Spruce City Wildlife Association director Steve Hamilton – photos 250News

Prince George, B.C. – For the first time in around a decade, the Spruce City Wildlife Association (SCWA) is planning to reopen its hatchery on River Road.

“We finally got approval from provincial biologists in the region to open it up again,” says director Steve Hamilton. “We’re receiving approximately 5,000 salmon eggs, hopefully in the late spring, taking them to the fry stage with hopefully some of the local school kids getting involved.”

He says the so called ‘Stream to Sea Program’ provides kids and their teachers the chance to participate in the beginning of the salmon’s life cycle before releasing them into the Nechako and Fraser Rivers.

Steve Hamilton stands next to rearing tanks

Included in the province wide program is a specially developed “Stream to Sea” curriculum, which not only teaches learners the life cycle of the salmon but how we are connected to our environment and the reasons to care for aquatic habitats.

Hamilton says the SCWA will also be hosting a series of open houses at the hatchery so that as many people as possible can become involved in the project and learn about the life cycle first hand.

President Jim Glaicar says the reopening of the hatchery also ties in with a renewed interest in their club.

“Our membership is increasing and we’ve got new people interested in developing that stream within our club of the hatchery again,” he says.

“And with our focus on youth both from the conservation side and our kids camps, it’s just a natural fit.”

Is the reopening of the hatchery also an attempt to help restock the Nechako River?

“You know the Nechako on some of the runs is quite healthy, so we would love to see our hatchery back to where it used to be but we’re going to have to work through all the steps at the federal level to do that. And we’re willing to do that and have the guys to do it.”