Conservancy overview
Lax Kul Nii Luutiksm/Bonilla Conservancy was established as part of government’s land use decision in the North Coast planning area.
The conservancy is a rocky island off the northwest coast of Banks Island. The island is subject to heavy battering during storms, and receives significant rainfall. The area is home to a pre-contact Gitxaala village site. The area supports some isolated productive seabird colonies, which unlike colonies on larger islands, do not experience predation by mink. On the west side of the conservancy is the Bonilla Island Lighthouse Station which was the last light house to be established in British Columbia in 1960. The adjacent rocky islets are used as sea lion haul-outs.
The conservancy covers Bonilla Island and the adjacent islets North Rock and Northwest Rocks and all foreshore within 200 metres of the shore. The conservancy protects a pre-contact First Nations village, seabird colonies, sea lion rookeries, a tombolo, and rich intertidal resources.
Lax Kul Nii Luutiksm/Bonilla Conservancy is one of a number of areas that were identified for conservancy status from the North Coast Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP). The Gitxaala First Nation has identified interests in Lax Kul Nii Luutiksm/Bonilla Conservancy. This conservancy was designated in 2006.
Advisories
Lax Kul Nii Luutiksm/Bonilla Conservancy is located 40 km southwest of Kitkatla/Gitxaala and 95 km southwest of Prince Rupert. Access to the conservancy is primarily by boat, although the island is in a very exposed location off of the west coast of Banks Island.
Conservancy and activity maps
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Conservancy details
- Date established: July 13, 2006
- Size: 1,584 hectares (741 ha upland and 843 ha foreshore)
Nature and culture
Lax Kul Nii Luutiksm/Bonilla Conservancy helps protect the areas biological diversity and natural environments by protecting representative coastal flora and fauna, plant communities and animal species at risk, and special features, particularly lowland coastal muskeg (bogs and fens) and bog forests, sea lion haulouts, extensive kelp beds, predator-free islets for breeding colonies of Pigeon Guillemots and Glaucous–winged Gulls, and a tombolo. Together with nearby Banks Nii Luutiksm and Gitxaala Nii Luutiksm/Kitkatla Conservancies, Lax Kul Nii Luutiksm/Bonilla Conservancy protects over 48,000 ha of terrestrial and marine habitats on the outer coast.
A pre-contact Gitxaala village site is located in the conservancy. A shell midden is the only archaeological site registered with the BC Archaeological Branch located that is located in the conservancy. Additional archaeological sites are likely present but archaeological inventories are incomplete.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.