Bowker Creek is an ecologically important creek that historicaly has been, and currently still is, severely impacted by development, particularly since the mid-1800s. The creek runs 9.4 km from its headwaters on the UVIC campus to its mouth near Glenlyon-Norfolk School in Oak Bay. It also has a 1.4 km tributary that starts at a separate smaller headwater at Cedar Hill Park. The Bowker Creek watershed as a whole is 1,028 hectares. Currently 60% of the creek is piped underground, and much of the it that is open to daylight is channelized. The majority of the creek that is daylighted, ie, not underground, is within Oak Bay, but not all. In recent years there has been a recognition of the important role of the creek and its ecosystem, and a lot of ecological restoration work has been done and is on-going, including creek reconstruction, native plantings, and efforts to re-establish a spawning salmon population. Key partners in these efforts are the Friends of Bowker Creek, including the Streamkeepers, and the Bowker Creek Initiative, a watershed management plan created and supported by the local municipalities through which the creek flows. A 100-year action plan to restore the Bowker Creek watershed, the Bowker Creek Blueprint, was created in 2012 and helps guide much of the work done by the volunteers and municipalities.
With that introduction out of the way, I would like to invite you to come visit Bowker Creek in person amd get to know it better. Come go with the flow, and meander along the creek. This multi is intended to be done in order, so you follow the route of the creek from one end to the other, as it naturally flows, beginning at the headwaters at UVIC, but you could do all of the locations except the final in any order, should you so choose. This does not include the tributary creek that flows from Cedar Hill Park, but you can check that out yourself on another day if you're interested. Make sure you allow plenty of time, as there are many stops along the way.
This multi is quite spread out, so I would not suggest that you walk it all. I do suggest, however, that you park your car or bike someplace convenient and walk the last 5 stages. They are close together, and walking it will allow you to feel more connected. There will be a question at each of the stages to help you get the numbers needed for the final coordinates. This multi has a higher difficulty due to the number of stages and distance involved, as well as due to the difficulty of the final location, not because any specific stage is particularly difficult.
The final is a nano (sorry) located at N48 AB.CDE W123 FG.HIJ
THE STAGES
Stage 1 -
This is the headwaters of the creek, or at least very close to it. The actual headwaters is across the street, next to the University Club, but this is a better view of what it would look like in a natural state, and there might at times be too much activity across the street to do much investigating. After you take a look at the creek, look at some of the nearby human infrastructure.. A = (the square root of the parking lot number) minus 1. If you feel like spending more time on campus, you can take a walk on the Alumni Chip Trail near here and you will find a spot that it crosses the creek.
Stage 2 -
This lovely little bridge has a very nice park on one side and the Bowker Creek Greenway passes by on the other side. There is a circular mural in the ground near this bridge. How many salmon are depicted in this mural? B = number of salmon plus 2.
Stage 3 -
The creek will go underground again for a stretch just a little beyond this location. Looking at the creek here, you can see how tightly channelized it is, and the amount of invasive species there are to contend with, as well as some of the major reasons for undergrounding and impervious sources in the residences, roads and retail nearby, but you can also celebrate that it is open to daylight here, there is a lot of green, although it is a narrow strip, and there is potential for reintroducing more native vegetation. It would be hard to do anything about the narrow deep channel due to the proximity of the houses. What is the bridge load limit? C = 1st digit plus 2.
Stage 4 -
After going into the underground pipes and passing roughy behind Hillside Mall, the creek remerges near here. If you wish you can see the culvert at Pearl St. between Shelbourne and Townley. During school hours or when the playing fields are in use, you may want to approach this bridge from the Newton St side. In the Bowker Creek Blueprint there is a recommendation that the creek here be reconstructed, moving the main channel further from the school, creating a more natural meander, and giving it more gradual sloped banks, allowing the historic floodplain to function better. However, the portion of the green space on the Newton St side has been sold to be the site of a new hospice facility, so this is now unlikely to happen, and the creek will probably continue here in its current form. Count the number of steps leading up to the bridge on the SW / Newton side of the bridge. Should be an even number. D = step number minus 3.
Stage 5 -
This is a pleasant walk along the creek through Kings Park, formerly known as the Hydro lands. Halfway along, near this waypoint, an old bit of concrete pipe is sticking out of the ground, it has been painted to make it more noticeaable and less of a tripping hazard. What color is it? E = number of letters in the color name, plus 1. (By the way, there is some fun graffiti on a fence near the Richmond Rd end of this path.)
Note - someone has now broken this particular piece of pipe off below ground level and tossed itinto the creek. If you still want to use this clue, you can see some of the paint on the bottom of a nearby tree or you may be able to spot the painted pipe in the creek.
OR you can use this alternative way to get E -- look for something hanging over the creek attached to a yellow polypropylene rope - what is it? E = number of letters in the object name.
Stage 6 -
A major effort undertaken to reconstruct Bowker Creek where it passes by Oak Bay High School was completed in the spring of 2016, which included reintroducing some natural winding to the creek bed, removal of invasive species, and planting of native species. It also included a public walkway and the creation of an outdoor classroom. Oak Bay High students study the creek as part of their science curriculum. What year did The Pig Man start teaching at the high school? F = first digit.
Stage 7 -
You will find no shortage of feathered friends at this location. This picturesque part of the creek functions as good wildlife habitat and also has some floodplain available for relief when the creek gets too high. The bends and wider areas are more natural than sections of the creek that have been put into narrow artificially straight channels. As you can see from the signs, as elsewhere along our tour, habitat restoration is ongoing here. Count how many metal sections there are in the railing on one side of the bridge. G = number of metal sections plus 2.
Stage 8 -
This pretty park also serves wildlife well, as well as being a pleasant place for people to spend time, and also has space available for the water to go if it needs to flood. Downstream it narrows and goes underground again as it goes under the road, but it is only underground for a short but this time. Look for a memorial plaque near this waypoint. What kind of person was Linda Bocking? H = number of letters in type of person minus 3.
Stage 9 -
Bowker Creeks sees daylight again here by these community gardens. A lot of work is being done in this area to restore the creek bed and the natural habitat, including removal of invasives and replanting with species that were historically here. if you look up in the tree above you, you will see a newly-installed owl house. Nearby there is a circular planting bed with a young tree in the middle. What is this planting area (3 words)? I = number of letters in 1st word minus number of letters in 3rd word.
Stage 10 -
This is the end of the creek tour. The mouth of Bowker Creek is at the beach about a half block downstream from this final road crossing. Due to the private property immediately adjacent with no direct beach access I do not know how to get all the way there, unless you can walk down the beach from further away at lower tides, but you can see the bigger body of water it empties into from here. How many animals on the Bowker Creek sign? J = number of animals minus 3.
I hope you have enjoyed this tour of Bowker Creek as much as I enjoyed exploring it.
checksum: 21 and 13
for further reference:
Friends of Bowker Creek - About - Friends of Bowker Creek Society
Bowker Creek Initiative - Bowker Creek Initiative | CRD
Bowker Creek Blueprint - Bowker Creek Blueprint- A 100-year plan | CRD