Dear Editor:
You may have seen the posters already, but in case you haven’t, I’d like to suggest to everyone throughout the valley who has some free time this Saturday to come out to the Summerland Trout Hatchery’s open house.
The hatchery is celebrating 100 years of fish culture in Summerland and 90 years as a hatchery.
The open house will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes free facility tours, fish culture demonstrations, learn to fish activities and treat bags for the kids.
Located at 13405 Lakeshore Drive South, Summerland, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn why this hatchery was located there all those years ago and still runs strong today.
In fact it is the single biggest producing trout hatchery in B.C., stocking 40 per cent of all fishing lakes.
What makes it so special is that the water that’s made it possible to run the hatchery is such a unique gift of nature.
But people also need to realize that if the small parcel of land above the hatchery’s water source is ever jeopardized by development, the hatchery’s future could be short lived.
There were many headlines over the last year about a big Vancouver-based corporation wanting to build up to 425 units on that small, delicate piece of agricultural zoned land.
In early February, Summerland council voted down plans to change the zoning to high density as it was deemed too risky.
But the developers have not gone away.
Please show your support of the hatchery by attending this Saturday’s open house. For every man, woman and child who loves to fish, whether for recreation or to provide food, we need to see that the hatchery and the aquifer gets awarded the protection it deserves.
Thank you.
Donna Wahl
Summerland