Khutzeymateen Inlet and Khutzeymateen Inlet West Conservancies

About This Conservancy

The inlet is adjacent to Khutzeymateen/K’tzim-a-deen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary (44,300 hectares) and protects important grizzly bear habitat. Khutzeymateen Inlet contains a number of locally important salmon bearing streams, key intertidal areas and areas of First Nations traditional use. The Khutzeymateen is historically associated with the Gitsi’is Tribe and associated with Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla First Nations (collectively Coast Tsimshian).

A 362 hectare portion within the Khutzeymateen Inlet is a Schedule F conservancy (Khutzeymateen Inlet West) which allows for necessary resource access to adjacent timber harvesting lands while providing additional protection to the Khutzeymateen Inlet Conservancy and to the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary.

Other nearby protected areas include Ksi X’anmas Conservancy immediately north of Khutzeymateen Inlet, Ksi Xts’at’kw/Stagoo Conservancy along Observatory Inlet to the north.

Khutzeymateen Inlet and Khutzeymateen Inlet West Conservancies were identified for conservancy status during negotiations between the provincial government and First Nations governments following the North Coast Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP). These conservancies were designated in Spring 2008. See News Release for more information. See News Release for more information.

The park offers grizzly bear viewing tour.

Special Notes:

• All guided tours must be with a permitted guide.
  • Click here for a pdf of businesses that are permitted to guide within Khutzeymateen Protected Area’s. [PDF 42KB]
• For additional information, click here to view these non-government web links.
• When you arrive in the Khutzeymateen Inlet, please check in at the K’tzim-a-deen Ranger Station in the inlet. Once in the Khutzeymateen Inlet, there are very specific rules and regulations for the Inlet Conservancy and Grizzly Bear Sanctuary. There is no land access permitted in the Grizzly Bear Sanctuary and the Khutzeymateen River estuary is closed for public access. More information is available at the interpretive centre.

Location and Maps

• Location Map

The Khutzeymateen Inlet Conservancy is comprised of 10,554 hectares of upland and 2,755 hectares of foreshore for a total of 13,309 hectares. The Khutzeymateen group of protected areas is located approximately 45 kilometres northwest of Prince Rupert and 10 kilometres north of Lax Kw’alaams in the Coast Ranges. Access to the Khutzeymateen Protected Areas is primarily by boat. Floatplane access and helicopter access to Khutzeymateen Park is tightly controlled.

Maps and Brochures

• North and Central Coast Maps of Conservancies

Nature and Culture

The Khutzeymateen area has a long history of use by First Nations groups. The Khutzeymateen is within the asserted traditional territories of the Coast Tsimshian First Nations and is historically associated with the Gitsi’is Tribe. Coast Tsimshian have documented fishing for uuk and yee; hunting for t’u’utskgm’ol, mati, and waaky; trapping for lusyen, watsa, yeni and sts’ool; gardening for potatoes; wild food gathering for musoo, sti’moon, laawwmmuliit, weeluum bowel, skamoolks, cranberries, and maayhagwiluu; and gathering other wild plants including hat’al, haalmmoot, ksiw, and galaaq hat’al. Other plants were used for medicinal purposes; these include sahwdak, medijica aams, and txa’oogasteti.

Management Planning

Management Planning Information

The management plan for the Khutzeymateen conservancies was approved in December 2011.

• Khutzeymateen Protected Areas Management Plan December 2011 [PDF 1.95MB]