Planning and Developing Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 169

support and an assurance that measures are in place to protect the values for
which the river was nominated. For a river to become part of the CHRS, a
two-level process must be completed. First, the nomination process involves
five steps: inquiry, research, background study, production of nomination
documents, and review and approval. The second level is the designation
process, which requires a drafted heritage strategy/management plan and a
final review and approval.
The CHRS has gone from the designation of six rivers between 1986 and
1989, totaling 793 km (predominantly in the north and west within provin-
cial and federal protected areas), adding an additional 18 rivers and 5699 km
to the system (the majority of these outside of designated protected land-
scapes) by the end of 1999. Since 2000, 13 more rivers have been adjoined to
the system, with 2540 km of new riverine length, again with most of these
lying outside officially protected and designated landscapes. With four rivers
further nominated, the system comprises 41 rivers with a combined length
of approximately 11,000 km (see Table 6.2). When the first three rivers were
authorized in 1986, there were early discussions about building a system
with heritage rivers in each province and territory. This was expressed in the
First Strategic Plan of the CHRS, which covered the period 1984-1994.
Unlike the development of a systems approach to Canada's national parks,
which was at first ad hoc and later followed some strategic representation
across all of Canada's regions (Boyd & Butler, 2000, 2009), there was a much
clearer vision behind the development of a 'system' of heritage rivers. In the
second strategic plan (1995-2006) the focus was building value and recogni-
tion in the system as well as sustaining river heritage. A report by Canadian
Heritage Rivers Board (1997) observed that the CHRS board expected ben-
efits and economic impacts associated with heritage rivers to contribute more
than CAD$32 million to the economy each year. The current strategic plan
(2008-2018) views the system as a clear expression of Canada's history, land-
scapes and way of living by Canadians in all parts of the nation. This model
of stewardship engages Canadian society in valuing the heritage of rivers and
river communities as essential to their identity, health and quality of life.
In achieving this vision, the board is guided by seven principles, including
recognition, respect, voluntary participation, leadership, collaboration and
partnerships, integrity and sustainability. Four overriding goals were estab-
lished for the 2008-2018 timeframe:

• achieving a comprehensive system that represents the full range of natu-

ral, cultural and recreational values important to Canadians by address-
ing gaps in the current system that are either thematic or geographic;

• conserving the natural, cultural and recreational values and integrity of

designated Canadian Heritage Rivers by ensuring that by 2018 all desig-
nated rivers will be monitored and effectively managed by empowering
communities living along each river's course;