During your walk along the trail beside the Okanagan River just north of Oliver you may have noticed some work being done at the south entrance to the restoration site.  The long planned viewing platform and park bench is being installed.   As soon as a colder night or two cools the water in Okanagan River, the 300,000 or so sockeye salmon holding in Osoyoos Lake will complete their arduous journey up the river to spawn. Peak spawning should be in mid October. The new viewing platform will be an excellent place to witness this annual event.  Watching the fish return to their natal stream to deposit eggs and begin the life cycle again is truly an awesome experience.

With so many fish returning to spawn other wildlife may be attracted to the area to feast on the plentiful food supply. Once work on the platform is complete native plants will be placed in the holes around the site ultimately providing food and shelter for birds and mammals and shade over the bench on the platform

Lee McFadyen
ORRI Project

Photos by ODN including the frog man picture caught this sunny afternoon north of VDS 13