We acknowledge that this film was made on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation
About
For generations, the Okanagan landscape in British Columbia has been reshaped around the needs of people. In 1962, one of the local waterways, Chute Creek, was constrained within a concrete channel to make way for housing development. As a consequence the instream salmon spawning ecosystem was completely destroyed. Decades later, as the concrete channel began to fail as flood protection, it became clear that a new vision for the creek needed to be created. One that would not only protect the community from flooding, but also restore the salmon spawning habitat that had been lost.
The Call of the Creek tells the story behind the restoration of Chute Creek, how one small project has become part of the salmon’s journey home, while also exploring how we have shaped the natural world around the way we live, and how we can reimagine that relationship.
Why Now
For nearly a century, Sockeye and Chinook salmon were absent from Okanagan Lake, blocked by dams built throughout the Columbia River system. In August 2025, the final barrier to their return was removed. After years of work and advocacy led by the Indigenous community, the Okanagan Dam Fish Passage finally opened, restoring the salmon’s access to their historical spawning habitat.
After many weeks of their journey upstream, the salmon face one final challenge: whether they will find suitable spawning habitat — and if their natural life cycle can be reestablished without ongoing human intervention.
“The future of salmon depends not only on large conservation projects, but also on decisions made in our own communities.’’
The Chute Creek Stewardship Society
Director
I came to this story as an outsider. I had only recently moved to BC, and I was curious about the place I had chosen as my new home — its history, its people, and the problems communities here have to deal with. A conversation about Chute Creek eventually led me to Peter’s cabin, where I shared a dinner with people who had spent years behind the project. Listening to them talk about the creek, I began to understand that this was about much more than restoring one small waterway.
Something as local as restoring a creek in the Okanagan can be connected to something happening hundreds, even thousands of kilometres away — from the salmon that depend on that spawning habitat to the whales in Alaska that ultimately depend on salmon.
We often think of environmental problems as something far beyond our reach. Decisions made decades ago and thousands of kilometres away, yet it's our backyards where the change begins.
I believe this film could help others find the courage to listen to their own call.
- Matouš Vaněk
The Future of the Creek
The restoration is done, the creek has been restored. But the story is far from finished. Will the salmon return? What are the next steps in the stewardship of the creek? And can we change the way we see waterways — not as something to control, but as something to coexist with?
Support The Film
We are continuing production, interviewing people involved in the restoration and following the journey of salmon returning to the Okanagan.
If you would like to support the film, collaborate, or stay updated on its progress, we would love to hear from you.
