British Columbia Archaeological Resource
Management Handbook
Archaeological resources consist of the physical remains of past human activity. The scientific study of these
remains, through the methods and techniques employed in the discipline of archaeology, is essential to the
understanding and appreciation of prehistoric and historic cultural development in British Columbia. These
resources may be of regional, provincial, national or international significance.
Some examples of archaeological resources include: an 8,000 year old campsite in the Fraser River Canyon,
an 18th century fur trade fort on the Peace River, a 19th century coking oven in the East Kootenays, and a
19th century shipwreck off the West Coast.
These resources are often very susceptible to disturbance and are non-renewable and finite in number.
This Handbook is a summary of the Archaeological Impact Assessment
and review process in British Columbia. This process applies principally to
development projects which, by virtue of their scale, location, extent of impact, administrative or jurisdictional
complexity, or other factors, are subject to British Columbia's environmental impact assessment and review
processes. However, the Archaeological Impact Assessment and review process also applies, with minor
modification, to all other developments.
A particularly important characteristic of the process is its flexibility. It is not intended as
a "cookbook" approach to all development projects. Although certain categories of information are needed
for decision making, each archaeological study must be tailored to meet specific project characteristics and
needs.
The extent of work, particularly in the preliminary stages of project planning, needs to be coordinated with the
proponent's level of commitment to the project. Representatives of the Archaeology Branch will meet directly
with the proponent to provide project-specific clarification and interpretation of the process
where necessary. Depending on the project, considerable flexibility can be expected in the staging of impact
assessment and management studies, the level of detail at which these studies are undertaken, and the
reporting requirements.
Archaeological assessment and review procedures are under continual review, and may be modified or
altered as the provincial government's overall environmental impact assessment and review process
evolves.
Province of British Columbia
MINISTRY OF SMALL BUSINESS, TOURISM AND CULTURE
ARCHAEOLOGY BRANCH
Originally Published 1990
Archaeology Branch
Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, B.C.
V8V 1X4
Copies of this document are available from:
Archaeology Branch
PO Box 9816, Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9W3
REVISED FEBRUARY 1998
Next Page >> |
