Princess Royal Island

Princess Royal
Region	North Coast
Demographics
Ethnic groups	Tsimshian territory

Princess Royal Island is the largest island on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is located amongst the isolated inlets and islands east of Hecate Strait on the British Columbia Coast. At 2,251 square kilometres (869 sq mi), it is the fourth largest island in British Columbia.^[1] It was named in 1788 by Captain Charles Duncan, after his ship Princess Royal.^[2]

Access and settlements

The island is located in an extremely remote area of British Columbia, 520 kilometres (320 mi) north of

Butedale, a mining, cannery, fishing and logging town on the island's east coast. The nearest communities today are Klemtu, on Swindle Island and Hartley Bay, on the mainland shore east of Gil Island

.

Indigenous reserves

Indigenous reserves on or adjacent to Princess Royal Island are:

Hartley Bay Indian Band reserves:

Kahas Indian Reserve No. 7, on the west coast of Princess Royal at Barnard Harbour, 16.50 ha (40.8 acres) 53°04′00″N 129°07′00″W / 53.06667°N 129.11667°W / 53.06667; -129.11667 (Kahas IR No. 7).^[3]
Kayel Indian Reserve No. 8, on the west shore of Princess Royal fronting on Campania Sound, 1.60 ha. (4.0 acres) at 53°04′00″N 129°10′00″W / 53.06667°N 129.16667°W / 53.06667; -129.16667 (Kayel IR No. 8).^[4]
Lackzuswadda Indian Reserve No. 9, on an island at the entrance to
Surf Inlet, on the southwest coast of Princess Royal, 2.20 ha. (5.4 acres) at 52°54′00″N 129°09′00″W / 52.90000°N 129.15000°W / 52.90000; -129.15000 (Lackzuswadda IR No. 9).^[5]

Kitasoo/Xaixais First Nation reserves:

Canoona 2, on Princess Royal Island, north shore of Graham Reach, 219.30 ha.
Dil-ma-sow 5, on Kent Islet southwest of the Princess Royal Islands, 1.90 ha.
Kinmakanksk 6, on the southwest shore of Princess Royal Island on Laredo Channel, 11.70 ha.
Lattkaloup 9, on Princess Royal Island at mouth of Fowles Creek, Laredo Inlet, 0.40. ha.
Saint Joe 10, on Princess Royal Island at outlet of Bloomfield Lake into Laredo Inlet, 0.50 ha.
Ulthakoush 11, at head of Laredo Inlet on Princess Royal Island, 2.40 ha.

History

Twelve of the 17 crew of

Mount Kologet, east of the Nass River to the northwest of Hazelton

.

Geography

The island's northern tip is Trivett Point, its northwestern tip is Kingcome Point.

The Canoona River drains the central part of the island, flowing east to the sea from Canoona Lake.

Ecology and environment

The island is classified by the

Coastal Western Hemlock

zone.

Wildlife on Princess Royal Island includes kermode bears, black bears, grizzly bears, deer, wolves and foxes, and nesting populations of golden eagles, bald eagles, and the endangered marbled murrelet. Marine life around the island includes abundant salmon, elephant seals, orcas and porpoises. Princess Royal Island is a core component of a regional preservationist campaign covering the North and Central Coast, which has been dubbed the Great Bear Rainforest by environmental groups.

References

^ Pacific Coast Islands Archived 2013-01-22 at the Wayback Machine, The Atlas of Canada
^ "Princess Royal Island". BC Geographical Names.
^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Kahas 7 (Indian reserve)"
^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Kayel 8 (Indian reserve)"
^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Lackzuswadda 9 (Indian reserve)"

External links

Princess Royal Island on BritishColumbia.com Archived 2005-12-30 at the Wayback Machine

52°55′N 128°50′W / 52.917°N 128.833°W / 52.917; -128.833

[1] Pacific Coast Islands Archived 2013-01-22 at the Wayback Machine, The Atlas of Canada

[2] "Princess Royal Island". BC Geographical Names.

[3] BC Names/GeoBC entry "Kahas 7 (Indian reserve)"

[4] BC Names/GeoBC entry "Kayel 8 (Indian reserve)"

[5] BC Names/GeoBC entry "Lackzuswadda 9 (Indian reserve)"

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