family on these free Wild Walks outings, drop in to the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan, email eeco@cord.bc.ca or phone 250-469-6139.
These free events are held in conjunction with the Community Recreational Initiatives Society (CRIS) to provide barrier-free access to regional parks. To request the services of CRIS volunteers, go online to adaptiveadventures.ca.
******** You can check out displays and watch kokanee salmon spawning in Mission Creek during the Kikinee Salmon Festival on Sept. 24 at Mission Creek Regional Park, Springfield and Durnin roads in Kelowna. This free, family event runs between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. with a promise to provide lots of fun for children and adults alike.
The festival will include lively performances by local entertainers, ‘fishy’ displays and activities. The hugely popular Nylon Zoo’s inflatable Salmon Story Telling Tent returns this year. Children are encouraged to dress in colourful costumes, then swim, crawl or stroll into the interactive tent and listen as storytellers narrate native legends about the salmon.
After seeing kokanee in the spawning channel, you can learn more at the exhibit Fins and Fur at the EECO.
******** You can celebrate the outdoors with your family this fall with free activities at the Families in Parks events.
These outings with interpretation staff from the Regional District of the Central Okanagan are designed so that every member of your family can take part.
Oct. 29 marks the return of the Spooktacular Pumpkin Walk at Reiswig Regional Park on Woodsdale Road in Lake Country. You can drop off your creatively carved pumpkin with an LED tea light between 4 and 5 p.m. Then, from 5 to 8 p.m., you can walk the glowing pumpkin path, vote for the ‘best of’ in several categories and drop off a donation for the Lake Country Food Bank.
For more information about this or other regional park programs, go to the regional district website: regionaldistrict.com/parksevents or contact the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan, email eeco@cord.bc.ca or phone 250-469-6140.
J.P. Squire, aka the Hiking, Biking, Kayaking and Horseback Riding Sheriff, is an Okanagan Weekend reporter and an avid outdoors enthusiast. His column appears every weekend.