Episode 39: The Environmental History of Stanley Park, 30 September 2013 [39:20] In 1888, the City of Vancouver officially opened its first urban park to the public, Stanley Park. The park lies adjacent to downtown Vancouver, encompassing a nearly 1,000-acre peninsula. It is one of the best-known parks in Canada […]
Environmental History
173 posts
Precisely 125 years ago, the City of Vancouver opened Stanley Park to the public. This past summer in Vancouver, the city celebrated the anniversary about a month early. However, what many people might not know is that Vancouverites began to use Stanley Park as a recreational area months before the […]
[beforeafter][/beforeafter] Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1926 & ca. 2004. Sources: City of Vancouver Archives, Photograph Collection, Van Sc P66; Stanley Park Ecology Society, Aerial Photograph of Stanley Park, ca. 2004 Stanley Park has changed quite significantly since it first opened to the public in 1888. In my […]
Writing and publishing a book is a long process that often requires authors and editors to make tough choices, especially during the revisions process. We add new material, alter existing sections, and cut, cut, cut. One of the most difficult parts of the process can be the decisions about images. […]
This weekend, Vancouver celebrates the 125th anniversary of the opening of Stanley Park. Numerous events will be held throughout the park, including several historical tours and speaking events. Click here for a full schedule and details. I was very pleased to be invited to speak in the park on Sunday, […]
Global News has made a very substantial contribution to the study of the history of oil pipeline spills in Alberta. As I previously wrote in May, Leslie Young, Anna Mehler Paperny, Francis Silvaggio, and a production team from GlobalNews.ca assembled the most comprehensive chronology of oil pipeline spills in Alberta, covering […]
A good conference or workshop will expose you to new research, new people, and new ideas. A great one will compel you to rethink previous assumptions and upend your own work with novel insights. The 2013 Canadian History and Environment Summer School (CHESS) on Vancouver Island was a great one. […]
Episode 38 Histories of Canadian Environmental Issues, Part 8 – Tar Sands: 29 May 2013 [audio: http://niche-canada.org/files/sound/naturespast/natures-past38.mp3][01:38:37] The northern Alberta tar sands (or bitumen) resource is the most well-known environmental issue in Canada today. Representing both a significant component of the nation’s resource economy, and the single greatest threat to […]
Leslie Young, Anna Mehler Paperny, Francis Silvaggio, and a production team from GlobalNews.ca have just compiled and published the most comprehensive chronology of Alberta oil spills, spanning a period from 1975 to 2013. Following an eleven-month investigation, the reporters acquired a nearly complete set of records regarding spills of crude oil, […]
After toiling on this project for an embarrassing number of years, I am very pleased to announce that my first book has now been published and it is available for purchase here and for download as an e-book on the Google Play bookstore. Inventing Stanley Park: An Environmental History is […]
Episode 37 Histories of Canadian Environmental Issues, Part 7 – Agri-Food Systems, II: 5 May 2013 [audio: http://niche-canada.org/files/sound/naturespast/natures-past37.mp3][55:25] The history of Canadian food and agriculture is an enormous topic with both a global and deeply personal scope. All humans require food to live and agricultural products become food for our […]
Hot on the heels of last week’s annual meeting of the American Society for Environmental History, this week marks the start of the National Council for Public History conference. This year the NCPH meets in Ottawa from April 17-20 and I will be there to present on a roundtable panel […]