Field Trips

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All field trips are scheduled for Friday afternoon and will begin at 13:00 PT, departing from the Atrium of the E building.

(see campus map for location)

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1- Exploring the Impact of the 2023 Wildfires

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CANCELLED

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2- West Kelowna Wine Tasting at Indigenous World Winery (tentative)

 

CANCELLED

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3- South Fascieux Creek

Host: Barbara Ramovs, Okanagan College; (bramovs@okanagan.bc.ca) cost free, Participant cap = 20

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South Fascieux Creek, a waterway within a short walking distance from Okanagan College, has long been a vital spawning habitat for Kokanee salmon, a keystone species in the local ecosystem and a cultural and spiritual touchstone for the local Sylix peoples. Kokanee salmon play an important role in Sylix stories, teachings, and intergenerational, ecological knowledge transfer. Over many decades, Kelowna’s natural floodplain and many of its stream channels have been transformed due to urban development: buried or redirected using concrete pipes. This has negatively impacted the spawning capacity of the salmon. Additionally, human-caused climate change, with its accompanying extreme weather events and flooding, is damaging this built infrastructure. The City of Kelowna, in partnership with many community stakeholders, is currently in the process of resurrecting parts of this important waterway, ‘daylighting’ and restoring natural stream flows, removing invasive species, and planting native ones, improving long-term stability and sustainability to these environments, including the remediation of salmon-spawning habitat so central to the Sylix culture. This informative excursion will provide participants with an insightful, real-world demonstration of physical and human geography in action. Revealing how our community is addressing this challenge may prompt others to consider ways in which Kelowna’s efforts might be adapted to fit the needs of their communities. Please contact Barb (bramovs@okanagan.bc.ca) for further information. Spots are available on a first come basis.

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4- Downtown Beer District

Host: Dr. Markus Heinrichs, Okanagan College; (mheinrichs@okanagan.bc.ca) cost $5, Participant cap = 20

 

Though we mourn the loss of Tree Brewing in Kelowna, the void left behind has nearly been filled with a number of exciting and inviting brew pubs, concentrated in the northern end of the city near the cultural district. We will take the #1 bus ($2.50) from OC to the Queensway loop and walk along Ellis St. past the Laurel Packinghouse, where you can see an exhibit featuring early orcharding in the area. The first pub we pass by is BNA Brewing, featuring its own bowling lanes. We’ll turn east along the north side of Clement Ave, and see the locations of Unleashed Brewing, Welton Arms, and The Office. From there we turn north on Ethel to Vaughn Ave, where returning west, we pass the Rustic Reel. Carrying on west, we reach Richter Ave, where we pass Sandhill wines and Vice & Virtue, perhaps turning right on Baillie Ave to see Jackknife and Kettle River. We will return downtown along Richter, perhaps pausing to have

a refreshment break at Red Bird. The #1 bus from Queensway runs every 15 minutes and will take us back to campus, where we will meet with the other field trip participants. This trip involves approximately 5km of walking, so participants should be prepared for urban walking and be dressed accordingly. Please contact Markus (mheinrichs@okanagan.bc.ca) for further information. Spots are available on a first come basis.

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