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What's New - Archives: 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 Further information on any of the news pieces listed below may be obtained by contacting the Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS) Secretariat at donald.gibson@pc.gc.ca.
David Thompson, naturalist, fur trader, writer, explorer, map-maker and river traveler. He mapped much of North America, and even the famous Lewis and Clark expedition made use of Thompson’s maps. He paddled more than 90,000 km on rivers, making him among the greatest river travelers known. He explored and mapped trading routes over the Rocky Mountains and followed the Columbia River from its source to its mouth. He was given the name “Koo Koo Sint” (the star gazer) by his Aboriginal guides, since he took astronomical observations at the end of every day. 2007 marks the 150th anniversary of Thompson’s death in 1857 and the 200th anniversary of his first crossing of the Rocky Mountains in 1807. The Thompson bicentennial will be our opportunity to honour and celebrate David Thompson and his accomplishments, and to reaffirm our nations links with the land, its peoples and its geography. The CHRS is proud to be on the David Thompson Bicentennial Steering Committee. No other person better epitomizes the spirit of Canada’s rivers. To get involved or learn more, contact the David Thompson Bicentennial Committee, c/o Kootenay National Park, through their website, www.parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/national parks/kootenay and www.davidthompsonthings.com
Four national river conservation awards were presented by Ms. Iona Campagnola at the 3rd Canadian River Heritage Conference. The first three presentations were National River Conservation Awards of Merit. These awards honour individuals and organizations making a significant contribution to Canadian rivers and the Canadian Heritage Rivers System. The award winners were Cam McNeil, Chairman of the Rideau Waterway Coordinating Committee, for his tireless efforts to have the Rideau recognized as a Canadian Heritage River, David Goranson, founder of Rivers Canada, the River and Lakes Foundation of Canada, and the Grey Owl Trust, and Mel Fitton, of the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy, for his commitment to the CHRS program and to Rivers in new Brunswick.  The Bill Mason National River Conservation Award is presented every three years to a Canadian citizen who has made an outstanding contribution to canoeing heritage and river conservation in Canada. This award was presented posthumously to former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who was passionate about the country’s river heritage and the canoe as an icon of Canadian history, culture and identity. His son, Sacha Trudeau, sent these words regarding the award: “Bill Mason and my father...were friends, neighbours and, most of all, canoe partners....Bill Mason and my father knew that if there is an origin for Canada in our souls, then it is in the canoeist’s communion with our awesome wilderness. Our souls will always have a home in the canoe...It is a true honour for my family that our father the canoeist, the friend of the wilds, be remembered in the name of Bill Mason.” The award was a hand-crafted cherry paddle with a scenes of the South Nahanni River wood- burned into it by paddle-artist Dot Bonnenfant of Chelsea, Quebec. Past award winners include Kirk Wipper, past-president of the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association and founder of the Canadian Canoe Museum, and Bill Reid, internationally renowned Haida artist and sculptor.
See the 1999-2000 CHRS Annual Report under Publications.
Retracing Alexander Mackenzie’s Route: This trip generated regional and national media coverage which in turn helps promote the CHRS program and the Alexander Mackenzie Voyageur route. Since his return, Max has given slide shows on his trip at a variety of venues, including the River Management Society Conference in South Carolina, the Heritage Canoe Festival, in Peterborough, and was selected to speak on this topic for the Kirk Wipper Lecture at Trent University. He will be making presentations at the 3rd Canadian River Heritage Conference in Fredericton in June, and at the North American Water Trails Conference in Maine in September. Information on the Alexander Mackenzie Voyageur Route is available from the Alexander Mackenzie Voyageur Route Association at 1-888-484-7035 or at www.amvr.org. You can follow Max’s journey by visiting his website at www.voyageur.carleton.ca. Read about his trip under River Stories. Max is currently working on a book on the Alexander Mackenzie Voyageur route, scheduled for publication in spring, 2002.
The Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association (CRCA) is hosting its 4th Canadian Canoe Symposium on August 17-19, 2001 at their headquarters in Merrickville, Ontario. The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS) is assisting the symposium with equipment and will be on hand to distribute information. The CRCA and the CHRS have a long working relationship and the two organizations issue the Heritage River calendar together. For more on the symposium or to order your copy of the calendar, please visit the CRCA website at http://www.crca.ca
Rideau Waterway Plaque Unveiling Ceremony: The designation ceremony for the Rideau was held on May 19 in Smith Falls. The Master of Ceremonies was Wayne Rostad, host of the long-running CBC series “On the Road Again”. A second plaque unveiling will be held in Ottawa on August 6. A designation ceremony for the Detroit will be held on July 19, 2001, in Windsor.
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