A vision of healing and wholeness for the Bowker Creek watershed

Thanks to Sarah Jim, visual artist from Tseycum in WSÁNEĆ, for granting use of her “Cosmic Salmon” image. Sarah comments about it: “The salmon is a symbol of relationships. They feed the ecosystem and sacrifice themselves to the next generation. Salmon provide nutrients to the land by distribution of countless animals that rely on salmon for food and medicine. The celestial pattern within this salmon is a symbol of the interconnectedness of all things.”

There is Life in Bowker Creek

Dedicated observers are contributing to the iNaturalist Bowker Creek Biodiversity Project to establish baseline measurements, monitor changes and increase awareness of local native and non-native flora and fauna in the watershed. If you are interested in helping to document the biodiversity of the creek and watershed, you can upload photos of your observations here.

The Bowker Creek Biodiversity Corridor advances key Saanich initiatives:

The State of Biodiversity Report (2023) recognizes that water sources, creeks, and adjacent riparian areas are the most biodiverse ecosystems and are crucial to supporting wildlife species
The State of the Urban Forest Report (2023) notes how trees improve the quality of life (human and non-human): cleaning the air of pollutants, storing and sequestering carbon, diverting water from storm drains, stabilizing steep slopes, cooling streets and homes, and providing wildlife habitat
The 2020 Climate Plan urges the protection and management of natural assets as critical infrastructure, e.g. for flood management and heat mitigation, and aims to connect protected areas with natural corridors
The long-standing Green and Blue Spaces Report (2000) identifies a Bowker Creek regional trail as part of a major greenway connecting Oak Bay, the City of Victoria, and Saanich.

The Four Life Zones and Indicator Species of the Bowker Creek Biodiversity Corridor

Urban Tree Canopy Zone

Shady tree cover along the creek where people can sit, walk, play, cycle and shop. Cool in summer; sheltered in winter, with clean air and birdsong. Natural beauty at the heart of the of city.

Townsend’s Warbler

Townsend’s warblers nest in mature conifer trees. They typically feed high in forest canopies, combing insects off conifer buds and needles. During migration, look for them in alder and willow thickets. Townsend’s warblers numbers could grow as urban tree canopy expands along the Bowker Creek corridor.

Riparian Zone

Sloping stream banks, thick with bushes and grasses that protect and feed the creek, providing bird and insect habitat that enlivens Bowker Creek’s corridor.

Green Comma Butterfly

Highly selective when choosing the host plants where they lay their eggs, Green comma butterflies prefer native species of willow and alder, two plant families typically abundant in healthy riparian zone ecosystems. A riparian corridor, dense with willow shrubs and alder trees would help Green comma butterflies thrive along Bowker Creek.

In-Stream Zone

Stream bed, flowing water, pools and marsh ecosystems where rich communities of plants and animals add life and interest to the urban environment.

Chum Salmon

Successful returns of Chum salmon are a litmus test for a healthy in-stream zone. Chum require good habitat and water quality. Volunteers incubate eggs in the gravel and juvenile salmon migrate downstream to the Salish Sea. A healthy in-stream zone will allow adult Chum salmon to return, spawn, and sustain their population over generations.

Hyporheic Zone

Gravels and subsoils beneath the stream bed and alongside Bower Creek, filtering groundwater into the stream.

Mayflies

Mayflies are a key indicator species for a healthy hyporheic zone, and a health stream. A mayfly lives only a day or two as an adult fly, but many months as an aquatic nymph, beneath rocks in the hyporheic zone. Abundant nymphs of Mayflies, Caddisflies, and Stoneflies would denote clean, well-oxygenated water, free from pollution.

Bowker Creek Biodiversity Day

The second Bowker Creek Biodiversity Day took place on Sunday, September 22, 2024 at Lansdowne South Campus, where the community came together to celebrate the with Friends of Bowker Creek and over a dozen community partners.

Attendees enjoyed a fun, family-friendly afternoon of music by The Bald Eagles Band, games, crafts, and ice cream, while learning about the creek and the inspiring vision for its future.