• Eleven children along with their parents and grandparents enjoyed a walk on the Marine Peace Park wharf as they looked for birds and learned about nature. On Sunday, April 30, the Shuswap Naturalist Club, Salmon Arm Bay Nature Enhancement Society and NatureKids BC hosted the first of five Birding for Families events to encourage families to enjoy bird-watching together at the wharf in Salmon Arm.
• Despite a successful summer in 2022, the Monashee Music Festival will not be making a comeback this year. Despite positive feedback, organizer Andy Bowie said the festival has encountered a large financial setback, and will now be unable to move forward as planned this summer. “We remain determined to find new partners to work with us and bring the festival back to the Shuswap, while also ensuring that it grows sustainably,” said Bowie.
• In the Shuswap you may enjoy the sound of Canada geese honking overhead, but at times there is another sound that can be heard overhead, that of a double diamond formation of small single-engine homebuilt RV aircraft. This team of RV fliers often fly from Vernon to enjoy Salmon Arm Flying Club’s Wednesday morning coffee. After flying over the airport, they break formation, land and taxi to the ramp in good order. With the planes shut down, the pilots proceed to share Tim Bits, coffee and hangar yarns. The RVs, called the Vernon Snowflakes, are a highly disciplined formation flying team of 11 pilots, with combined flying times of almost 10 years aloft.
• Unseasonably warm temperatures in the forecast for the Columbia Shuswap have raised concerns around ongoing flooding and the risk of wildfires. On Monday, May 8, both the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and B.C.’s Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness urged caution and vigilance as the cool wet weather experienced over the May 6-7 weekend transitions to dry, hot weather that’s expected to reach 32 C as of Sunday, May 14.
• The Tsqúqw7e Landmark sculpture was unvieled on May 13, as part of the Secwépemc Landmarks project. The landmark was created by the late Mike ‘Savage’ Peters, assisted by his son Wolf Peters. It was completed by his spiritual brother Shayne D. Hunt as well as David Jacob Harder. Tsqúqw7e, pronounced ch-kokw-a, is the place name for the Chase Memorial Park area, meaning “a small bay” in Secwepemctsín (the Secwépemc language). The sculpture is shaped in the form of a Coyote Rock, which refers to rock formations created by Coyote (Seklé̓p, Sklap or Senxúxwlecw), explained the project team. It displays a plaque dedicated to the memory of Michael Alexander ‘Savage’ Peters. He died on Oct. 24, 2021, before the sculpture was complete.
• The body of a man last seen clinging to an overturned kayak in Chase Creek has been located. Police said the body was located around noon, Monday, May 15. “The man’s identity has been confirmed and the family notified of his death,” said Chase RCMP Const. Sarah Van Wilgenburg. “Chase RCMP would like to express their condolences to the family and friends affected by this tragedy.”