Mighty River: A Portrait of the Fraser

Like the world's other great waterways, the Fraser River is the lifeblood of the territory through which it flows. And the Fraser's domain is vast, the river's basin encompasses half of British Columbia's forests and agricultural lands, the majority of the province's salmon streams, and two-thirds of its human population. Tacoutche Tesse -- the Mighty One, as the people of the Carrier National call the Fraser River -- has long been a provider of food, transport and inspiration to the people who live near its generous waters.

Winner of the 1998 Roderick Haig-Brown Prize, and nominated for the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction prize, Mighty River follows the Fraser from its source down to the Pacific, recounting many of the human and natural histories that intertwine on its banks. Author Richard Bocking describes the delicate ecosystems nourished by the Fraser and offers vivid historical glimpses of First Nations peoples, explorers like Alexander Mackenzie and Simon Fraser, and gold seekers trekking the river's canyon.

But more than simply telling the Fraser's tales, Mighty River sounds an alarm. Looking beyond the river's beauty, Bocking describes how careless development wounded the Fraser in the past and keeps the river vulnerable today. As the Fraser descends, it presents a microcosm of the conflicts and choices that dominate North America's economic and environmental agendas. This river, the author makes clear, is an irreplaceable gift that must not be squandered.

Richard C. Bocking is an award-winning filmmaker whose documentaries on the environment and the performing arts have aired on Canadian and European network television for the past 25 years. He has written and lectured extensively on Canada's water resources, and his 1972 book on water export issues, Canada's Water--For Sale?, was adapted from his film by the same name. Born in Thunder Bay, ON, Richard Bocking now lives in Victoria, BC.