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British Columbia Heritage Rivers Program
History
British Columbians take pride in their rivers! Few places on earth can boast such a rich endowment of healthy, free-flowing water. Established in 1995, the BC Heritage Rivers System (BCHRS) is the first provincial system of its kind in Canada, and helps to promote stewardship of this natural legacy for all British Columbians.
Page Contents:
Objectives
The BC Heritage
Rivers System showcases outstanding examples of a representative range
of our most important waterways. While all rivers require sound stewardship,
some rivers deserve special recognition. Heritage status gives these
rivers a greater public profile and focus. Heritage Rivers represent the
diversity of river landscapes in terms of their natural characteristics,
their historical and cultural importance to the human story of the province,
and the spectrum of recreational opportunities they support.
What Does Heritage Status Mean?
A Heritage River proclamation does not carry legal or regulatory power. Rather, the designation serves each river by:
- providing a greater emphasis on river-related values during land-use planning processes,
- raising awareness of the importance of healthy river systems,
- helping to protect the special values of the river, and
- helping to build stronger public support for, and involvement in, stewardship of the river.
Criteria for Selection
Selection criteria focused on a combination of natural, cultural, and recreational values. Each of the 20 designated rivers represents a unique combination of some or all of the selection criteria:
- Natural Heritage
Values
- Physical examples of evolutionary processes, and/or ecosystems or species of particular interest.
- Cultural Heritage
Values
- Influential role in the historical development of BC
- Significant to traditional territories or lifestyles of First Nations.
- Associated with people, events, movements, ideas, or beliefs of significance to the cultural heritage of people today.
- Recreational
Values
- Supports recreational activity, and is accessible to a large and diverse group of recreationists.
- Provides a high-quality recreational experience.
- Selection Guidelines
In addition to the selection criteria, candidate rivers were also evaluated according to the following guidelines.- Public support for the river from a variety of interests.
- First Nations relationship to the river.
- Integration of resource management around the river.
- Balance of regional representation in the provincial system.
- Contributes to a diversity of river types represented in the system.
- Balance of natural history, human history, and recreational values.
- Ability to recognize a river from source to mouth.
- Potential to achieve the stated vision for the river.
BCHRS Mandate
The BC Heritage Rivers System was established by the British Columbia government with leadership and financial support from the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks and the Ministry of Forests.
During the period
from 1995 and 2000, a government appointed BC Heritage Rivers Board
recommended 20 rivers as BC Heritage Rivers, of which five were recommended
for nomination to the Canadian Heritage River System. Their work stimulated
public interest in river stewardship.
The Board has accomplished its task, having nominated 20 rivers that have been
proclaimed as BC Heritage Rivers.
Also, the profile of rivers has been raised around the province with a heightened
recognition of the role of rivers in sound ecological systems planning.
The designation of each BC Heritage River set a vision for the relationship
between the river and people. The continuing role of the BC Heritage Rivers
program is to encourage community-based stewardship, to provide a model for
outreach and participation and to reflect the vision for each river as we move
into the future.
List of the Heritage Rivers
The system has grown rapidly, with 20 rivers now proclaimed by the BC Government. Following is a list of the rivers and the year each was proclaimed.
Reports
The following reports are available for downloading. They provide a detailed background on BC Heritage Rivers and how the system has developed.
-
What's In It For The River? (252 KB PDF)
A 1993 advisory committee report to the BC Government, outlining the benefits of BC joining the Canadian Heritage Rivers System. This early report also suggests adopting a provincial system of heritage rivers. - Annual Reports
The BC Heritage Rivers Board has produced the following annual reports dealing with the activities of the Board and presenting the river nominations for that year.- 1995
Annual Report (275 KB PDF)
British Columbia's Heritage Rivers: Inaugural candidates for a provincial system. - 1996
Annual Report (288 KB PDF)
British Columbia's Heritage Rivers: Candidates for a provincial system. - 1997
Annual Report (307 KB PDF)
Candidate Heritage Rivers: A report of the British Columbia Heritage Rivers Board. - 1999
Annual Report (274 KB PDF)
British Columbia's Heritage Rivers: A report of the British Columbia Heritage Rivers Board (Final Report).
- 1995
Annual Report (275 KB PDF)
- Government Response Documents
When the BC Heritage Rivers Board nominated rivers to the system, government reviewed those nominations and responded to the Board publicly through the release of another document. These documents outline the position of the government with respect to the Board's nominations and reflect the accepted vision and management guidelines for those rivers recognized within the BC Heritage Rivers System.- 1996
Response (155 KB PDF)
BC's First Heritage Rivers: Government's response to the BC Heritage Rivers Board's (1995) Nominations. - 1997
Response (150 KB PDF)
Government's response to the BC Heritage Rivers Board's (1996) Nominations. - 1998
Response (211 KB PDF)
Government's response to the BC Heritage Rivers Board's (1997) Nominations. - 2000
Response (256 KB PDF)
Government's response to the BC Heritage Rivers Board's (1999) Nominations.
- 1996
Response (155 KB PDF)
Newsletters
During the active nomination period, the BC Heritage Rivers Board produced a newsletter called the Heritage Rivers Bulletin. The following issues were produced and are available here for downloading.
- Spring 1996 - Volume 1, Number 1 (132 KB PDF)
- Summer 1996 - Volume 1, Number 2 (133 KB PDF)
- Fall 1996 - Volume 1, Number 3 (131 KB PDF)
- Spring 1997 - Volume 2, Number 1 (132 KB PDF)
- Summer 1997 - Volume 2, Number 2 (132 KB PDF)
- Fall 1997 - Volume 2, Number 3 (129 KB PDF)
- Spring 1998 - Volume 3, Number 1 (134 KB PDF)
- Summer 1998 - Volume 3, Number 2 (130 KB PDF)
Page Last Updated: January 21, 2010