Snapshots in History: May 19: Celebrating Parks Canada, a World First!
On May 19 and beyond, as Canadians we should take a moment to celebrate Parks Canada (Agency) and its vast holdings, including thirty-seven (37) national parks, three (3) national marine conservation areas, 168 national historic sites, and one national landmark. On May 19, 1911, Parks Canada was established as the world’s first national park service as the Dominion Parks Branch under the Department of the Interior, undergoing a variety of name changes over the years.
The mandate of Parks Canada Agency is to “…protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's natural and cultural heritage and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations.” The Parks Canada website offers access to a great deal of information on national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas in addition to practical details such as planning your visit, learn and discover (including the recent Franklin expedition), species at risk, world heritage sites, and fees.
Please consider the variety of materials about Parks Canada that Toronto Public Library has to offer for borrowing from its collections:
Books:
DVDs:
eBooks:
The title A Century of Parks Canada, 1911-2011 (published by the University of Calgary Press) is available for download in Portable Document Format (PDF) as a free, open access eBook under a Creative Commons License.
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