Banff National Park of Canada

Park Management

Banff National Park Management Plan

4.0 A Place for Historical and Cultural Significance

4.1 Overview

Banff National Park is a place where known human history began about 11,000 years ago. The park’s rich and distinctive cultural heritage includes seven national historic sites, hundreds of known archaeological sites, heritage buildings and structures, thousands of historic objects, and numerous cultural landscapes and features. The section of the North Saskatchewan River in Banff National Park joined the Canadian Heritage Rivers System in 1989. All these cultural resources are part of an irreplaceable heritage.

Parks Canada is not the only agency responsible for cultural resources in Banff National Park. The Town of Banff, organizations and individuals play an important role in maintaining the park’s unique cultural environment.

Parks Canada defines a cultural resource as a human work or place with evidence of human activity or spiritual or cultural meaning, that is of historic value. It applies this definition to a wide range of resources, sites, structures, engineering works, artifacts and associated records. Cultural resources are valued both as discrete elements and for their combined contribution to the significance of a site.

Parks Canada is committed to protecting and presenting the cultural resources of Canada’s national parks. This commitment is legislated under the National Parks Act (1988), the Historic Sites and Monuments Act (1953), National Parks Regulations, and Parks Canada’s Guiding Principles and Operational Policies (1994). The Parks Canada Cultural Resource Management Policy (1994) governs the administration of cultural resources in national parks. The following summarizes the status of key cultural resource management initiatives:

1. A Cultural Resource Management Plan is in preparation. This plan will identify the requirements and priorities for managing the park’s cultural resources.

2. The Built Heritage Resource Description and Analysis (BHRDA) describes the status of built structures outside the Town of Banff. This analysis is incomplete.

3. Several buildings must be evaluated by the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO), the organization responsible for assessing the heritage value of buildings owned by the federal government. Some federally-owned buildings also require a statement describing their heritage character.

4. The park has an extensive Archaeological Resource Description and Analysis (ARDA) Archaeological resources should be monitored and the ARDA updated regularly.

5. A completed Scope of Collections Statement (SCS) describes the historic objects, artifacts and other materials in the Banff Park Museum and in other park collections.

6. The park’s historic objects require Condition Assessment Reviews. These documents should be updated regularly, based on a five-year cycle. Environmental monitoring of these objects is required on an ongoing basis.

7. Commemorative Integrity Statements (CIS) will soon be completed for all national historic sites. These statements will identify each site’s resources and messages of national significance and will set out the objectives for their -protection and presentation.

4.3 Objectives

• to design programs to protect the park’s heritage and cultural resources effectively;
   
• to protect locally, regionally and nationally significant examples of built heritage; and
   
• to combine ecological, cultural and commemorative messages in public education programs.

4.4 Key Actions

• Precontact and Early Native People;
• Native Peoples - First Contact to the Present;
• European Frontier Exploration;
• Banff - Birthplace of Canada’s National Parks;
• Origin and Evolution of the National Park System;
• Early History of Banff National Park; and
• Managing a National Park.

• include a requirement for a conservation and maintenance plan in leases and licenses of occupation granted with respect to a national historic site; and
   
• use covenants to these agreement to address long-term integrity issues.

• refocus communication strategies and presentation to reflect the Commemorative Integrity Statement; and
   
• negotiate private sector agreements to provide complementary visitor facilities that enhance a visitor’s experience.

• complete structural work and collection conservation measures to ensure the long-term integrity of the site; and
   
• improve public media and the presentation of key messages.

• in cooperation with Canadian Pacific Hotels, prepare a Commemorative Integrity Statement for the hotel; and
   
• support heritage communication initiatives that feature key messages and the hotel’s commemoration as a national historic site.

• to ensure the site’s long-term integrity, include requirements for site conservation and maintenance in operating agreements.

• improve public media in the Saskatchewan Crossing area.

• include requirements of the Commemorative Integrity Statement in the licence of occupation -agreement;
   
• prepare a conservation maintenance plan; and
   
• prohibit any expansion or increase in the Lodge’s capacity.

• enhance public communication.

• offer incentives to complement regulatory changes; and
   
• work with the Town of Banff and other stakeholders to preserve heritage buildings.

• ensure that use of these manuals is a standard requirement in contracts for the operation and maintenance of these buildings; and
   
• use manuals as a resource during staff training.

• promote wise cultural resource management practices as an investment in heritage tourism.

• address needs such as basic inventory and assessment, protection, presentation and historic object management.

• work toward mutual goals for the protection and presentation of cultural resources and events.