Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
engaging communities and partners in maximizing the full range of ben-
efits associated with the CHR program to be achieved by supporting a
range of formal and informal partnerships; and
fostering excellence in river management with the CHRS becoming an
exemplar international model of cooperative rivers and an essential com-
ponent of sustainable living. (Parks Canada, 1997)
There has been some scholarly attention devoted to heritage rivers in
Canada, less so from a recreational use and heritage tourism perspective,
having more to do with water management instead. Some exceptions include
early research by Butler et al. (1995), who developed the POLAR model as a
system of managing the recreational capacity of Canadian Heritage Rivers.
They applied the model on the Churchill River in northern Saskatchewan, a
river whose watercourse within Saskatchewan would not be officially desig-
nated with heritage status until 1998. One of the rivers in Ontario, the Grand
River, was researched by Krause et al. (2001), who examined the Grand River
Conservation Authority as an example of broad-based management, involv-
ing innovative partnerships. Examining the system at a national scale, Boyd
(2002) assessed the role that the CHRS plays within the broader context of
Canada's other systems of protected heritage places, including national
parks, historic sites and canals. Over a decade ago, he stressed that these
linear heritage and recreational spaces deserved more academic attention,
repeating this call for research as the rivers offered unique opportunities to
market new tourism and recreation attractions (Boyd, 2008).
It is therefore fitting that heritage rivers are included in this topic, as
many of them have been nominated predominantly for their recreational
use, attracting many kayakers and canoeists on the water and providing
walking, hiking and sightseeing trails along their banks. For instance, the
Humber Valley, home of the Humber River, has 175 km of trails. The entire
Humber watershed region is home to many trails, including the Humber
Valley Heritage Trail, the world-renowned Bruce Trail, the Great Pine Ridge
Equestrian Trail, the Caledon Trailway/Trans Canada Trail, the Oak Ridges
Moraine Trail and the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail. This example demon-
strates the high degree of connectedness between both water trails (rivers)
and walking and multi-use trails within a wider fluvial catchment area.
Rails-to-Trails
The chapters of this topic have so far already discussed many issues
related to rail-trails in the US. However, the establishment and purpose of
this program are worth noting again in this section.
In the late 1800s, US states enacted laws that granted railroads full
authority to seize land for railway development. Landowners could either
sell the land to the railroad or have it forcefully appropriated via eminent
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