The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre | Enderby Mabel Lake
Entrance to the site. The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre is a non-profit salmon hatchery and environmental education Centre. You will find the Centre located on Mabel Lake rd.
Shuswap Adventure Girl
Have you and your family ever visited The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre near Mabel Lake? I had not, and I am so happy that now I have! I want to share this special little place with you all! For it is British Columbia at its finest, a place of beauty and learning, a place where nature education and human collaboration happen, a place where something bigger than all of us is not only celebrated, it is forever being studied and maintained and projected and protected.
Nestled in the heart of the mountains, 25 km east of the charming village of Enderby, is a natural site like non-other in the Shuswap Region. The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre is a non-profit salmon hatchery and environmental education Centre. Located on the beautiful banks of the Shuswap River, the Centre is supported by the community and volunteers alike. The Interpretive Centre was established nearly 30 years ago in response to the near extinction of salmon stocks in the Shuswap River. Visitors can immerse themselves in the natural wonders of the salmon and the surrounding ecosystems of this unique location. Take a big breathe of clean forest air here!
Interpretive signage throughout invites visitors to walk the grounds, learn a little more, and embrace the beauty of it all!
Shuswap Adventure Girl
The beautiful main building on site. Due to current restrictions, regular programming, and the building itself is not open to the public at this time.
Shuswap Adventure Girl
The main building on site. Closed to the public at this time but the grounds are open and there is plenty to learn and do outside on the site!
Photo courtesy of The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre
I was recently invited to the Centre to walk the grounds, learn a little more, and embrace the beauty of it all….I also made a new friend that day named Mika. The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre grounds are currently open to the public! Park the car and enjoy the trails, learning boards, and riverside beaches! There is a self-guided walk with a corresponding map that takes you through the exploration points, along with stickers for the kids!
Spend the afternoon walking the interior rainforest along the shores of the incredibly gorgeously green waters of the Shuswap River and let The Kingfisher Interpretive Centre tell you a story.
And they are doing just that, telling a story, and you can be the main character! Because of covid restrictions, regular programming, and the building itself is not open to the public at this time. Still, this Shuswap favorite non-for-profit has thought outside of the box……..or shall we say, they’ve swum outside of the stream and have come up with a great idea! The Great Virtual Salmon Run!
"It is a “virtual race like no other”. In our race, you will become a salmon. Your goal is simple: you need to make it home to spawn. The survival of your species depends on it!
The race route follows 640 river kms from the mouth of the Fraser River, along the Fraser River, through Hell’s Gate, along the South Thompson River, and back to the spawning grounds in the Lower Shuswap River. Along the route are 30 educational milestones that relate to salmon, the environment, history, first nation traditions and more.”
- The King Fisher Interpretive Centre website. https://www.kingfishercentre.org/great-virtual-salmon-run.html. April 20, 2021
Explore More!
The Shuswap River
The Shuswap River is a vital and wild force within the entire Shuswap region. It is big, beautiful, and bustling with life! The gorgeous green color of the waters, reflecting the bright blue Shuswap skies, calm swimming holes, and the white sand beaches, make this a summertime favorite recreational play place! Fishing is a favorite pastime, as is experiencing the incredible Shuswap Falls!
The originating headwaters of the Shuswap River begin at Joss Pass, in the Sawtooth Range, part of the Monashee Mountains. This is considered the Upper Shuswap River, and it is joined by drainage from Greenbush lake, later entering into Sugar Lake.
The river makes its way, meandering through the lush countrysides to Mabel Lake, then through the town of Enderby, and onwards to Mara Lake.
The waters flow through the channel in Sicamous and into the Salmon Arm of Shuswap Lake from Mara lake!
The final destination of the waters is through Little Shuswap River into Little Shuswap Lake.
Here is the only water outlet of Shuswap Lake and is the headwater of the South Thompson River.
The South Thompson joins the North Thompson River near Kamloops, and together they form the beautiful turquoise-colored Thompson River. The Thompson River is the largest tributary to the Mighty Fraser near Lytton B.C.
The white sand beach and calm swimming hole make this a popular place for people to enjoy the sunshine and have a picnic!
Shuswap Adventure Girl
The gorgeous green color of the Shuswap River!
Shuswap Adventure Girl
The Rainforest
The forest surrounding the Centre and along the banks of the river is a unique and rare one! Boasting to be one of the only ones globally, the interior cedar and hemlock rainforest is an inland rainforest, hundreds of miles from the ocean that also gets snow! Inland rainforests are unique to south-eastern British Columbia, and we have this beauty right at our fingertips in the Shuswap! Enchanting and intertwining pathways and trails walk you through this awe-inspiring forest, and the self-guided walk teaches you about identifying each tree that thrives here.
Cedar, Hemlock, and Yew trees tower above you and adorn this amazing place we are lucky enough to wander.
Here is a great video from the online education courses produced by the Centre.
Click here: The Interior Temperate Rainforest
Cedar, Hemlock, and Yew trees tower above you and adorn this amazing place we are lucky enough to wander.
Shuswap Adventure Girl
One of the many exploration points to discover on the nature trails in this riverside rainforest!
Photo courtesy of The Kingfisher Interpretive Center
The Salmon
There are several species of fish that call the Shuswap River home. And the Salmon is a highlight! These include the Sockeye, Coho, and the Chinook Salmon. King Fisher Interpretive Centre supports the Chinook Salmon in their hatchery. They also manage, along with the Fisheries and Oceans, the “Sea to Stream” program. This educational program has been running for or 30 years, and you may know of it through your child's school or remember it when you are a youngster! Salmon are raised in the classroom from egg to fry, and the children get to learn and study the Salmon before releasing them back into the water.
Salmon eggs!
Photo courtesy of The Kingfisher Interpretive Center
The hatchery
Photo courtesy of The Kingfisher Interpretive Center
The Self-Guided Walk
Grab a printed map and brochure at the stand outside of the Centre and explore the interior rainforest! Discover interesting, interactive, and educational exploration points throughout the pathways. Each numbered exploration point has an activity to do with the kids! Learn about the trees, the plant life, natural structures, and more on this fun family walk!
Make your way down to the beautiful sandy beaches along the Shuswap River and enjoy life here!
The numbered fish mark the exploration point which is numbered on the map. A great opportunity to learn new things and a fun activity is presented at each point!
Photo courtesy of The Kingfisher Interpretive Center
Grab a printed map and brochure at the stand outside of the Centre and explore the interior rainforest!
Shuswap Adventure Girl
Read and learn more about the Kingfisher Interpretive Centre!
Fun for all!
www.kingfishercentre.com
