News

The species of bull trout, which were once widespread and abundant across western and northern Canada, are now in decline. As part of a long-term recovery strategy, significant parts of the North Saskatchewan River in Banff National Park are now officially designated as critical habitat for bull trout based on features that are all essential to sustaining bull trout populations at all life stages.

After years of discussion, in August 2022, the nomination of the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta was announced and paves the way to achieve the long sought-after heritage designation. The North Saskatchewan River reflects the qualities the Canadian Heritage River System hold and the Heritage River status will connect diverse partners and serve towards the implementation of a long-term vision for river management.

The Wolastopq | St. John River was traditionally travelled and navigated by steamboat. The St. John River Society recently received funding from the Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF) to fix wharves along the St. John River, securing the wharves and river access for another generation.

We asked 2021 Canadian River Heritage Award winner, Bobbi Rose Koe, to share her thoughts on the Peel River watershed, her home, and what this place means to her.

The Canadian Heritage River System hosted its second Freshwater Leaders Learning Session on May 31, 2022. This session was focused on flood management and included presentations from the Fraser Basin Council, New Brunswick Environment and Local Government, and the Red River Basin Council.

Being located within a vast expanse of forest, the Bloodvein river corridor (or portions of it) is periodically subject to naturally occurring wildland fires. This was the case in the summer of 2021, when Manitoba, Ontario and other areas of North America experienced a particularly challenging wildland fire season.

In June of 1971, some two dozen young canoeists camped out on the shore of Lake Laberge on the Yukon River waiting for the ice to clear. The ice was delaying the 640 km downriver trip to Dawson City, which marked the beginning of Parks Canada’s Wild Rivers Survey. Although it could not have been known at the time, the trip became the precursor of the Canadian Heritage River System.

It’s hard to believe that two decades have passed since the Detroit River became the first and only river in North America to be designated as a Canadian and American heritage river. Now, 20 years later, the values for which the Detroit River was designated continue to be conserved, enhanced, and appreciated.

The Canadian Heritage Rivers Board in partnership with the Canadian Canoe Museum honour mother, river woman, and proud Teetl’it Gwitch’in business woman Bobbi Rose Koe with the 2021 Canadian River Heritage Award.

A recap of our Freshwater Leaders Learning Session with presentations from the Canadian Council for Invasive Species, the Indigenous Guardians Pilot Program, and the Canada Water Agency.