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Heritage Preservation

Heritage and cultural heritage is a value that is important to First Nations, islanders, and all British Columbians.

The Islands Trust Area is a place that is rich in heritage and cultural sites.

Sites include village sites, middens, petroglyphs, pictographs, clam gardens, fish weirs, canoe landings, culturally modified trees, rock shelters, ancestral resting places and graves, burial cairns, tools, and cultural objects dating back over 10,000 years.

In addition, there are heritage orchards, and landscapes from historic use, and historic buildings.

There are thousands of registered and unknown archaeological sites within the Islands Trust Area that must be preserved and protected.

old totem pole statue on the cliff with trees in the valleys below

Islands Trust seeks, in cooperation with First Nations and other levels of government, to preserve and protect:

  • known and unknown archaeological and cultural heritage sites
  • cultural objects
  • ancestral loved ones’ remains and resting places
  • sacred sites, traditional use areas
  • culturally significant areas as identified by First Nations and/or sites or locations defined by First Nations as culturally important both disclosed and confidential

What We Are Doing

  • Collaborating with First Nations and other governments
  • Working with Cultural Knowledge Holders, archeologists, and islanders
  • Asking the Province to work with us to update agreements about provincially managed lands
  • Helping you protect heritage areas with the Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP), land donations and conservation covenants

Local Priorities

All local trust committees and Bowen Island Municipality have official community plan policies to address the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of heritage and may also have heritage-related projects underway.

Learn more about these policies on their respective webpages.

Resources:

Other pages you may be interested in: