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Photocopy of a 1978 report entitled A Documentary History of the Cottonwood District, 1862 to 1913. Includes an appendix of documents and sources, bibliography and illustrations.

This series consists of a variety of graphic materials from the BC Parks in-house materials master files from 1937-2008. The files include mock-ups, drafts and finished examples of activity books, pamphlets, signs, badges, stickers, logos, name tags and pins for use in parks programming or display in Provincial Parks.

Pre-2000 records include park trail guides and maps including wildlife watching pamphlets and other special interest activities popular in provincial parks. The series also includes Canada Parks Day graphic design samples, parks news releases and press clippings, promotional materials including stickers, bumper stickers, pins, colouring pages, activities for children, road maps, camping site information and things to do in the area. There are also visitor guides, brochures, interpretive trail guides, and a limited amount of correspondence. Records cover provincial parks around the whole province, though some may be missing.
While some records do not appear to be organized in a specific way, maps, trail guides and related pamphlets are organized to some extent by region and year of publication.

The series contains records related to the management of provincial parks and protected recreational areas in British Columbia.

The records provide extensive background information on Provincial Parks areas, notably Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park, Marble Range Provincial Park, Edge Hills Provincial Park, Churn Creek protected area, Big Creek Provincial Park, Hakai Recreation Area, Ten Mile Lake and other areas in the Cariboo district. There are many photographic prints mixed in with the records, as well as other media (copies of maps, floppy disks, ephemera). The records provide important evidence of the BC Parks Division’s functions and activities in relation to park identification, establishment, management, operation and control of parks and other protected areas.
The series also contains copies of recreation related management plans and conservation related management plans, as well as original maps and published histories of BC Parks. Management plans include feasibility studies, cost analyses, contract details and plan information.

The records are arranged according to the BC Parks Operation Records Classification System (ORCS schedule 113827) and its successor the Parks and Protectes Areas Records Classification System (schedule 186896). Some common primary and secondary numbers from this series are:

82800-10: Graphic Materials Collection.
The records in this series classified under this number relate to park-related graphic materials, including original copies of brochures and reports used for publication. This includes copies of the BC Parks Guide and related records concerning their development and publication.

83500-00: Interpretive, Information, and Education programs
The records classified under this number related to various visitor programs for adults, families, children and schools organized by BC Parks. The records include information concerning the program objectives, activities, learning outcomes, schedules and attendance data. There is also information about instructors, budget, requests from schools, and thank you letters.

84360-40: Land-Management Plans - Parks and Recreation areas
The records classified under this number relate to approved park and recreation area management plan files and document the history of individual British Columbia parks and recreation areas, as well as the land-use activities permitted in those areas.

The records comprise mainly of large folders of background information relating to specific parks. They contain various analytical reports, inventories and studies on soil, wildlife, landscape and flora. Other types of records found in these folders are land value appraisals, land referrals, leases and Resource Use Permits, meeting agendas, briefing notes and correspondence referrals, management plans and progress reports, workshops, correspondence and reports on land-use recommendations.

A limited number of files also contain extensive correspondence and related files dealing with park issues, notably possible violations of the Park Act. These include legal services requisitions.

The series consists of records created by the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division, and its predecessor bodies, between 1912 and 1979.
The files contains park history, supervision and recreation files, correspondence, reports and memoranda pertaining to the establishment and management of provincial parks and recreation areas, including marine and historic parks. The records deal with land acquisition and use, roads, mineral claims, museum administration, forest management, grazing, wildlife, etc. and are classified by type and geographic area.

While the records are mostly arranged numerically by parks file code system, that order was not fully retained when the Parks Branch microfilmed the records and not all districts or area categories have been identified by name.

This series consists of dossiers of photocopied historical material for theatrical application, including: 1. Barkerville, the Cariboo Gold Rush; 2, Fort Steele, the Kootenay Gold Rush; 3. Fort Steele, East Kootenay in the 1880's; 4. Fort Steele, East Kootenay, 1890-1905.

The series consists of film footage, films and videotapes that were shot or produced by branches of the Ministry of Environment and its predecessor bodies, as well as some non-Ministry productions that were circulated by its Information Services Branch. Activities of the Fish and Wildlife Branch and the Parks Branch are depicted.

This series consists of Vancouver Forest District operational records, 1912-1979. The series has been arranged into 11 sub-series: timber sale sketches; special use permit sketches; park use permit letter and sketches for Mount Seymour; scaling and royalty records including timber leases, timer licenses, fee ledgers, records of accounts, crown grants, and other material; statistical graphs; logging inspection legers for various ranger districts; pole and piling return from Anton Pole and Lumber Co.; payroll accounts of Fraser River Repair Station; a variety of disbursement ledgers; scaling and royalty deposit accounts; and general accounts under section 113 of the Forest Act.

Timber sale sketches contain X and A files, in three colour spirit duplication. These show tenure boundaries, physical features, some contour lines and cultural features such as roads and railways and are in file number order. Special use permit and park use permit sketches are similar to the timber sale sketches.

The series consists of park management files created by the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division and its predecessor bodies, the Parks Branch and the Parks and Recreation Division, between 1953 and 1980.
The files are arranged mostly in numerical order by the parks file code and include files about specific land and marine parks as well as general files relating to planning, park management, equipment, agreements and other matters. Many of the park files include cartographic drawings.

The series consists of park management files created by the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division and its predecessor body the Parks Branch between 1957 and 1981.
The files are arranged in numerical order by the parks file code and include files about specific land and marine parks as well as general files relating to planning, park management, equipment, agreements and other matters.

The series consists of park management files created by the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division and its predecessor body the Parks Branch between 1970 and 1981.
The files are arranged in numerical order by the parks file code and include files about specific land and marine parks as well as general files relating to planning, park management, equipment, agreements and other matters. Many of the park files include cartographic drawings.

The series consists of cancelled park use permits created by the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division, and its predecessor body the Parks Branch, from 1960 to 1981. The files are arranged in park use permit (P.U.P.) number order and contain permits, correspondence, copies of sketch maps and photographs, inspection reports and other material.

The permit files document requests from individuals, companies and other agencies to make specific use of certain sites within the Lower Mainland Provincial Parks. The types of uses include ski cabins, lifts, jumps and schools, plant, seed and insect collecting, use of roads and campsites for logging, mineral claims, film location use and management of park lodges and public utility installations.

The series consists of files created by the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division, and its predecessor bodies, between 1936 and 1993. The files are arranged in numerical order by the parks file code number. These records document the history of the provincial government’s management and operation of provincial parks and protected areas.

These records document reserves on land for recreation and other purposes. Many files are referred to as use, recreation and enjoyment of the public (UREP) reserves or parks and protected areas case files. The files contain site report forms, plans, maps, photographs, field notes, memoranda, correspondence, copies of orders-in-council, and other material pertaining to the establishment and changes in the status of public reserve land throughout the province.

Accession 94-9043 was added to the series in 2021. It includes files of cancelled UREP reserves that appear to fit with the original file code system. Most of these files relate to reserves in the Kamloops and Thompson Okanagan region.

The series consists consists of a wide variety of operational records created by the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division, and its predecessor the Parks Branch, predominantly from 1960-1994. The records relate to setting long term management direction for the creation, use, development and protection of provincial parks and protected areas. Management directions are established through master plans, management plans, management direction statements and purpose statements. Systemic planning involves consultation with the Premier’s office, land use planning offices, and regional and federal government agencies. The records also concern participation in inter-agency resource management planning, such as land, marine and coastal land use plans.

Records include: integrated resource planning project files; inter-ministry co-operation files (Parks with other ministries such as Health, Mines, Forests, etc.); trail corridor planning files; end of season assessment reports on interpretative, information and education programs in parks; recreational activities files; files concerning facilities and safety and security in parks; background documents used in establishing management directions; consultation with communities, user groups and First Nations; and files regarding various other operational policies and procedures. See for example, files concerning policies on boating, camping, caving, skiing, etc.

Note that all records concerning the Alexander Mackenzie Trail fall under various titles including: Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail, the Alexander Mackenzie Trail, Alexander Mackenzie Grease Trail, and Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail.

Record types include correspondence, memoranda, news clippings, maps, committee minutes, reports, studies, proposals, seminar papers, environmental surveys, newsletters, signage, photos, promotional materials and departmental branch meetings.

The series include records concerning the numerous private organizations and associations which coordinated with the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division. It includes the AGM records, annual reports, financial statements, and meeting minutes of those organizations and associations. The series also includes records regarding financial support to these organizations.

Note that the new Parks and Protected Areas ORCs includes a concordance table which cross references new ORCS classification numbers with the old ORCS numbers by which these files were classified. Many of these records would be classified under the primary 98800 in the new Parks and Protected areas schedule (186896).

The ministries responsible for these records, and the years that they were responsible, are:
Ministry of Lands, parks and Housing (1978-1986)
Ministry of Environment and Parks (1986-1988)
Ministry of Parks (1988-1991)
Ministry of Lands and Parks (1991)
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (1991-2001)

This series contains case files of parks and protected areas which document the legal creation and definitions of the various established parks and protected areas in British Columbia. These files provide a brief history of the area and how it came to be under the provincial government’s management. Some files that are included in the records are land title descriptions, survey plans, boundary maps, pre-existing tenures, park use permits, assessment notices, property acquisition recording sheets and copies of legal establishment (such as order in councils, ministerial orders, copies of acquisition agreements, land title reports, certificates of indefeasible title etc.). The files also cover historical and anecdotal background information, approved map reserves, licenses of occupation and leased tax exemptions, tax payments, construction permissions and notations of interest.

These records may have been previously known as “green files” or “land administration files” with copies of Park Status Sheets (which include basic information such as name of the park, region, classification, size, date of creation etc.) as well as archaeological site surveys, OICs, indentures, market value estimates, records of private donations of land, purchases of land and transfers of federal lands to the Parks Division.

The records are arranged according to the Parks and Protected Areas (PPA) Operational Records Classification System (schedule 186896). Files codes contain the PPA primary and secondary numbers followed by the Parks identification number and the old primary number taken from the BC Parks ORCS (Schedule 113827).

Two records classified under Conservation Research Products were included in this series as the files contain mainly archaeological site surveys and historic background information about the parks, records which appear to also be included in the parks and protected areas case files. One such file contains ample information about the history of D'Arcy Island (also known as Leper's Island, the Lazarette, Leper Colony and the leprosorium).

This series contains statistical reports from BC Parks detailing parks attendance and use. The series contains four main types of forms: campground attendance sheets, marine park attendance sheets, automatic traffic counter sheet and day visit count sheets. These reports count the number of visitors renting campgrounds, docking their boats, or driving through the parks gate. The reports are also used to count revenues. Typically, reports include a section for explanations where Parks staff can add notes commenting on high/low attendance numbers due to factors such as weather and holidays.
One report discusses call center and website statistics, notably documenting how many interactions convert to sales.
Occasionally, there are reports submitted from companies operating businesses on BC Parks land (e.g. water rafting adventures) which includes attendance data.

Also within the series are files describing how the reporting system works. These records explain the use of different sheets, proper procedures for recording data (both by hand or using electronic systems), lists of parks per area and layouts of park services areas including locations of gates and counters. The records also contain instructions for using the Public Safety and Park Security Online System, though no actual security reports are included within the records.

The records are organized in different ways depending on the year. Most early records seem to divide reports into years, with reports covering all parks. Around 1970, the system changed to region-based reporting with files organized by region. Within these files, the records are further classified by park name. Finally, individual attendance sheet records are arranged by month and year. Some files include a summary of stats from all districts.

The series consists of photographs taken by the Parks Branch of the Dept. of Recreation and Conservation and its predecessor agency, the Parks and Recreation Division of the Dept. of Lands and Forests. The photographs were taken between 1950 and 1962 and include both prints and negatives. The photographs are arranged numerically by file (called serial) number and include some unnumbered and unidentified photographs. The images are of all aspects of the parks including aerial shots, landscapes, camp-sites, picnic sites, flora and fauna, signs and buildings and parks staff at work. Index cards with information about site, date, photographer and other information exist for most of the files. Most, but not all, of the prints have corresponding negatives but there are an extra 900 negatives without prints. Many of the negatives are in roll form. The series also includes a printed index arranged by file number and by subject. Boxes 1, 2 and 3 (880437-0044, 0045 and 0046) contain the index cards, prints, oversized prints and printed index. Boxes 4 to 7 (880437-0047, 0048, 0049 and 0050) contain the negatives.

This series contains records originating from the Prince George District and Omineca - Peace River Region. They include annual reports, 1953-1957; public inquiries correspondence, 1962-1972; correspondence with the Prince George Chamber of Commerce regarding the B.C. Tourist Association, 1961-1962; Forest Service materials regarding forest fire suppression and the Youth Training programme, 1956-1957.

The series consists of a report and a tour outline prepared for the Parks Branch by Virginia Careless in 1978:
"Report on interim research project: Socio-Cultural Aspects B.C. Roadhouses" and "Outline for Tour of Cottonwood House".