Mountain Legacy Project

Mountain Legacy Project
Name	Mountain Legacy Project
Type	Non-profit organization
Founded	2001
Founders	John O. F. O. Kaiser; Stefan Doerfler
Headquarters	Tofino, British Columbia
Fields	Historical photography, environmental history, cultural heritage

Mountain Legacy Project

The Mountain Legacy Project is a photographic and archival initiative that documents historical mountain landscapes through repeat photography, conservation partnerships, and community collaboration. It integrates archival research, field-based photography, and digital archiving to support studies in climate change, glaciology, geomorphology, and cultural heritage across western Canada and the United States. The project has informed work by institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, Royal British Columbia Museum, University of British Columbia, and Parks Canada.

Overview

The Project curates and digitizes historical photographic collections and produces repeat photographs to compare past and present conditions of alpine environments. It engages with institutions including the National Archives of Canada, Library and Archives Canada, Provincial Archives of British Columbia, Royal Geographical Society, and the Benham Gallery to source negatives, glass plate photographs, and prints. The initiative supports researchers from the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Simon Fraser University, and University of Washington and informs conservation agencies such as World Wildlife Fund, IUCN, and regional park authorities like Banff National Park and Yoho National Park.

History and Founding

Founded in 2001 by a team of photographers and historians inspired by historical photographers such as William Notman, Frank Swannell, and Arthur O. Wheeler, the Project draws on archival holdings from collections including the British Columbia Archives, Glenbow Museum, Hewlett Packard Archives and private collections tied to explorers like David Thompson and surveyors associated with the Canadian Pacific Railway. Early collaborators included scholars from Mount Royal University, Trent University, and the Canadian Museum of Nature. Funding and support have come from bodies such as the Canada Council for the Arts, Mitacs, and regional foundations linked to environmental philanthropy.

Collections and Methods

Collections comprise historic glass plate negatives, albumen prints, cabinet cards, and early silver gelatin prints from photographers associated with exploration and surveying missions like the Interprovincial Boundary Commission and the Canadian Pacific Survey. The Project employs repeat photography techniques used in studies by researchers affiliated with NOAA, NASA, and the Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing, combining high-resolution digital photography, GPS georeferencing, and photogrammetric methods. Curatorial standards align with practices at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Canadian Conservation Institute, while metadata practices reference schemas used by the Digital Public Library of America and Europeana.

Geographic Coverage

Fieldwork and archival sourcing focus on the Coast Mountains, St. Elias Mountains, Canadian Rockies, and ranges of Vancouver Island, extending into parts of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Specific sites include alpine locations within Glacier National Park (U.S.), Kluane National Park and Reserve, Mount Robson Provincial Park, and the Skeena Mountains. The Project documents glaciers such as Peters Glacier, Helm Glacier, and peaks including Mount Waddington, Mount Fairweather, and Mount Logan.

Projects and Collaborations

The Project has partnered with academic research programs at the University of Victoria, University of Northern British Columbia, and the University of Montana for interdisciplinary studies combining history, environmental science, and indigenous knowledge. Collaborations extend to galleries and museums including the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Royal Ontario Museum, and community archives such as the Tofino Archives and clanship repositories linked to Haida and Nuxalk communities. It has contributed to exhibitions that toured institutions like the Canadian Museum of Civilization and supported documentaries produced with broadcasters such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC.

Impact and Reception

Scholars in fields associated with paleoclimatology, environmental history, and glaciology have cited Project materials in studies appearing in journals connected to institutions like Nature Conservancy, Geological Society of America, and university presses including Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Media coverage has appeared in outlets including the Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, and documentary features on CBC Television. The Project's repeat photography has contributed evidence used by policymakers in provincial and federal agencies including Environment and Climate Change Canada and park management plans in protected areas such as Kootenay National Park.

Category:Archives in Canada Category:Photographic archives