The Kitlope Heritage Conservancy

by Julia Hill

Photo by Myron kozak

On August 16, 1994, under the BC government of Premier Mike Harcourt, the largest intact coastal temperate rainforest on the earth was protected. The Premier, the Haisla Nation, Ecotrust Canada and West Fraser Timber Company made unprecedented history, working together to establish a unique Heritage Conservancy.

The Kitlope Valley is located on BC's north central coast. The entire conservancy spans over 400,000 hectares. The valley is about 100 km southeast of Kitimat, at the end of Gardner Canal - a narrow fjord of granite rock and glaciers. Kitlope is north of the Dean Channel, east of the Fjordland Recreation Area, and west of Tweedsmuir Park.

Figure 1: (A) Oblique aerial view of Kitlope Lake and mouth of Tezwa River. Photo: Myron Kozak

Figure 1:(B) LandSat image of showing Gardner Canal, Kitlope watershed, and Kitlope Lake. Source: Natural Resources Canada

The Kitlope is in Henaaksiala Traditional Territory. The term “Kitlope”, is derived from the Tshimshian language and translates to “people of the rock”. This is a direct reference to the mountainous environment in which the Henaaksiala people lived. The Kitlope River is referred to as Husduwachsdu in the Henaaksiala language this means “the source of milky blue waters”.

The Kitlope has been the ancestral territory of the Henaaksiala people for thousands of years. Through stories, teachings, songs, cultural history, and traditional names the Henaaksiala have kept their land and culture alive.

All along the Kitlope River and Lake there are stories and sites that convey cultural significance and traditional occupancy. From the village site of Miskusa, on the estuary meadows of the Kitlope River, to Culturally Modified Trees (CMT's) at Chea Whenk'Ha Chee, to Ogu-Walla the Raven-Eagle Clan Village Site at the confluence of the lower Kitlope and Ka-ous (Kitlope Lake), to Kla-Eyss, the Black Fish and Salmon Clan Village Site on Kitlope Lake. These are a few among many examples of traditional Henaaksiala place names and connections to the land. There is evidence of several grease trails that connect to other Nations, including into the Kimsquit (Bella Coola) watershed and beyond.

Figure 2: The glacial waters of Kitlope Lake. Photo: Myron Kozak

Figure 3: Haisla traditional canoe at 10th anniversary ceremonies. Julia Hill (2004)

Figure 4: Pictograph at Kitlope Lake. Julia Hill (2005)

The Kitlope is the largest intact coastal temperate rainforest on the planet, and it therefore provides an excellent model for other disrupted ecosystems and a safeguard to biodiversity. As such, the Kitlope was chosen as an observatory river for the Salmonid Rivers Observatory Network (SaRON) - a research project of the Flathead Lake Biological Station of the University of Montana.

Figure 5 and Figure 6: Mid-Kitlope River, and Lake. Jack Stanford (2003)

“SaRON is a long term research project focused on the most pristine rivers around the Pacific Rim. SaRON seeks no management authority. Our aim is to inform people, particularly local managers and citizens, about the science of salmonid rivers and strong influences such as climate variation, dynamics of ocean processes, harvest, hatcheries and habitat quantity and quality on long term salmon productivity. Where possible we include local people, particularly First Nation peoples, in the research activities. Our motivation is to help sustain Pacific salmonids for future generations through improved understanding of salmonid river science.”
- Jack Stanford (Director of Flathead Lake Biological Station)

For the details of SaRON, see: www.umt.edu/flbs/Research/SaRON.htm

Figure 7: Map of the Pacific Rim showing the major SaRON observatory, restoration, and reference rivers. Courtesy of Jack Stanford, University of Montana

Figure 8: Kitlope River, BC (2004)

The SaRON Project

One of the key goals of the project is to compare fish diversity, productivity, and density among different habitat types around the Pacific Rim (see previous figure). More particularly, SaRON is looking at all of the biophysical components of floodplains to assess how they affect salmon production.

By studying rivers like the Kitlope, SaRON will be able to measure biological and physical processes of ever-changing river ecosystems, and relate them to salmon production and biodiversity within each river that is studied. They will then be able to use this information to devise new and more holistic conservation and management strategies for these and other salmon rivers, as well as for the restoration of damaged rivers.

Figure 9: Satellite aerial view of the upper Kitlope River. Courtesy of the University of Montana.

Works Cited

Kozak, Myron, no year (early 1990s) photo. Hill Family Archives, Terrace, BC.

Natural Resources Canada Map, found in Hill, Aaron 2003. Honours Thesis, University of Victoria, BC.

Stanford, Jack 2003. Photos. SaRON. University of Montana.

Acknowledgements

We would like to make a special thank you to Aaron Hill, Tom Bansak, and Jack Stanford from the University of Montana for providing us with information on their project and the photos provided in this document.

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