Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Will Koop fonds
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- Textual record
- Photograph
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- Source of title proper: Title based on provenance of the fonds.
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Fonds
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Physical description
4.8 metres of textual records
1 photograph
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Will Koop (1954 - ) is a well-known Vancouver environmental activist who has been focused on logging and drinking water quality of the Greater Vancouver watersheds since the late 1980s. In 1992, Koop published a 113-page research paper titled “Wake Up Vancouver”. In the report, Koop stated how a 30-year-old GVRD policy of not logging the Greater Vancouver watersheds was reversed in the early 1960s. Since that time, Koop has authored dozens of reports and books to advocate his concerns. One of his major publications is a book titled “From Wisdom to Tyranny: A History of British Columbia’s Drinking Watershed Reserves” (2006).
In 1997, Koop helped found and serves as the coordinator of the British Columbia Tap Water Alliance which promotes the protection of the public drinking water sources in British Columbia and advocates to end all logging activity in the Greater Vancouver watersheds. Under the effort of public advocacy groups including the BC Tap Water Alliance, the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) resolved to end all logging activity in the Greater Vancouver watersheds in 1999.
Besides protecting the Greater Vancouver watersheds, Koop has recently turned his attention to the use and impact on water by the oil and gas industry. In 2010, Koop started a website called Stop Fracking British Columbia. He has been investigating and pioneering concerns about hydraulic fracking and writing reports and media releases.
Custodial history
Scope and content
The fonds consists of reports written by Will Koop concerning the protection of forest and public drinking water sources of the Greater Vancouver watersheds. These include Greater Vancouver Regional District - GVRD (currently named Metro Vancouver Regional District) records of Water Committee minutes, Water and Waste Committee minutes, reports, legal records, and results of Freedom of Information requests. In addition to records from GVRD, records collected from various archives institutions including Library and Archives of Canada, BC Archives, UBC Special Collection, and the City of Vancouver Archives, are included. Records from other environmental organizations and activists are also represented in the fonds.
The fonds is arranged into the following series: Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) meeting minutes
(1968-2004), Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) and Will Koop reports [ca. 1931-2004], Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve files (1983-2003), Correspondence (1991-2004), Logging and water quality files (1915-2000), Mark Wareing files (1984-1996), General files on Greater Vancouver Watersheds and forest of British Columbia (1908-1995), Coquitlam watershed files (1893-2002), Forest Hydrology research files (1955-1998), SPEC Campaign and public input files (1988-2002).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Donated by Will Koop in 2009 and 2019.
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
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Restrictions on access
Access to some records is restricted; see series descriptions for more information on access restrictions.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Series descriptions available