Kitlope River estuary visit
Single-handing my wooden sailboat into the Kitlope changed my life.
This spot on a map of BC means little until you follow the 70-mile Gardner Canal that branches off Devastation Channel and winds its way deep into the coastal mountains of northern BC.
While single-handing my old wooden sailboat, ERN, I was reminded of my first trip to the mountains and the thrill of seeing the spectacular scenery along the old two-lane Banff-Jasper Highway.
But now I was experiencing the same wonder and awe as the canal zig-zagged its way through the coastal range where countless waterfalls embroidered forbidding rocky cliffs before rushing through the deep green forest until joining the milky waters of Gardner Canal.
On a sunny day the serried precipices are a palette of reds, ochres, gold, greys and blacks. Passing through each turn of the narrow channel was like turning the pages in a book of photographs from a land of make-believe until arriving at the estuary of the Kitlope River. The river’s wide expanse of grasses and sedges stretch for over a mile across the upper part of the estuary before shallows extend far into the bay.
What a feeling of joy when I learned that Raincoast was planning to secure the protection of all the large carnivores that inhabit this area of peace and beauty. Now it’s pay-back for times of rejuvenation and peace while enjoying Mother Nature’s blessings to BC. I am happy to contribute to this legacy of a rich variety of flora and fauna. From wolves to black bears to grizzlies, all the Kitlope’s carnivores will be protected from the devastation of trophy hunting.
You can help
Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
