British Columbia Services - Archaeological Overview Assessment (AOA):
- may be conducted under a BC Heritage Inspection Permit
- generally conducted for large scale project or regional reviews
- determines the locations of previously recorded archaeological sites within a minimum of 5000m of the development using the BC Heritage Resource Inventory Application (HRIA) and the BC Remote Access to Archaeological Data (RAAD)
- utilizes all available "tools" including the Millennia Northeast British Columbia Archaeological Potential Model in considering the archaeological potential of a development area
- includes a thorough review of all available maps and plans providing topographic features, forest cover and waterways data within a development area
- may include field reconnaissance depending on scope of project. If subsurface tests are conducted, a BC Heritage Inspection Permit is required.
- recommendations are based on archaeological potential of the area while taking into consideration the limitations of the study methodology. A recommendation for an Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA) is made when the proposed project may impact an area of moderate to very high archaeological potential. A recommendation for ‘no further work’ is made when the archaeologist is confident that the proposed project will impact only areas of low archaeological potential.
- AOA Reporting: may be submitted to the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Archaeology Branch, Permitting and Assessment Section and to the Oil and Gas Commission. Some AOAs are conducted for client review only.
