Kennedy Island Conservancy

Kennedy Island Conservancy
IUCN category II (national park) [1]
Western side of Kennedy Island Conservancy
Location within British Columbia
Location	Canada
Coordinates	54°02′10″N130°11′15″W / 54.03611°N 130.18750°W / 54.03611; -130.18750
Area	4,970 ha (19.2 sq mi)
Established	June 27, 2008
Operator	BC Parks

Kennedy Island Conservancy protects all 4,970 hectares (12,300 acres) of Kennedy Island ^[2] in British Columbia, Canada. ^[3] The island contains many culturally modified trees and other cultural values and is a gathering location for First Nations travelling upon the Skeena River. ^[4]

There are two peaks near the middle of the island, one at 724 metres (2,375 ft) and Elizabeth Peak ^[5] at 753 metres (2,470 ft). ^[6]

Gitxaała describe dwelling on the island when travelling from Lach Klan to their oolichan fishing site on the mouth of the Nass River. ^{[7] : 12}

Almost one thousand culturally modified trees were recorded on a small part of the conservancy. ^[8]

Ecology

Kennedy Island’s forests are exhibiting yellow cedar decline patterns common in coastal islands and lowland areas in North Coast Regional District ^[9] . This decline is a significant ecological process affecting the island’s forest composition, reducing structural diversity in low-elevation forests, leaving standing dead trees that alter habitat for birds and mammals ^[10] .

References

1. "Kennedy Island Conservancy". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
2. "Kennedy Island". BC Geographical Names .
3. "Kennedy Island Conservancy". BC Geographical Names .
4. "Kennedy Island Conservancy". British Columbia, Ministry of Environment. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
5. "Elizabeth Peak". BC Geographical Names .
6. "Chart 3927, SeaBreeze Point to Bamfield Islands". Sailing Directions, British Columbia Coast, (Northern Portion). II (Ninth Edition): 163. 1983.
7. Menzies, Charles (17 December 2025). ""Live right off the Land and Water": Drag Seines, Capitalism, and Gitxaala Lifeway". Anthropologica. 67 (2). doi:10.18357/anthropologica67220252753 . Retrieved 2026-01-08.
8. Eldridge, M.; et al. (2013). "Culturally Modified Trees as Plant Management". BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly (179). UBC Library: 113–133. doi:10.14288/bcs.v0i179.184112 . Retrieved February 7, 2026.
9. Hennon, P. E.; D'Amore, D. V.; Zeglan, S.; Grainger, M. (2005). Yellow‑cedar decline in the North Coast Forest District of British Columbia (Research Note PNW‑RN‑549). Portland, OR: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.
10. • "Yellow cedar decline". Government of British Columbia: Forest Health. Province of British Columbia. Dead trees can remain standing for decades" and "the most noticeable areas of decline are on the north and mid‑coasts where landscape‑level occurrence can be observed.