Originally posted in 2017
Rufus McIntyre is a fifteen-year veteran volunteer who knows just how persuasive Ruth can be. A chance encounter with her back in high school over salamander eggs led to his introduction to the hatchery and he’s been involved ever since.
Ruth has taught and mentored hundreds of students as an award-winning biology teacher, and she lives by the axiom: you care about what you know. That’s what lies at the heart of the hatchery and the innovative programs that she and Rod have developed here. From no salmon at all in the late 1970s, Mossom Creek now sees regular Chum and Coho runs, as well as a host of educational programs. Ruth’s forty year relationship with the hatchery, from its small start as a school club, have led to another guiding principle: we should all have a stream address as well as a street address.
Mossom Creek is just that stream address for Rufus. The creek flows southwest to the Burrard Inlet and Rufus can walk along it pointing out plants, birds and fish much as he might point out buildings on the main street of a small town.
On this Sunday morning, he and a few other volunteers spend time getting rid of invasive plant species such as English ivy – and with his friend and former biology teacher he checks in on how the aquatic life is doing at their shared stream address.
You can see for yourself any Sunday from 10:30 to 1:30 pm and find out more about the Mossom Creek Hatchery: http://www.mossomcreek.org
