A partnership between the City of Calgary Parks, the Calgary Public Library and the Calgary Area Cachers to celebrate Calgary Parks 100th anniversary.
Calgary Parks had supplied cache containers and swag for 100 caches which were placed in 100 parks around Calgary by Calgary Area Cachers. In Lowery Gardens, the original cache was a sandwich-sized Lock'n'Lock with a couple of Parks 100 Geocoins and the usual 'swag' supplemented by yours truly. After the original container's demise, the cache has been replaced with a small Lock'n'Lock with log book and pencil.
Background Information
John Lowery, an early Calgarian who recognised the area's agricultural potential, had a market garden about two kilometres downstream of Thomas Edworthy's homestead. Today the former vegetable plot bears his name: Lowery Gardens. In 1960 the Lowery family sold the land to the City of Calgary. The Lowery Gardens Pathway was completed in 1985 at a cost of $50,000 by the Parks Foundation, the City of Calgary and a Private Citizen Donation. At certain high points, the view of the northern section of Calgary and the downtown is spectacular.
Lowery Gardens is one of the bird-watching hotspots in Calgary, especially at the lower flood-plain section at the eastern end of the park, dominated by the broad-leaved Balsam Poplar trees. This is the summer haunt of Common Goldeneye, Downy, and Hairy Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, Tree Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Gray Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and American Goldfinch. Gray Partridges can sometimes be flushed from the grassy areas. Canada Geese, presumably Mallards, and possibly Spotted Sandpipers, nest on islands in the river. Cliff Swallows nest under the Boothman Bridge and a few Bank and Northern Rough-winged Swallows find nest sites along steep sections of the river bank. American Pipits are sometimes encountered along the shore in spring and autumn.