Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Textual records
- Graphic materials
- Cartographic materials
- Photographic materials
- Optical discs
- Objects
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of fonds.
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1975 - 2007 (Creation)
- Creator
- McCrory, Colleen
- Place
- British Columbia
-
1961-2013 (Creation)
- Creator
- Valhalla Wilderness Society
Physical description area
Physical description
11.5 m of textual records
53 maps
3 postcards
36 photographs : print
71 photographs : negatives
6 posters
and other material
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
Valhalla Wilderness Society (VWS) was founded in 1975, in New Denver, British Columbia; it achieved park status for what is now Valhalla Provincial Park in 1983. VWS went on to successfully spearhead campaigns for the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, Goat Range Provincial Park, and the Spirit Bear Conservancies on Princess Royal Island. VWS also played one of the key roles in the protection of South Moresby National Park Reserve (Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve on Haida Gwaii). Its Endangered Wilderness Map of 1988 helped to spark the movement to double BC’s park system to 12% of the province. Valhalla has led park campaigns for over 560,000 hectares of now protected land.
Name of creator
Biographical history
Born in New Denver, British Columbia in 1949, Colleen McCrory founded the Valhalla Wilderness Society in 1975 and co-founded the National Save South Moresby Committee in 1983. McCrory worked as an organizer of the BC Environmental Network, the Taiga Rescue Network (1992), and the Boreal Forest Network. She was leader of Canada's Future Forest Alliance (founded 1990), a network of organizations and individuals interested in reforming forest policy and practice, and campaigned against the Jumbo Glacier Resort in the West Kootenays. McCrory is credited with coining the phrase "Brazil of the North". She played a significant role in the 2006 establishment of the Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy and held key roles in saving more than one million acres of B.C. forests from logging. Her many honours and awards include the Goldman Environmental Prize (1992), the United Nation's Environment Programme's Global 500 Roll of Honor Award (1992), the IUCN-World Conservation Union's Fred M. Pakard International Parks Merit Award (1988), Equinox Citation Award (1990) and the Governor General of Canada's Conservation Award (1983). In 2001, McCrory ran provincially for the Green Party in the riding of Nelson-Creston. She passed away in New Denver in 2007.
Custodial history
Records were in the custody of the Valhalla Wilderness Society until their acquisition by Simon Fraser University Library, Special Collections and Rare Books in 2010.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of material created, received and used by Colleen McCrory during her work as founder of the Valhalla Wilderness Society and as a member of the BC Environmental Network, Taiga Resource Network, the Boreal Forest Network and Canada's Future Forest Alliance. Includes material relating to the activities and accomplishments of these groups in general, as well as records pertaining to environmental movements and activities at the provincial, national and international level, and a significant amount of material relating to indigenous peoples' roles in these movements. Material also documents McCrory's achievements, honours and recognition. Records include correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, newsletters, books, journals, posters and a flag. Major subject areas covered include: Clayoquot Sound, Carmanah Valley, Stein Valley, lower Stikine, pulp mills, logging and forestry, gas industry, dams, legal disputes, campaigns to save specific areas in B.C., particularly the Slocan Valley and areas in the Kootenays, the proposed Jumbo Glacier ski resort, activities of the New Democratic Party of BC. Together these records document the history of environmental movement in British Columbia and Canada.
However, Valhalla Wilderness Society fonds contain very little material on major campaigns that VWS worked on, like watershed conflicts in the Slocan Valley. VWS decided that these materials are still essential for the ongoing business of their organization.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
The majority of the collection has been re-ordered. Original file titles, where available, have also been retained and sometimes content clarification was added. However, if a file title was not included, the Archivist assigned a file title according to the contents of the file.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
There are restrictions on some file due to personal information. Please see finding aid for details.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Works in this fonds are under copyright. Researchers are required to secure permission from the copyright holders for usage of this material, except for those covered by fair dealing.
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- McCrory, Colleen (Subject)
- Valhalla Wilderness Society (Subject)
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Rules for Archival Description
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Created December 21, 2015. SS
Revised description January 31, 2018. MH
Arrangement and description completed by ED
Language of description
- English