"Citing personal health reasons", Frank Petruzelka announced his retirement as the Oyster River Enhancement Society (ORES) Hatchery Manager effective December 31st, 2011.

For the past 17 years Frank has been the driving force behind the many successess at ORES salmon hatchery.  Through his and a volunteer force of some 50 active members' efforts, the Oyster River salmonoid escapement has returned to levels it enjoyed back in the early 1900's.

Frank has been training his replacement, Lyle Edmunds, since September and is committed to ensuring that Lyle and the volunteers will receive the full benefit of his knowledge and experience before he leaves his post at the end of this year.

Frank's legacy will be the successful transfer of leadership of this most successful hatchery, and for this the ORES Officers, Directors, Members and Volunteers express their most sincere gratitude!

 Effective Oct 1,2011 there is a new entrance to the Oyster River Enhancement Society Hatchery. As we are part of Bear Creek Nature Park we  will be using  the entrance provided within the park .The Bear Creek Nature Park entrance is located 2.3 kilometers after turning onto MacAulay Rd. The signage for the park is on the right side of the road. This park entrance road is a one way road that is a horseshoe shape and exits back out onto MacAulay Rd. just north of the entrance. Once you have entered the park keep driving until you see a large yellow gate. The flat area around the gate is for vehicle parking.  Please do not block the gate.The general public will then walk past the locked gate and down the hill until they cross the bridge. Signage is then provided to find the hatchery. This is a steep gravel road so proper footwear is a good idea. Members of the Oyster River Enhancement Society will have access keys for the yellow gate so they can bring in necessary equipment to assist with weekly maintenance volunteer duties. For the month of Oct 2011 there will be a volunteer at the yellow gate on Tues. to assist hatchery volunteers.  This will help with the transition to the new access road until we become more familiar with it. 

Laine

August 30,2011
  The busy season has started. This is a video clip of the first Pink Salmon Broodstock Capture for 2011.  This video clip was produced by our own Bruce Pirrie.  Thanks so much Bruce for a job well done.  We had a lot of fun catching fish on such a sunny day. These fish captured in the Oyster River will ensure that our eggs have a diverse genetic pool. We also have pink salmon returning within our hatchery limits. The egg take will commense soon. It truly is rewarding to know that we can all do our part to ensure healthy fish numbers for years to come.
Enjoy, Laine.

  It's a sunny day and your thinking it would be great to go for a bike ride.  Yesterday just happened to be that day for myself and my husband. Now that we have our newest park close by we chose a ride to Bear Creek Park and a visit to our hatchery which lies within the park.  Our residence is Saratoga Beach but there are many great locations locally to start your ride from. You can certainly start from Saratoga Beach or Miracle Beach Provincial Park, Pacific Playgrounds Marina or the Mini Putt located along Highway 19A, just north of the Hamm Rd. Connector.  It's an easy bike ride along MacAulay Rd. to the entrance of Bear Creek Nature Park, which is clearly marked on the right hand side of the road. Once in the Park I like to use my bike bell so I don't sneak up on any bears that may be in the area. The road in the park and throughout the hatchery are dirt and gravel but easily accessible by bikes. The park road leads downhill across 2 bridges and into the Oyster River Enhancement Society hatchery area. Take your time and enjoy your ride.  Stop by either Bear Creek or the Oyster River and relax.  The park has been well received by bird groups and naturalists alike.  The many water channels throughout the hatchery area have wild salmon fry within them.  We live in paradise, remember to enjoy it. When your ready to leave the hatchery area you will remember that you will need to go uphill back to the park entrance.  It's a short hill but a good workout for those who want to give it a try. Walking the bike up the hill gives you more opportunities to enjoy the vistas.  I chose to ride the uphill portion and succeeded and I'm an average biker. When your finished your ride you will have at least 2 reasons to be happy.  You have had some exercise so your body will thank you.  Your mind and soul will have been refreshed from enjoying what nature has to offer.  Now if you want to reward yourself even further, both the Mini Putt and Pacific Playgrounds Marina offer Ice Cream.The total trip was just over 15 kilometeres for us. We will definately do this ride again.  Hopefully this will inspire you to come see our hatchery and the Bear Creek Park by bike.  You won't be disappointed.

Laine. 

Here is another great video of our newest park.  Thanks to Shaw TV for producing this video.  If you haven't found a reason to visit Bear Creek Park yet, I'm thinking that Mother's Day would be a great time to enjoy what nature has to offer. 
Enjoy,
Laine.

The Oyster River Enhancement Society is thrilled to be part of this park.  Many thanks to A NEWS for this great coverage. If you were unable to make the Grand Opening then make sure you check out this newest park on a sunny day that works for you. You won't be disappointed.

OYSTER RIVER - A plot of land that avoided development in Oyster River is now the north island's newest nature park. The 161 acre setting was donated by a local family and then transformed by various organizations into the Bear Creek Nature Park. It will offer cycling, horseback riding, and hiking. The people who created the park say it's a community jewel.

By Scott Stanfield - Comox Valley Record
Published: February 03, 2011 6:00 PM

The Comox Valley Regional District, in conjunction with Environment Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada, announced Wednesday the purchase of a woodland river floodplain at Shelter Point Farms in Oyster River, and a new protected wildlife area called Bear Creek Nature Park.

Collectively, the $3-million purchase protects about 520 acres of wetland, agricultural and forested habitats. The CVRD has contributed $300,000 to the cause.

“My kudos to everybody involved,” district board chair Edwin Grieve said at a ceremony at the Shelter Point whisky distillery in Oyster River.

The generosity of the Evans family — owners of Shelter Point — has been a critical component of the initiative. The family granted a conservation covenant on their 357-acre parcel to Ducks Unlimited to ensure the area remains an oasis to wildlife.

“It’s taken a lot of people a long time to pound this project through,” Patrick Evans said.

Comox Valley MLA Don McRae shared some kind words about the family.

“You’ve been a huge part of the Comox Valley for a long time,” McRae said. “Your family has been able to get a great asset, and you’re going to share that asset with not just my generation of young people but generations to follow. And not just generations of people but generations of animals that will thrive and grow.”

McRae also praised the efforts of local government officials.

“It’s not an easy time in the last two years to find dollars to spend,” he said, extending his generous words to Ducks Unlimited.

“You’ve done amazing work for British Columbia, you’ve done amazing work for North America, and it is recognized by politicians universally.”

Ducks Unlimited provincial manager Les Bogdan said natural ecosystems such as Bear Creek Park benefit communities by “filtering and purifying water, and reducing development impacts that may deteriorate the river’s surrounding watershed.”

The CVRD will manage the land as a public park while the Oyster River Enhancement Society will operate a salmon hatchery at the park. 

Along with the ‘ecogift donation’ from the Evans family and the CVRD contribution, the project has been financed by private donations, the Pacific Salmon Foundation, the federal government and international partnerships.

reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com