RIVER MAGIC, TALES FROM A LIFE ON 1000 RIVERS: “The Fraser River has been such a big part of my life and a river that is dear to my heart,” stated Mark Angelo, Chair and founder of World Rivers Day; globally renowned river conservationist, speaker, teacher, writer, adventurer, and paddler
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. Storylines accommodate a range of reader attention spans. Read the headline and move on, or take the time to delve deeper – it is your choice! Downloadable versions are available at Living Water Smart in British Columbia: The Series. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story.
On the 45th anniversary of BC Rivers Day, and 20th for Word Rivers Day, the edition published on September 30, 2025 celebrates the extraordinary lifelong accomplishments and legacy of Mark Angelo, an amazing British Columbian. He has traveled on close to a thousand rivers spanning well over 100 countries. His vision and story are truly inspirational.
ONE MINUTE TAKEAWAY for the extremely busy reader
A world-renowned river advocate and paddler, Mark Angelo is a remarkable and inspirational British Columbian. His legacy includes BC Rivers Day. For the 45th consecutive year, communities around BC celebrated their local creeks, streams and rivers on the 4th Sunday of September.
Images are mostly from the Partnership’s library. Some are from the public domain and Creative Commons.
EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER
“Mark Angelo and I were born in the same year, one month apart. The relevance is that our lives and careers were influenced by the same events and societal movements. Understanding his context provides me with perspective in appreciating the power of his life story,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
A Beacon of Inspiration: “Nature can heal itself if only we give it a chance,” says Mark Angelo
Time Continuum: Define the long-term desired outcome and work towards it, one step at a time
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: River Magic, tales from a life on 1000 rivers – a conversation with Mark Angelo
“Let me tell you a little about the book,” was the first thing that Mark Angelo said when we had a conversation shortly after publication of River Magic.
As an avid kayaker, canoeist and rafter, Mark Angelo has traveled on close to a thousand rivers spanning well over one-hundred countries; perhaps more than any other individual. He was the lead subject and star of the award winning film, RiverBlue, released in 2016.
The City of Burnaby named a local city stream after Mark Angelo. He is in the Fraser River Hall of Fame. And in 2015, Canadian Geographic magazine named him as one of Canada’s 100 greatest modern day explorers.
In the book, Mark Angelo recalls landmark moments that define his life
“So I decided to write this book, River Magic: Tales from a Life on 1000 Rivers. The book takes the reader on a multi-decade global adventure. And it chronicles a lot of the real-life encounters I have had on rivers around the world.”
“My goal was to make the book as accessible as possible to a wide range of audiences. That is a tough balance to strike. But I think I have come close to striking that balance which excites me.”
“Writing the book has allowed me to recall so many amazing moments that I have had and that are recounted in the book. It was a wonderful exercise in terms of looking at old photos and allowing me to recall all of those stories.”
Story behind the story of why Mark Angelo choose River Magic for his book title
“I really enjoyed writing the book. It was a source of much introspection. And I recalled so many amazing moments. It is just a sampling. It allowed me to recall some landmark moments in my life.”
Boyhood experience inspired Mark Angelo’s lifelong passion for the mighty Fraser River
“Writing River Magic made me recall my first trip down the Fraser River in 1975. I spent an entire summer doing that. That is 1375 km. And that was back in a time before Google Earth, before cell phones. It was quite an adventure!
“I remember after that trip just being so enamoured with the river. So impressed with its powers, its beauty, its diversity. Ever since, I have referred to the Fraser as literally being the heart and soul of British Columbia, the heart and soul of our province. I feel passionately about that.”
“So I knew BC was a land of great rivers when I had a chance to come to BCIT. I was excited, not only to teach the brand new fish and wildlife program, but also the fact that I could live in a province that I knew had this amazing river heritage. That really excited me.”
“Bottom line when all is said and done, I hope the book creates a greater sense of awareness…of the values of our rivers…of the importance of protecting rivers. Not only those that are still in good shape, but also restoring those that have been damaged in the past.”
Mark Angelo believes nature can heal itself if only we give it a chance
“But I also found myself at a point where I could really compare the incredibly damaged waterways that I had seen, to the ones that were very healthy. That also influenced me.”
“There are lots of examples of restoring rivers in the book. Growing up and spending time around damaged rivers had an impact on me. But that was countered by some of the healthy streams that I came to know.”
“And so, I started talking with my colleagues at BCIT about what we could do. To make a long story short, we decided that however difficult it might be, we would embark on the mission to restore Guichon Creek.”
A closing perspective on the importance, values, allure and magic of streams and rivers
“The book utilizes the telling of stories of personal tales of encounters with animals, encounters with people, as a way of relaying the importance of our rivers, of the values of our rivers, of the allure and magic of rivers. And without necessarily going into a lengthy technical kind of explanation.”
“I think the telling of stories is a really important way, and an important tool when it comes to communicating with the public and to relaying messages. There are cautionary tales in the book but there are also hopeful ones too.”
Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series
To download a copy of the foregoing resource as a PDF document for your records and/or sharing, click on Living Water Smart in British Columbia: River Magic, tales from a life on 1000 rivers.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/08/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Mark-Angelo-and-River-Magic_2025.pdf
About the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC
Technical knowledge alone is not enough to resolve water challenges facing BC. Making things happen in the real world requires an appreciation and understanding of human behaviour, combined with a knowledge of how decisions are made. It takes a career to figure this out.
The Partnership has a primary goal, to build bridges of understanding and pass the baton from the past to the present and future. To achieve the goal, the Partnership is growing a network in the local government setting. This network embraces collaborative leadership and inter-generational collaboration.
