Environmental Sciences

There is a small but mighty collection of archival material held by Archives and Special Collections here at the University of Calgary that pertain to the University’s own involvement in the field of environmental sciences.

Below, you can read and learn more about the Faculty of Environmental Design's involvement with the preservation and research of Cypress Hills area and the Kananaskis Centre for Environmental Research. You can also browse through materials from University of Calgary professors on subjects that include but are not limited to: environmental management, environmental design, environmental chemistry, preservation and conservation, resource management, land management, and science policy studies surrounding climate change and other environmental issues.

Kananaskis Centre for Environmental Research fonds

Dates of creation, 1962-1963 and 1970-2005

The Kananaskis Centre for Environmental Research fonds consists of minutes, funding and budget reports, committee records, correspondence of the Policy and Advisory Committee, research projects and proposals. The Environmental Sciences Centre was a unit of the University of Calgary devoted to environmental studies with facilities on campus and in the Kananaskis valley. The Centre was established by the University in 1966 on the initiative of a group of faculty from the Departments of Biology, Geology, Chemistry and Geography. Dr. James B. Cragg (who has his own fonds) was appointed as the first Director. The facilities in Kananaskis were built in 1968. Projects have included decomposer systems, environmental chemistry, environmental physiology, large mammals, ecosystem production, aquatic biology, land management and geomorphology.

Cypress Hills report collection

Dates of creation, 1971-2001 (predominant 1971-1987)

The Cypress Hills report collection is comprised of reports, plans, studies, surveys, photographs, maps and correspondence, accumulated in the Faculty of Environmental Design for teaching and research purposes.  
Some notable material found within the collection includes the administrative and managerial correspondence of the Cypress Hills Park District, Alberta Recreation and Parks. Correspondence includes boundary surveys, fire protection, resource and ecosystem management, reports, reference materials, and survey maps. Also included are reports, plans, studies, surveys and reference materials created or accumulated by the Cypress Hills District office pertaining to archaeological surveys, flora and fauna management reviews and strategic plans, interpretation manuals for educators, promotion plans for the area, transcripts of public hearings on the development of the area including Elkwater Lake and townsite, and forest fire prevention and planning.

Dixon Thompson fonds

Dates of creation, 1969-2005

The Dixon Thompson fonds consists of records created or collected by Dr. Thompson over the course of his career. The records reflect the breadth of his professional interests and involvement with the scientific and environmental communities. Records include his work with the Science Council of Canada, the Commission on Canadian Studies and the work accomplished in his consulting and advisory capacities. The records also reflect his teaching and scholarly activities both nationally and internationally.
Dixon A.R. Thompson was a member of the Faculty of Environmental Design from 1973 until his death, starting first as a Senior Demonstrator and becoming full professor in 1981. Thompson was the author of, or contributed significantly to, a considerable body of scholarly work related to environmental management, environmental design, and the protection and proper usage of resources. He published in, or attended conferences and other speaking engagements both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Harvey Allen Buckmaster fonds

Dates of creation, 1960-2017

Dr. Harvey Allen Buckmaster was a professor in the Department of Physic at the University of Calgary from 1960 until his retirement in 1993. The fonds consists of his professional and personal records.
Buckmaster was a life-long advocate for environmental issues and was involved in a variety of lobbying and advocacy issues that included the effects of industry on the environment (forestry and roads), development of parks including the national park system, Kananaskis, and Nose Hill Park in Calgary, conservation areas, and the preservation of the Skagit Valley.
Buckmaster's research activities and scholarly writings were in the fields of theoretical, experimental and meteorological electron paramagnetic resonance studies of lanthanide ions, fossil fuels and biological materials, experimental and meteorological microwave complex permittivity studies of high loss liquids, and science policy studies of global energy consumption scenarios and anthropogenic induced global warming due to the greenhouse effect.