DOCSLIB.ORG

Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Morice Land and Resource Management Plan A Component of British Columbia’s Land Use Strategy Socio‐Economic & Environmental Assessment Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Integrated Land Management Bureau June 2008 Reporting Date This Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment (SEEA) report was prepared in February 2007 based on data extracted from a socio-economic assessment (SEA) report and environmental risk assessment (ERA) completed in 2004, and analyses and updates undertaken in August 2006. It was undertaken to support decision making on the Morice LRMP announced in July 2007. Acknowledgments The SEA part of the report and the integration of the SEA and ERA into the SEEA were prepared by Pierce Lefebvre Consulting for the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB). The ERA was prepared by Allan Edie and Associates for the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, and ILMB. Direction and editorial input on the SEEA was provided by Jim Johnston and Ian McLachlan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Crown Land Administration Division and Geoff Recknell of the Integrated Land Management Bureau. Valuable comments on SEEA drafts were provided by Steve Gordon, Norman Marcy and Sara Dickinson. In addition to the work by Pierce Lefebvre Consulting and Allan Edie and Associates this SEEA report draws heavily on two sources of data: firstly GIS data, maps and assistance supplied by William Elliot of GeoBorealis and Loretta Malkow of the ILMB-GEOBC Spatial Analytical Services Branch; and secondly timber supply analyses conducted by Andrew Fall of Gowlland Technologies. A number of sector representatives were interviewed and greatly assisted the assessment. In developing the socio-economic estimates prepared for this study, the consultants have made several forecasts and assumptions utilizing information gathered under the time and resource constraints imposed on this study. Socio-economic impact assessments are subject to a high degree of uncertainty, particularly as forecasts extend over periods of several decades. The forecasts and assumptions utilized herein are thought to be reasonable and suitable for the purposes of this analysis, but should not be relied upon for other purposes. The analysis was carried out in general accordance with the methods and requirements presented in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands document titled Guidelines for Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment (SEEA). Pierce Lefebvre Consulting 3705 West 18th Ave. Vancouver, BC V6S 1B3 Tel: (604) 224-0648 Fax: (604) 224-5722 [email protected] Pierce Lefebvre Consulting Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment of the Morice Land and Resource Management Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................i 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 OVERVIEW OF MORICE PLAN AREA POPULATION AND ECONOMY ......................................... 2 1.3 KEY ELEMENTS OF THE MORICE LRMP............................................................................... 4 2 PRIMARY INDUSTRIAL SECTOR IMPLICATIONS............................................................... 8 2.1 FORESTRY ......................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.1 Forest Industry Overview .......................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 LRMP Resource Management Zones and Timber Harvesting Land Base.............. 10 2.1.3 LRMP Benefits to the Forest Sector........................................................................ 11 2.1.4 Potential Timber Supply Volume Impacts of the LRMP........................................... 12 2.1.5 Socio-Economic Impacts Associated with Reduced Timber Harvest Flows............ 14 2.1.6 Potential Timber Supply Volume Impacts of Water Management Area .................. 17 2.1.7 Potential Timber Harvesting Cost Impacts .............................................................. 17 2.2 MINERALS ........................................................................................................................ 19 2.3 AGRICULTURE .................................................................................................................. 24 2.3.1 LRMP Implications for Agriculture ........................................................................... 25 2.4 ENERGY........................................................................................................................... 26 2.4.1 Oil and Gas................................................................................................................ 26 2.4.2 Hydroelectric Power ................................................................................................ 27 2.5 TRAPPING ........................................................................................................................ 28 2.6 BOTANICAL FOREST PRODUCTS........................................................................................ 28 3 BACKCOUNTRY TOURISM IMPLICATIONS ...................................................................... 30 3.1 OVERVIEW OF BACKCOUNTRY TOURISM............................................................................ 30 3.2 BASE CASE MANAGEMENT REGIME................................................................................... 30 3.3 LRMP IMPLICATIONS FOR BACKCOUNTRY TOURISM .......................................................... 31 3.3.1 LRMP Implications for Guide-Outfitting ................................................................... 32 3.3.2 LRMP Implications for Guided Angling.................................................................... 34 3.3.3 LRMP Implications for Other Adventure Tourism.................................................... 36 3.3.4 LRMP Implications for Tourism Potential ................................................................ 37 4 RECREATION ACTIVITIES IMPLICATIONS........................................................................ 39 4.1 OVERVIEW OF RECREATION ACTIVITIES ............................................................................ 39 4.2 BASE CASE MANAGEMENT REGIME................................................................................... 41 4.3 LRMP IMPLICATIONS FOR THE RECREATION SECTOR ........................................................ 41 5 PLAN AREA COMMUNITIES/ SETTLEMENTS IMPLICATIONS ........................................ 44 5.1 OVERVIEW OF PLAN AREA COMMUNITIES/ SETTLEMENTS .................................................. 44 5.2 FORESTRY IMPLICATIONS OF THE LRMP FOR PLAN AREA COMMUNITIES/ SETTLEMENTS.... 45 Pierce Lefebvre Consulting 5.3 OTHER IMPLICATIONS OF THE LRMP FOR PLAN AREA COMMUNITIES/ SETTLEMENTS ......... 48 6 SPECIFIC FIRST NATIONS IMPLICATIONS ....................................................................... 51 6.1 OVERVIEW OF FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITIES .................................................................... 51 6.2 BASE CASE MANAGEMENT REGIME................................................................................... 52 6.3 LRMP IMPLICATIONS FOR FIRST NATIONS......................................................................... 53 6.3.1 Area Statistics for First Nations Cultural Values...................................................... 53 6.3.2 Implications of General Management Direction....................................................... 54 6.3.3 Implications of Protected Areas and Area Specific Management Zones................. 55 7 ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES IMPLICATIONS ..................................................................... 57 7.1 ECOSYSTEM REPRESENTATION ........................................................................................ 58 7.2 RISK TO ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES .................................................................................... 59 8 INTEGRATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS.......... 65 9 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................... 75 9.1 NET ECONOMIC VALUE IMPLICATIONS ............................................................................... 75 9.2 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPLICATIONS.......................................................................... 75 9.3 SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS....................................................................................................... 76 9.4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................................ 76 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Distribution of THLB Across Morice LRMP Management Zones............................. 10 Table 2 Socio-Economic Impacts Associated with a Decline in Morice TSA Harvest Flows 16 Table 3 Existing and Past Metallic Mineral Activity in Morice LRMP Protected Areas......... 21 Table 4 Indicators of Metallic Mineral Potential in Morice LRMP Protected Areas .............. 22 Table 5 Metallic Mineral Indictors in Morice LRMP Water Management Area ..................... 23 Table 6 Morice LRMP Selected Area Statistics for Agriculture ............................................ 25 Table 7 Target Area of Land Available for Expansion of Agriculture
Recommended publications
  • Submission To: Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel

    Submission To: Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel

    Submission to: Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel This report was produced by the Office of Wet’suwet’en Natural Resources Department on behalf of all past and present Wet’suwet’en. This report was produced under serious time, money, and capacity constraints. Until such time as Wet’suwet’en title and rights are formally recognized or a treaty successfully concluded with the Crown, the statement of Wet’suwet’en title and rights and their potential infringements must, as the Supreme Court of Canada said in Haida Nation, constitute an interim and preliminary statement of Wet’suwet’en title and rights, not a final one. The Office of the Wet’suwet’en retains all copyright and ownership rights to this submission, which cannot be utilized without written permission. © 2011 The Office of the Wet’suwet’en. 2 | Page Submission to Northern Gateway JRP Submission Summary 1.0 Scope & Approach 1. The Office of the Wet’suwet’en (OW) presents this submission to the Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel. This submission is a component of the Wet’suwet’en response in respect of the proposed Northern Gateway project within Wet’suwet’en territory. 2. The Wet’suwet’en are stewards of the land. They are here to protect their traditional territories and to ensure that future generations of Wet’suwet’en are able to live and benefit from all that their ancestral land provides. The Wet’suwet’en are not opposed to commercial and economic development on their traditional territories as long as the proper cultural protocol is followed and respect given.
  • Conserving Skeena Fish Populations and Their Habitat 2002

    Conserving Skeena Fish Populations and Their Habitat 2002

    Conserving Skeena Fish Populations and their Habitat Allen S. Gottesfeld, Ken A. Rabnett, and Peter E. Hall November, 2002 Skeena Fisheries Commission Box 229, Hazelton, BC 250 842-5670 © Skeena Fisheries Commission 2002 The authors’ opinions do not necessarily reflect the policies of the Skeena Fisheries Commission. Comments, corrections, omissions, and information updates are welcome and may be forwarded to the authors. Cover: Coho at Stephens Creek, Kispiox Watershed September 2001. Photo Credit: A. S. Gottesfeld Back Cover: Skeena Watershed Map, Scale 1:2,000,000 Cartography by Gordon Wilson, Gitxsan Watershed A uthorities GIS Dept. Skeena Stage I Watershed-based Fish Sustainability Plan Conserving Skeena Fish Populations and Their Habitat Allen S. Gottesfeld, Ken A. Rabnett, and Peter E. Hall Skeena Fisheries Commission Table of Contents Abstract...................................................................................................................1 The Skeena WFSP Process.....................................................................................2 Context................................................................................................................2 Scope.......................................................................................................................3 Skeena WFSP Planning Process.............................................................................4 Stage I: Establishing Skeena Watershed Priorities.................................................5 Biophysical Profile:
  • COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Caribou Rangifer

    COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Caribou Rangifer

    COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Caribou Rangifer tarandus Northern Mountain population Central Mountain population Southern Mountain population in Canada Northern Mountain population - SPECIAL CONCERN Central Mountain population - ENDANGERED Southern Mountain population - ENDANGERED 2014 COSEWIC status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk. This report may be cited as follows: COSEWIC. 2014. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Caribou Rangifer tarandus, Northern Mountain population, Central Mountain population and Southern Mountain population in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xxii + 113 pp. (www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default_e.cfm). Previous report(s): COSEWIC. 2002. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xi + 98 pp. (Species at Risk Status Reports) Thomas, D.C., and D.R. Gray. 2002. Update COSEWIC status report on the woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou in Canada, in COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the Woodland Caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-98 pp. Kelsall, J.P. 1984. COSEWIC status report on the woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 103 pp. Production note: COSEWIC would like to acknowledge Deborah Cichowski for writing the status report on Caribou Rangifer tarandus, Northern Mountain population, Central Mountain population and Southern Mountain population in Canada, prepared under contract with Environment Canada. This status report was overseen and edited by Justina Ray, Co-chair of the COSEWIC Terrestrial Mammals Specialist Subcommittee.
  • Landforms of British Columbia 1976

    Landforms of British Columbia 1976

    Landforms of British Columbia A Physiographic Outline bY Bulletin 48 Stuart S. Holland 1976 FOREWORD British Columbia has more variety in its climate and scenery than any other Province of Canada. The mildness and wetness of the southern coast is in sharp contrast with the extreme dryness of the desert areas in the interior and the harshness of subarctic conditions in the northernmost parts. Moreover, in every part, climate and vegetation vary with altitude and to a lesser extent with configuration of the land. Although the Province includes almost a thousand-mile length of one of the world’s greatest mountain chains, that which borders the north Pacitic Ocean, it is not all mountainous but contains a variety of lowlands and intermontane areas. Because of the abundance of mountains, and because of its short history of settlement, a good deal of British Columbia is almost uninhabited and almost unknown. However, the concept of accessibility has changed profoundly in the past 20 years, owing largely to the use of aircraft and particularly the helicopter. There is now complete coverage by air photography, and by far the largest part of the Province has been mapped topographically and geologically. In the same period of time the highways have been very greatly improved, and the secondary roads are much more numerous. The averagecitizen is much more aware of his Province, but, although knowledge has greatly improved with access,many misconceptions remain on the part of the general public as to the precise meaning even of such names as Cascade Mountains, Fraser Plateau, and many others.
  • <Original Signed By>

    <Original Signed By>

    Hillslope and Fluvial Processes Along the Proposed Pipeline Corridor, Burns Lake to Kitimat, West Central British Columbia James W. Schwab P.Geo., Eng.L. Prepared by: James W. Schwab P.Geo., Eng.L. Geomorphologist Prepared for: Bulkley Valley Centre for Natural Resources Research & Management Smithers, B.C. Prepared: September, 2011 THIS DOCUMENT HAS RECEIVED AN INDEPENDENT PEER REVIEW Table of Contents Table of Contents .............................................................................. ii List of Figures ................................................................................... iii Executive Summary .......................................................................... iv 1 Introduction ................................................................................... 1 1.1 Regional Setting ....................................................................... 1 1.2 Physiographic Regions ............................................................. 2 1.2.1 Nechako Plateau ........................................................................... 3 1.2.2 Hazelton Mountains ...................................................................... 3 1.2.3 Kitimat Ranges ............................................................................. 3 2 Hillslope and Fluvial Processes ....................................................... 4 2.1 Nechako Plateau ....................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Burns Lake to the Morice River ....................................................
  • An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Tahltan Subsistence and Settlement Patterns

    An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Tahltan Subsistence and Settlement Patterns

    AN ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY OF TAHLTAN SUBSISTENCE AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS Sylvia Louise Albright B.A. (Hons.), University of British Columbia, 1977 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Archaeology Sylvia Louise Albright SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY December 1982 All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Sylvia Louise Albright Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Tahltan Subsistence and Settlement Patterns Examining Committee : Chairperson: Richard Shutler, Jr. Brian Hayden Senior Supervisor Mark Skinner Michael Kew Externa 1 Examiner Professor Department of Anthopology & Sociology University of British Columbia --PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a reqbest from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or pub lication of this work for financial gain sha II not be allowed w i thout my written permission. Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Tahltan Author: v - .. E 1signature) Sylvia A.
  • Hillslope and Fluvial Processes Along the Proposed Pipeline Corridor, Burns Lake to Kitimat, West Central British Columbia

    Hillslope and Fluvial Processes Along the Proposed Pipeline Corridor, Burns Lake to Kitimat, West Central British Columbia

    (A40500) Hillslope and Fluvial Processes Along the Proposed Pipeline Corridor, Burns Lake to Kitimat, West Central British Columbia James W. Schwab P.Geo., Eng.L. Prepared by: James W. Schwab P.Geo., Eng.L. Geomorphologist [email protected] Prepared for: Bulkley Valley Centre for Natural Resources Research & Management Smithers, B.C. Prepared: September, 2011 THIS DOCUMENT HAS RECEIVED AN INDEPENDENT PEER REVIEW (A40500) Table of Contents Table of Contents .............................................................................. ii List of Figures ................................................................................... iii Executive Summary .......................................................................... iv 1 Introduction ................................................................................... 1 1.1 Regional Setting ....................................................................... 1 1.2 Physiographic Regions ............................................................. 2 1.2.1 Nechako Plateau ........................................................................... 3 1.2.2 Hazelton Mountains ...................................................................... 3 1.2.3 Kitimat Ranges ............................................................................. 3 2 Hillslope and Fluvial Processes ....................................................... 4 2.1 Nechako Plateau ....................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Burns Lake to the Morice River ....................................................
  • Hillslope and Fluvial Processes Along the Proposed Pipeline Corridor, Burns Lake to Kitimat, West Central British Columbia

    Hillslope and Fluvial Processes Along the Proposed Pipeline Corridor, Burns Lake to Kitimat, West Central British Columbia

    Hillslope and Fluvial Processes Along the Proposed Pipeline Corridor, Burns Lake to Kitimat, West Central British Columbia James W. Schwab P.Geo., Eng.L. Prepared by: James W. Schwab P.Geo., Eng.L. Geomorphologist [email protected] Prepared for: Bulkley Valley Centre for Natural Resources Research & Management Smithers, B.C. Prepared: September, 2011 THIS DOCUMENT HAS RECEIVED AN INDEPENDENT PEER REVIEW Table of Contents Table of Contents .............................................................................. ii List of Figures ................................................................................... iii Executive Summary .......................................................................... iv 1 Introduction ................................................................................... 1 1.1 Regional Setting ....................................................................... 1 1.2 Physiographic Regions ............................................................. 2 1.2.1 Nechako Plateau ........................................................................... 3 1.2.2 Hazelton Mountains ...................................................................... 3 1.2.3 Kitimat Ranges ............................................................................. 3 2 Hillslope and Fluvial Processes ....................................................... 4 2.1 Nechako Plateau ....................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Burns Lake to the Morice River ....................................................
  • Survey of Canada

    Survey of Canada

    -55 ft' 55 GEOLOGICAL PAPER 68-55 SURVEY OF CANADA DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, MINES AND RESOURCES GEOLOGY OF JENNINGS RIVER MAP-AREA, BRITISH COLUMBIA (104-0) (Report, figure and Map 18-1968) H. Gabrielse llANUScRIPI' AND CARTOGRAPHY SEP . 4 1969 SECTION GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA CANADA PAPER 68-55 GEOLOGY OF JENNINGS RIVER MAP-AREA, BRITISH COLUMBIA (l 04- 0) H. Gabrielse DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, MINES AND RESOURCES ~0uJ (; i (-r o ;,,u .-f @ Crown Copyrights reserved Available by mail from the Queen's Printer, Ottawa, from Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth St., Ottawa, and at the following Canadian Government bookshops: HALIFAX 1735 Barrington Street MONTREAL IEterna-Yie Building, 1182 St. Catherine Street West OTTAWA Daly Building, Corner Mackenzie and Rideau TORONTO 221 Yonge Street WINNIPEG Mall Center Building, 499 Portage Avenue VANCOUVER 657 Granville Street or through your bookseller Price: $1. 50 Catalogue No. M44-68-55 Price subject to change without notice The Queen's Printer Ottawa, Canada 1969 - iii - CONTENTS Page Abstract . v Introduction Previous work and acknowledgments ....................... Phy sic al features .. ......... ... ... ...... .. ... ...... ......... 2 Glaciation . .............................................. 3 General geology ........................... .......... .. ... 3 Table of formati ons . .................. ............ .. .. 4 Hadrynian and Lower Cambrian ........................... 6 Good Hope and Atan groups (unit 1) .................... 6 Cambrian and Ordovician ...............................
  • Morice LRMP Is Consistent with Provincial Government Policy for Land Use Planning and the New Relationship Between the Province of BC and First Nations

    Morice LRMP Is Consistent with Provincial Government Policy for Land Use Planning and the New Relationship Between the Province of BC and First Nations

    Morice Land and Resource Management Plan A Component of British Columbia’s Land Use Strategy Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Integrated Land Management Bureau February 2007 Morice Land and Resource Management Plan Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Integrated Land Management Bureau February 2007 Executive Summary The Morice Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) encompasses approximately 1.5 million hectares in central northwestern British Columbia. The plan reflects the outcomes of two important processes: a two-year sector-based negotiation process that involved representation by 15 public and provincial government sectors and two First Nations. This process resulted in consensus agreement on a set of recommendations for the sustainable management of Crown land and resources for the plan area; and the Office of the Wet’suwet’en abstained from the consensus agreement, choosing to further their discussions through subsequent government-to-government negotiations with the Province. Lake Babine Nation/Nedo’ats Hereditary Chiefs and Yekooche First Nation also participated in government-to-government negotiations. The Morice LRMP is consistent with provincial government policy for land use planning and the New Relationship between the Province of BC and First Nations. There are four main sections to the plan: General Management Direction, Area Specific Management Direction, Protected Areas, and Implementation, Monitoring and Amendment. General Management Direction The General Management Direction applies to all values and resources on
  • Submission To: BC EAO and Coastal Gaslink Pipeline Picture: Upper Clore River Courtesy of the Office of the Wet’Suwet’En

    Submission To: BC EAO and Coastal Gaslink Pipeline Picture: Upper Clore River Courtesy of the Office of the Wet’Suwet’En

    Submission to: BC EAO and Coastal GasLink Pipeline Picture: Upper Clore River courtesy of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en This report was produced by the Office of Wet’suwet’en Natural Resources Department on behalf of all past and present Wet’suwet’en. Until such time as Wet’suwet’en title and rights are formally recognized or a treaty successfully concluded with the Crown, the statement of Wet’suwet’en title and rights and their potential infringements must, as the Supreme Court of Canada said in Haida Nation, constitute an interim and preliminary statement of Wet’suwet’en title and rights, not a final one. The Office of the Wet’suwet’en retains all copyright and ownership rights to this submission, which cannot be utilized without written permission. © 2014 The Office of the Wet’suwet’en. Submission Summary 1.0 Scope & Approach 1. The Office of the Wet’suwet’en (OW) presents this submission to British Columbia Environmental Assessment Agency (BC EAO). This submission is a component of the Wet’suwet’en response in respect of the proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline project within Wet’suwet’en territory. 2. The Wet’suwet’en are stewards of the land. They are here to protect their traditional territories and to ensure that future generations of Wet’suwet’en are able to live and benefit from all that their ancestral land provides. The Wet’suwet’en are not opposed to commercial and economic development on their traditional territories as long as the proper cultural protocol is followed and respect given. The Wet’suwet’en insist that every effort is made to ensure the protection of their traditional territories from environmental damage.
  • Landforms of British Columbia 1976

    Landforms of British Columbia 1976

    Landforms of British Columbia A Physiographic Outline bY Bulletin 48 Stuart S. Holland 1976 FOREWORD British Columbia has more variety in its climate and scenery than any other Province of Canada. The mildness and wetness of the southern coast is in sharp contrast with the extreme dryness of the desert areas in the interior and the harshness of subarctic conditions in the northernmost parts. Moreover, in every part, climate and vegetation vary with altitude and to a lesser extent with configuration of the land. Although the Province includes almost a thousand-mile length of one of the world’s greatest mountain chains, that which borders the north Pacitic Ocean, it is not all mountainous but contains a variety of lowlands and intermontane areas. Because of the abundance of mountains, and because of its short history of settlement, a good deal of British Columbia is almost uninhabited and almost unknown. However, the concept of accessibility has changed profoundly in the past 20 years, owing largely to the use of aircraft and particularly the helicopter. There is now complete coverage by air photography, and by far the largest part of the Province has been mapped topographically and geologically. In the same period of time the highways have been very greatly improved, and the secondary roads are much more numerous. The averagecitizen is much more aware of his Province, but, although knowledge has greatly improved with access,many misconceptions remain on the part of the general public as to the precise meaning even of such names as Cascade Mountains, Fraser Plateau, and many others.