Written by: Colleen Haukaas, Archaeological Survey
In April the Historic Resources Management Branch (HRMB) released the Spring 2021 Edition of the Listing of Historic Resources. The Listing is a biannual release of lands in Alberta that are known to contain or are likely to contain lands of a sensitive historic nature. Land parcels used in the Listing are Legal Subdivisions in the Alberta Township Survey system. The Listing is generated as a tool to aid developers, land agents, planners and other stakeholders when planning land-based development projects in Alberta.
Each land parcel in the Listing is assigned a Historic Resource Value (HRV) ranging from 1 to 5:
| Historic Resource Value (HRV) | Description |
| HRV 1 | contains a World Heritage site or a site designated under the Historical Resources Act as a Provincial Historic Resource |
| HRV 2 | deactivated (formerly used to designate a Registered Historic Resource)1 |
| HRV 3 | contains a significant historic resource that will likely require avoidance |
| HRV 4 | contains a historic resource that may require avoidance |
| HRV 5 | high potential to contain a historic resource |
Each entry is also assigned a category of the primary historic resource category of concern:
| Category | Description |
| a | archaeological |
| c | cultural |
| gl | geological |
| h | historic period |
| n | natural |
| p | palaeontological |
A legal subdivision can have more than one HRV rating or category. For example, a legal subdivision that contains both an archaeological site and an area of high palaeontological potential may be classified as 4a, 5p.
The Listing is generated by gathering information from consultants and researchers working in archaeology, palaeontology, history and other industries in Alberta, and comparing their findings with known resources at the HRMB. Our staff use Geographic Information Science software to compile and generate the Listing.
To view the new version of the Listing, see the online webmap version here. For more details or for information for developers, see our website.
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