Current ORC Initiatives: Highlights

BC Rivers Day
The largest river celebration in Canada is coordinated annually by ORC. In 2005, the United Nations launched the "Water for Life" decade and river enthusiasts from around the globe came together to celebrate the first World Rivers Day. In 2006, millions of people celebrated riversday in over 3 dozen countries and hundreds of thousands of people celebrated the event in BC. On September 30th, 2007 we will celebrate the 28th Anniversary of BC Rivers Day and the third anniversary of World Rivers Day! With BC Hydro funding, we have created an online registry for BC events. Please visit our registration site to list your event. If you wish to see a list of events in your area, visit our event list and select your region.

BC's Most Endangered Rivers list
Each spring, ORC releases BC’s Most Endangered Rivers list. ORC considers nominations submitted by environmentalists, paddlers, fly fishers, community groups and others to generate the list and raise awareness of the threats that face our rivers.

The Outdoor Recreation Report
A thoughtful analysis of recreation issues in BC, distributed to over 1,200 people twice a year. It is the only periodical of its kind.

Economic Gain Analysis of Recreation Activity
This major study aims to make a significant contribution to understanding the importance of recreation to local economies, and its contribution to sustainable communities.

Recreation Trails Strategy
Since December 2007 ORC has been participating in a broadly based group which is developing a BC Recreation Trails Strategy. This is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. For the background report on which the group’s work is based and other reports on this initiative visit the Recreation Trails Strategy website or read Progress Update No. 4.


Forest Service Recreation Sites and Trails - Back from the Brink
ORC continues to work closely with Ministry of Forest officials, generating workable policy solutions to protect and manage this valuable network of recreation resources.

Outdoor Recreation Special Collections Library
ORC houses the only collection in North America dedicated to outdoor recreation publications. Researchers and the public can access documents, management plans, papers, maps, including many resources that are otherwise unavailable. The library is in the process of being converted to digital format, on completion of which it will be made available on the ORC website and it will be possible to search the contents by subject, title, or author.