Kitlope River

The Kitlope River is a river in the Kitimat Ranges in the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, flowing north for 100 km (62 mi),[4][5] into the head of the Gardner Canal to the south of the smelter town of Kitimat. It is named for the Gitlope group of Haisla, now part of the Haisla Nation government and community at Kitamaat Village near Kitimat. The name is a Tsimshian language reference to the people, who call themselves Henaksiala, and means "people of the rocks" or "people of the opening in the mountains". The Haisla language name for the river is Xesduwaxwsdu.[3]

Kitlope River
The Kitlope River
Kitlope River is located in British Columbia
Kitlope River
Mouth of Kitlope River
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
DistrictCoast Land District
Physical characteristics
SourceKitimat Ranges
 • locationCoast Mountains
 • coordinates52°43′32″N 127°34′34″W[1]
 • elevation693 m (2,274 ft)[2]
MouthGardner Canal
 • coordinates
53°15′1″N 127°53′35″W[3]
 • elevation
40 m (130 ft)[2]
Length100 km (62 mi)[4]

The term "the Kitlope" may refer also to the basin of the Kitlope, including the basins of its tributaries. The area has been the scene of protracted conservationist vs. resource extraction controversy since the 1970s and is now the Kitlope Heritage Conservancy, a protected area managed by BC Parks.[6]

The Kitlope Indian Reserve No. 16 is located at the river's mouth.

Tributaries
  • Tsaytis River (C'itis in Haisla) - joins the Kitlope at its estuary
  • Kalitan Creek (Tlasudis in Haisla) - joins the Kitlope via the Tezwa
  • Tezwa River (Wa'yuwa in Haisla) - joins the Kitlope via Kitlope Lake
  • Gamsby River
  • Tnaiko Creek (Daniko in Haisla; the Tenaiko is tributary to the Gamsby - note also Tenaiko Range)
  • Kapella River (Qapela'ax in Haisla)

See also

References
  1. Derived using BCGNIS, topographic maps and TopoQuest.
  2. Elevation derived from ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model, using GeoLocator, BCGNIS coordinates, and topographic maps.
  3. "Kitlope River". BC Geographical Names.
  4. Length measured using Google Maps path tool, BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, and TopoQuest.
  5. "Canadian 1:50K topographic maps" (map). TopoQuest.com. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  6. "Huchsduwachsdu Nuyem Jees / Kitlope Heritage Conservancy". BC Parks. Retrieved 4 August 2021.


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