News Release - April 25, 2017
Community Presentation of Archaeological Overview Assessment for Electoral Area 'H'
The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) invites the community to a presentation of the Archaeological Overview Assessment for Electoral Area 'H' which was undertaken as part of the Official Community Plan Review. Local archaeologists from Kleanza Consulting Ltd will present this project to the public on Tuesday, May 2 at 7:00 pm at the Deep Bay Marine Field Station, 370 Crome Point Rd, Bowser."We undertook this project out of a desire to grow our community's understanding and appreciation of archaeological history and to contribute to its protection," said Bill Veenhof, RDN Chair and Electoral Area 'H' Director.
In BC, all archaeological sites that predate 1846 are protected by the Heritage Conservation Act, whether they have been previously recorded or not. Unidentified archaeological sites exist in many areas, particularly those that are undeveloped, or developed before the 1980s. An Archaeological Overview Assessment identifies areas of archaeological potential and is primarily a mapping exercise and desktop review of local and regional history, archaeological databases, and ethnography.
The report and maps produced through the Archaeological Overview Assessment are filed with the BC Archaeology Branch and added to the provincial database of archaeological sites and archaeological potential models. Staff at the RDN access this database when reviewing development proposals in order to inform property owners and applicants if their proposed development is within an archaeological site or an area with potential for an unrecorded site to be found. A property owner can also contact the BC Archaeology Branch directly to find out if their property contains an archaeological site or if it is in a high potential area.
The RDN undertook this project as part of the Electoral Area 'H' Official Community Plan Review which began in 2016. Visit the project website at www.rdn.bc.ca/areahocp for more information.
Contact:
Courtney Simpson
Senior Planner
Regional District of Nanaimo
250-390-6510
csimpson [at] rdn.bc.ca (csimpson[at]rdn[dot]bc[dot]ca)