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.

10th Annual International Conference on the St. Lawrence River Ecosystem,
May 13-15, 2003.

The St. Lawrence River is one of the world's great rivers. The St. Lawrence Seaway is the world's longest deep-draft inland waterway, providing access for ocean-going freighters to the heart of North America. The theme of the 10th Annual International Conference on the St. Lawrence River Ecosystem is "Large River Ecosystems - Under Stress". The conference will explore the protection, restoration and conservation of large rivers. This event will be held on May 13-14-15, 2003, at the NavCanada Conference and Training Centre in Cornwall, Ontario. The keynote speaker is Marq de Villers, author of the Governor General's award winning book "Water".

Abstracts are due January 18, 2003. For more information, contact Christina Collard (613-936-6620; info@riverinstitute.com, or visit www.riverinstitute.com

PROCLAMATION OF CANADIAN RIVERS DAY	Posted June 2002

OTTAWA, June 21, 2002 -- The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps, today signed a Ministerial Proclamation to "declare that the second Sunday of June will be celebrated henceforth as Canadian Rivers Day".

Among the groups calling for an annual Canadian Rivers Day was the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board, comprised of representatives from the Government of Canada and all the provincial and territorial governments. Delegates to the 2001 Canadian Rivers Heritage Conference unanimously endorsed the same concept. The idea was first raised in Parliament by Secretary of State Stephen Owen, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Quadra and carried forward in a Private Member's Motion by Karen Kraft Sloan, Member of Parliament for York North.

The distinguished non-profit organization Rivers Canada, founded by President Dr. David Goranson, has agreed to undertake a leadership role in coordinating nationwide activities for the first Canadian Rivers Day to be celebrated on June 8, 2003.

The very discovery and exploration of Canada was made possible by our country's rivers. Canadian Rivers Day will commemorate that history and promote the natural, cultural and recreational values of Canada's rivers.

"In British Columbia, Canadians have been celebrating BC Rivers Day for over two decades and the day is now the largest rivers-related event in North America. It would be great if a host of Canadians could build on the very wise precedent set by British Columbians by taking active part in Canadian Rivers Day. Rivers are everywhere imprinted on the Canadian landscape. They are an indelible part of our national consciousness and our Canadian identity," said Minister Copps.

The proponents of Canadian Rivers Day stressed the opportunity it will provide to bring Canada's river communities closer together on tangible projects for conservation, interpretation and enjoyment.

A copy of the proclamation is attached.

Information:
Kerry Edmonds
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of
Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-7788

Backgrounder associated with this News Release.

PROCLAMATION

Fresh water is essential to life on earth and Canada is blessed with more than one-fifth of the world's supply.

Our rivers are a vital element of Canada's natural environment and Canadians' cultural heritage.

Rivers are the lifelines to healthy oceans, forests and communities.

Rivers are living threads of history that connect our communities and bind our country.

The Canadian Heritage Rivers Board, jointly established by the Government of Canada and the Governments of the Provinces and Territories, has endorsed the concept of a national day of recognition as a means to celebrate, commemorate and preserve Canada's spectacular rivers.

Therefore, I, Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage, declare that the second Sunday of June will be celebrated henceforth as Canadian Rivers Day.

Canada's rivers represent an enduring spirit of adventure and discovery. They are a continuing source of beauty and joy for all Canadians. Let us ever preserve and be proud of them.

The 3rd Canadian River Heritage Conference	Posted Feb. 2002

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS NOW AVAILABLE for the 3rd Canadian River Heritage Conference! (held in Fredericton, June 3-6, 2001)

Contact:

David Folster 124 St. John Street Fredericton, NB E3B 4A7 Tel. (506) 452-1870 Fax (506) 452-7950 Email treehouse@fundy.net

Building on the River Conferences of 1994 in Peterborough and 1998 in Vancouver, the 2001 CONFERENCE offered a unique opportunity for learning, sharing and discovery. The theme “CARING FOR THE WATERS THAT CONNECT US” set the tone.

Rivers join us to our neighbors upstream and down, and they link us to our past and to our future. Rivers are often borders that divide in a political sense, but in reality they unite us. Rivers give us life, meaning and purpose. For these, and many other reasons, rivers deserve to be honoured, cared for and celebrated. This conference provided an opportunity for those who care, whether from industry, business, public sector, private sector, aboriginal groups or grass roots associations and whether landowners, farmers, writers, anglers, professionals, naturalists, boaters or poets, to gain insight, celebrate and become connected.

The conference was co-hosted by the St. John River Society and the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board. The St. John River Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging environmental and historical stewardship throughout the watershed of the St. John River, including sections in New Brunswick, Quebec and Maine.

Delegates from across Canada, the eastern United States and beyond, came to listen, to learn, and to be inspired. They were not disappointed.

Over the course of the conference, it became clear that rivers do more than connect us. They define us. They shape our history, our culture, and who we are. Peter Pacey, one of New Brunswick’s best-known performers said: “...by caring for rivers, we care for ourselves.” Iona Campagnolo, currently the Chair of the Fraser Basin Council, said in her opening address that “by limiting our rivers, we limit ourselves.”Judge Graydon Nicholas, from the Maliseet Nation, implored us to treat rivers as we would our brother. These speakers, and many others, inspired and energized conference participants to continue to work towards being better river stewards, to give the rivers the care they deserve.

It became clear during the conference that our challenge is to ensure not only that the continued rapid economic and population growth in Canada will not further impair our rivers, but to continue to improve the health of our rivers.

To do this, we, as a society and as river managers, need to encourage people to get out on the rivers, to experience rivers, to take pride in them. We need to bring people and groups together for a common vision – the health of our rivers. We need to look at more participatory ways of governing to facilitate action and remove bureaucratic barriers. We need more research and monitoring to better to understand our river systems and how they are changing.

The conference provided all participants with opportunities to learn about successes from all across North America. Participants left feeling inspired and knowing that we can make a difference. What more could anyone ask for.

Benefits of conferences are difficult to assess in the short term, but this one has already resulted in some positive outcomes. These include the announcement of a $400,000 contribution by the New Brunswick government to the development of a recreational trailway system along the St. John River, a resolution by the St John River Society to pursue Canadian Heritage Rivers status for the upper and lower sections of the St. John River, and a unanimous endorsement by the conference delegates in support of a National Rivers Day.

The next Canadian River Heritage Conference is scheduled to take place in June 2004 at a location and venue soon to be announced.

Peter Pacey, one of New Brunswicks best-known performers, regaling delegates with stories of New Brunswick’s river heritage.

National Rivers Day	Posted Feb. 2002

Our rivers have done much to make us what we are as Canadians. They have molded our identity, culture, and landscape. Our rivers have also played a critical role in linking us together as a country. The tracery of water routes from Atlantic to Pacific to Arctic that carried fur traders, explorers and settlers, provided the transportation and communication routes that allowed the fledging dominion of Canada to survive as a nation. Few countries owe more to its rivers than Canada, and yet we don’t have a national celebration to commemorate our waterways.

British Columbia has celebrated a provincial Rivers Day since 1980. In 2001, more than 100 communities took part, cleaning up garbage, enhancing fish habitat, putting on riverside concerts, giving educational tours of rivers. BC Rivers Day has helped create greater awareness and understanding of rivers in that province, the threats that confront them, their role in history, and their importance in our day to day lives.

A National Rivers Day could generate similar enthusiasm for rivers across Canada. Since February, 1996, the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board has discussed the concept of a National Rivers Day for Canada. The Non-Profit Organization, Rivers Canada, has taken the lead in promoting the concept of a National Rivers Day. At the Third Canadian Rivers Heritage Conference in Fredericton, June, 2001, delegates unanimously endorsed the concept. Shortly after the conference, Member of Parliament Mr. Stephen Owen, tabled Motion 382, stating that “…the Government should recognize the first Sunday of June each year as National Rivers Day.” Motion 382 was tabled again in October, 2001 by Member of Parliament Karen Kraft-Sloan. Despite support by all parties, the motion was deemed “non-votable”, meaning that it would not go forward to a third reading, committee review, and Royal Assent.

Despite this legislative setback, Rivers Canada is continuing to pursue the establishment of a National Rivers Day. For more information, contact Elmer Savoie, elmer@rivcan.ca, or 613-742-6284

Rivers Under Study	Posted Feb. 2002

*To date, ten-year reports are available from the appropriate Board members for the following rivers: Alsek, Athabasca, Clearwater (Sask.), Kazan, Kicking Horse, Mattawa, North Saskatchewan, St. Croix, South Nahanni, and Thelon.

Two northern rivers presently under study are the Coppermine and the Mackenzie. The nomination document has been completed for the Coppermine, while background studies are on-going on the Mackenzie.

Coppermine River

Copper deposits found along the river were important to the first peoples who lived there, who used the metal to make tools, weapons, and jewelry. Many important archaeological sites, distinguished by copper artifacts, such as knives and bracelets, are found along the Coppermine. It was stories of these copper deposits that brought Samuel Hearne to the area in 1771. Hearne’s account of his overland journey to the river, including the massacre of Inuit people by his Chipewyan guides at Bloody Falls, brought the Coppermine into the history books. Other explorers, such as Sir John Franklin, soon followed and the Coppermine became an important exploration and fur trade route. The river continues to support the Inuit subsistence lifestyle. Caribou, muskox, wolverine, wolves, moose, fox and a variety of raptors can be found here. The Coppermine and its environment are essentially unchanged since the first British explorers saw it.

Background studies have been completed and the Nomination Document was presented to the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board at the February 2002 meeting. A decision concerning this nomination is pending. If accepted, the Nunavut government now has three years to present an acceptable management plan for the river to enable formal designation to the CHRS. For more information contact Richard Wyma (Nunavut) (Rwyma@gov.nu.ca).

Mackenzie River

Background studies are being prepared for the Mackenzie River (Deh Cho or “Big River” in Slavey). A nomination document should be ready for presentation to the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board within three years. Inclusion of the Mackenzie River into the Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS) presents unique challenges.

The main stem of the Mackenzie River is 1,800 kms and, when measured to its most remote source, Lake Thutade at the head of the Findlay River, it is, at 4,241 kms, the longest river in Canada, and the second longest in North America after the Mississippi. Its watershed is the largest in Canada, draining an area equal to more than one-sixth of Canada’s land mass, and its discharge is second to that of the St. Lawrence.

Two rivers within the Mackenzie watershed, the Arctic Red and the South Nahanni, are already represented in the CHRS. The Athabasca is also being considered. Within the Mackenzie drainage are numerous outstanding natural and cultural heritage resources: critical wildlife habitats, sand dunes, freshwater deltas, and sites of historic significance.

Given that the Mackenzie is so big and encompasses such a diverse range of values, the question is how best to represent these in the CHRS. One suggestion is to commemorate and protect certain outstanding natural and cultural features within the watershed by nominating several distinct river segments within the watershed, rather than the entire river.

For more information contact Gerry LePrieur (NWT) (gerry_leprieur@gov.nt.ca).

Rideau River Biodiversity Project	Posted Feb. 2002

The Rideau River, designated as a Canadian Heritage River in 2000, is a living laboratory for a unique environmental study. The Rideau River Biodiversity Project, spearheaded by the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) and local partners, aims to give the Rideau a complete environmental checkup. A multi-disciplinary team of researchers from the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) and the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), led by Dr. Michel Poulin, is looking at the current status of aquatic plants, water chemistry, algae, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, molluscs and bottom-dwelling invertebrates.

To a large extent the economic health and the social well-being of the people who live by a river depends on the health of river’s natural environment. The ecosystem approach that the CMN and CWS scientists are taking with this project recognizes the complexity and interconnectedness of the different elements of our environment (the air, land, water and living organisms, including human beings) and encourages a truly creative collaboration between scientists, governments, businesses, local residents and visitors. Museum and Canadian Wildlife Service scientists are working with the community to evaluate the river's ecological health and to reconcile local uses of the river with long-term, sustainable management of the river's biodiversity.

Community involvement is the heart of the Rideau River Biodiversity Project. Museum researchers and people from communities along the river are equal partners in all aspects of the project. Together they refine the research objectives, get out there and take samples, count species and then work out a plan that will ensure long-term community commitment to the river's biodiversity.

The Rideau River Biodiversity Project offers opportunities to learn about the wildlife and plants of the Rideau River, about local and global biodiversity issues, and about what you can do to keep the planet healthy.

Every Canadian Heritage River should have a project like this. For more information on the Rideau River Biodiversity Project, visit their website at www.nature.ca/research/rrbp_e.cfm

Videos on Rivers	Posted Feb. 2002

Great Canadian Rivers Series:

The second season of Great Canadian Rivers is being broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the winter/spring of 2002.

The series began on New Years Day, 2001, with an episode on British Columbia’s magnificent Stikine River. A total of 13 episodes were broadcast in 2001, featuring ten Canadian Heritage Rivers, as well two rivers, the Stikine and Coppermine, which are under study for future nomination to the system. The first year of the series was considered to be highly successful. The popularity of the series certainly raised the profile of the featured Canadian Heritage Rivers and of the CHRS program.

The series is produced by Good Earth Productions, the same company that was responsible for the highly acclaimed Great Canadian Parks series. The narrator for the Great Canadian Rivers series is the well-known Canadian actor and singer Tom Jackson. The CHRS has not contributed financially to the series, but national office and individual jurisdictions have provided advice and in-kind support wherever possible. This arrangement has worked very well. In the second season, the series features four rivers nominated or designated to the CHRS (Cowichan, BC; Clearwater, Alberta/Saskatchewan; Hillsborough, PEI; Main, Nfld), and one river (the mighty Mackenzie) currently under study for addition to the system.

Schedule of programs for 2002:

The rivers may be frozen, but everyone can take a vicarious trip on a Great Canadian River. Check out their website at www.goodearthproductions.com.

River Events: River Festival Down Under	Posted Feb. 2002

In September, 2000, the Grand River Conservation Authority was awarded the international Thiess Services Riverprize, the world’s most prestigious award for excellence in river management. The Riverprize is awarded during the week-long Brisbane Riverfestival. If you know of a river conservation project you feel is worthy of being considered for the prize, nominations for the fourth Riverprize, to be awarded at the Brisbane Riverfestival, September 3-6, 2002, are accepted up to March 29.

Even if you don’t apply for the Riverprize, this would be a great festival to attend. It is both a celebration of rivers and a forum for serious discussion of river issues. The Riversymposium, held in conjuction with the Riverfestival, is an opportunity for river managers, scientists, politicians, community groups and industry members to exchange knowledge and ideas and collectively address current river issues. Riversymposium highlights world best practices in river management and provides an international science and management forum for research and policy development. Check out their website at www.riverfestival.com/au

Rivers Featured For Geography Awareness Week	Posted Feb. 2002

Rivers were the focus of Geography Awareness Week, November 11-17, 2001. The CHRS cooperated with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the Canadian Council on Geographical Education to raise awareness of the importance of rivers to Canada to Canadian students. Visit their website at www.ccge.org

Grand River the Theme of the 2002 Waterloo County Quilt Festival	Posted Feb. 2002

The Waterloo County Quilt Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the world. The main goals of this year’s festival are to celebrate the rich natural and human resources of the Grand River Watershed through quilting, and to create awareness of the Grand River as a Canadian Heritage River. The Festival takes place may 16-26 at the Grand River Conservation Authority Headquarters in Cambridge.

Selected quilts with the Heritage River theme will be displayed throughout Ontario and beyond during 2003 and 2004.

For more information: E-mail: info@quiltcapitalfestival.com, or visit the website at www.quiltcapitalfestival.com

Discovering Adventure on Canadian Heritage Rivers Retracing Alexander Mackenzie’s Route:	Posted Feb. 2002

During the summers of 1997,1998, and 1999, Max Finkelstein, Communications and Marketing Officer with the CHRS, paddled from his home in Ottawa on the Ottawa River (just upstream from the CHRS offices in Gatineau;, Quebec), to the Pacific coast, a journey of more than 7,000 km that included seven Canadian Heritage Rivers: the Mattawa, French, St. Marys, Boundary Waters-Voyageur Waterway, Fraser Clearwater, and Churchill, and quite likely other Heritage Rivers yet to be nominated. This remarkable journey retraced Alexander Mackenzie’s historic first crossing of North America. Mackenzie reached the Pacifc in 1793.

Mackenzie’s route was officially proclaimed in 1997 as the Alexander Mackenzie Voyageur Route. Despite this, the route remains largely unknown to paddlers and to Canadians.

Finkelstein hopes to change this. His 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 events and conferences, including the North American Water Trails Conference and the 3rd Canadian River Heritage Conference in Peterborough. 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.

Now you can read all about Max’s adventures and see his photographs in his new book:

Canoeing a Continent:
In the Wake of Alexander Mackenzie
Published by Natural Heritage Books, April, 2002
$24.95
natherbooks@idirect.com

Max’s book is not just a travelogue of a canoe trip across Canada, but an account that crosses more than two centuries. It is an exploration into the heart and mind of Mackenzie, the explorer and fur trader, and Max, the “voyageur-in-training”.

A video on Max’s adventures is currently in production.

Click here to get view a PDF version of the order form.