We have been playfully turning to rodents to predict the long-range weather prospects for generations, but now it can take place right here in the Okanagan.
Okanagan Okie was introduced at a ceremony today at the Allan Brooks Nature Centre in Vernon.
The centre is located on a hillside that is home to a thriving marmot population, but the organizers chose to use a plush stuffie to as not to disturb any of the hibernating animals.
The centre's manager, Cheryl Hood, officiated at the ceremony in hopes that Okie can take a place in folklore alongside Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil, and Ontario's Wiarton Willie.
"I hope so, because Okanagan Okie is our Ambassador to get people engaged in the environment," said Hood.
"If someone sees something about a marmot, and they go 'oh what's that?' and they start looking at other things and they start learning more."
The rules of the groundhog forecast were the same as those established elsewhere.
If Okie could see a shadow, it should mean six more weeks of winter.
No Shadow, and it means an early spring.
With the sun glowing behind a thin layer of cloud it was touch and go, but as Hood turned to the crowd for the call, it was decided that there was no shadow.
Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming read the proclamation.
"Oh joy," he began. "I do not see a shadow of me. So let us celebrate an early spring."
Hood stands by the decision to go with a stuffed animal rather than a real marmot.
"They're still sleeping. They don't want to be woken up. They're getting ready to start their summer and having babies and fitting in with the natural cycle," she said.
"Wiarton Willie bit the handler today because he was annoyed and we just want them to be happy and safe."
Hood doesn't place a lot of importance on the prediction itself.
"It's about the fun. It's about the engagement. It's about learning and that's really our focus."
The plan is to make this an annual event.
The Allan Brooks Centre relies on donations to survive and it's hoped the Groundhog Day event helps raise their profile and increases public support.
A photo session with Okaganan Okie shows a faint shadow, visible in this shadow, which is at odds with the proclamation, opening up the entire event to the possibility of controversy.
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