Kids of all ages and their families are invited to the Vancouver Water Resources Education Center’s Sturgeon Festival, celebrating Columbia River ecosystems and sturgeon, one of the longest-lived of a primitive line of fishes. There’s even more fun in store for this year’s Sturgeon Festival’s 20th anniversary, on Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm at the Water Center, 4600 SE Columbia Way.
To get the party started, 20 painted golden rocks, each with a different sturgeon image and the hashtag #SturgeonFestRocks, have been hidden in public areas around the community. Finders can bring the golden rocks to Sturgeon Festival to add to the Water Center’s Rock Garden for a prize. Several of the rocks have already been spotted and claimed, but more remain. It’s all part of the Water Center’s ‘Paint a Rock! Find a Rock!’ fun for the entire family, just like the Sturgeon Festival itself.
Highlights for the coming 2016 Sturgeon Festival include a breathtaking Birds of Prey show presented by Pacific Northwest Falconry School, a captivating Creature Feature Live Reptile show, eco-fun with Eartha the Ecological Clown, and fish science and dissection by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists.
The festival will have lots in store for families including interactive activities and face painting for kids. To showcase the importance of the Columbia River ecosystem, the festival will offer hands-on activities and information about other native fish, recycling, trees, water safety and more.
Sturgeon have changed very little since they first appeared more than 175 million years ago, which is why they’re often called a living fossil. With the numbers of this prehistoric fish in the Lower Columbia River currently on the decline, there’s never been a better time to discover more about sturgeon.
The Sturgeon Festival is a free, family friendly event. For more information or directions, please contact the Water Center at 360-487-7111 or visit the City of Vancouver Sturgeon Festival online.
