Bowen Island / Nexwlelexwm Environmental Atlas
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- Biodiversity-Habitat, Birds, Cape Roger Curtis (B.C.), Conservation & Protected Areas, Conservation covenants, Ecology, Ecosystems, Endangered species, Environmental planning, Environmental policy, Forest ecology, Groundwater, Howe Sound Biosphere (B.C.), Hydrology, Intertidal ecology, Mammals, Marine ecology, Municipal Planning, Parks-Management, Plants, Protected areas, Regional planning, Remote sensing, Riparian ecology, Shorelines-Environmental aspects, Species Biodiversity, Water Resources, Watershed management, Wetland ecology
Basics
Title
Bowen Island / Nexwlelexwm Environmental Atlas
Description
AI-generated: A nine-page environmental atlas of Bowen Island (Nexwlelexwm), British Columbia, produced by the Bowen Island Conservancy as part of the Caring for Nature Biodiversity Initiative. Version 1.3, dated May 2025. The atlas comprises eight thematic maps covering: water resources and topography including fish-bearing streams and water supply catchments; sensitive ecosystems classified by forest age, wetland type, eelgrass, and intertidal zones; land stewardship and ownership including provincial ecological reserves, parks, conservancies, and private land; combined sensitive ecosystems and stewardship; sensitive ecosystems specifically on private land; protected areas and environmental covenants; groundwater recharge potential (from the Groundwater Sustainability Science Program); and a draft total species richness model. Maps are produced at 1:18,625 scale using UTM NAD 83 / EPSG 26910 projection with a 1 km coordinate grid. The atlas is intended to support conservation planning, land stewardship, and biodiversity protection on Bowen Island.
Date
January 1, 2025
Creator Organization
Bowen Island Conservancy
Authors
John Dowler | William Shulba | Wendy Palen | Tom Sisk | Jay Matsushiba | Jeff Matheson | Daniel Martin | Bob Turner | Will Husby | Alan Whitehead | John Reid
Document Type
Map
Full Text URL
Subject Area
Biodiversity-Habitat | Species Biodiversity > Birds | Conservation & Protected Areas > Cape Roger Curtis (B.C.) | Conservation & Protected Areas | Conservation & Protected Areas > Conservation covenants | Ecology | Ecosystems | Conservation & Protected Areas > Endangered species | Policy & Governance > Environmental planning | Policy & Governance > Environmental policy | Ecosystems > Forest ecology | Water Resources > Groundwater | Conservation & Protected Areas > Howe Sound Biosphere (B.C.) | Water Resources > Hydrology | Ecosystems > Intertidal ecology | Species Biodiversity > Mammals | Ecosystems > Marine ecology | Policy & Governance > Municipal Planning | Parks-Management | Species Biodiversity > Plants | Conservation & Protected Areas > Protected areas | Policy & Governance > Regional planning | Remote sensing | Ecosystems > Riparian ecology | Shorelines-Environmental aspects | Species Biodiversity | Water Resources | Water Resources > Watershed management | Ecosystems > Wetland ecology
Metadata
Keywords
Bowen Island
|Nexwlelexwm
|environmental atlas
|sensitive ecosystems
|water resources
|topography
|fish-bearing streams
|water supply catchments
|stewardship
|land ownership
|parks
|ecological reserves
|conservation covenants
|eco covenants
|groundwater recharge
|species richness
|biodiversity
|old forest
|mature forest
|wetlands
|eelgrass
|intertidal
|riparian zones
|Bowen Island Conservancy
|Caring for Nature
|UTM NAD 83
|EPSG 26910
|Crippen Regional Park
|Ecological Reserve 48
|Apodaca Provincial Park
|Killarney Lake
|Grafton Lake
|Mount Collins
|Mount Gardner
|Mount Apodaca
|Islands Trust
Time Period
2025
Relationship - isPartOf
Document ID
2605102019
Relationship - hasPart
Document ID
2605102019
Document ID
2605102019
Document ID
2605102019
Document ID
2605102019
Document ID
2605102019
Document ID
2605102019
Document ID
2605102019
Document ID
2605102019
Document ID
2605102019
Copyright holder
(c) 2024 by John Dowler and others. Errors & omissions excepted.
Document Filename
bowen-island-environmental-atlas-0.1_2605102019.pdf
Storage Location
maps-graphic/bowen-conservancy
Key Findings
AI-generated: The atlas documents the ecological character of Bowen Island across eight thematic maps. Key findings include: (1) Sensitive ecosystems including old forest, mature forest, wetlands, eelgrass, and intertidal zones cover significant portions of the island, providing habitat for threatened and endangered plant and animal species despite historical logging in the 19th and 20th centuries. (2) Stewardship is shared across multiple jurisdictions including provincial ecological reserves, provincial parks, Metro Vancouver regional parks, Islands Trust conservancies, Bowen Island Conservancy lands, and municipal parks; 91% of municipal parkland was preserved through conservation development. (3) Substantial sensitive ecosystem values remain on private land, where landowners are identified as key stewards. (4) Environmental covenants are distributed across private properties and are catalogued in the companion Bowen Island Environmental Covenant Catalogue. (5) Groundwater recharge potential ranges from Very Low to Very High across the island, with moderate to high recharge concentrated in upland forested areas, based on the Islands Trust Area Groundwater Recharge Mapping Project (May 2025). (6) A draft total species richness model identifies the north-central area around Mount Collins / Crippen Park as having the highest modelled species richness on the island.
Methodology
Maps produced using GIS data from multiple sources including Metro Vancouver Sensitive Area Inventory, Bowen Island Municipality (lakes, streams, contours, properties, parks), Province of BC (property lines, ownership boundaries), Natural Resources Canada (buildings), Islands Trust (groundwater recharge data), and field surveys (wetlands: Alan Whitehead; intertidal: Will Husby; eelgrass: Bowen Island Municipality). Lidar-derived hillshade model by Jeff Matheson. All maps at 1:18,625 scale, UTM NAD 83 / EPSG 26910. Species richness model prepared by Wendy Palen PhD, Tom Sisk PhD, and Jay Matsushiba MSc (methodology not detailed in document - draft status).
Map Descriptions
Page 2: Water and Topography map of Bowen Island showing full island extent with shaded relief hillshade, fish-bearing and non-fish-bearing streams in blue, lakes and ponds in teal, wetlands, and summits. Includes two 3D perspective inset views of the island and an inset map showing 10 major water supply catchments. Grid in 1 km increments. Scale 1:18,625.
|Page 3: Sensitive Ecosystems map colour-coded by ecosystem type including old forest (dark green), mature forest (medium green), young forest (light green), woodland (olive), wetlands, intertidal zones, eelgrass, human-modified areas, moss/lichen bluffs, and old fields. Ecosystem unit boundaries and sensitive riparian zones shown.
|Page 4: Stewardship and land ownership map showing protected areas and tenure types across Bowen Island including Ecological Reserve 48, Apodaca Provincial Park, Crippen Regional Park, Cape Roger Curtis, Islands Trust conservancies, Bowen Island Conservancy lands, municipal parks, Agricultural Land Reserve, Old Growth Management Areas, Crown land, and private parcels with cadastral boundaries.
|Page 5: Combined Sensitive Ecosystems and Stewardship overlay map showing ecosystem classifications colour-filled beneath ownership boundary lines in multiple colours representing different tenure categories including municipal parks, conservancies, provincial parks, eco reserves, crown land, and agricultural land reserve. Contours at 10m intervals.
|Page 6: Sensitive Ecosystems on Private Land map showing ecosystem patches on private properties only; public and protected lands shown as blank. Building footprints from 2018 overlaid as tan hatch pattern. Cadastral parcel boundaries visible. Ecosystem categories same as page 3 but restricted to private land extent.
|Page 7: Protected Areas and Eco Covenants map showing major protected land blocks and environmental covenant locations as purple hatched polygons across private land. Named protected areas include Crippen Regional Park, Ecological Reserve 48, Apodaca Provincial Park, Art Rennison Nature Reserve, Singing Woods Nature Reserve, Fairy Fen, and others.
|Page 8: Groundwater Recharge Potential raster map using blue-teal-green colour gradient to classify recharge potential from Very Low to Very High. Gold boundary lines show ITA groundwater regions (ITA_GWREGIONS). Higher recharge values concentrated in upland interior; lower values near developed and coastal zones.
|Page 9: Draft Total Species Richness raster heat map using viridis colour gradient (yellow = lower richness, purple/blue = higher richness). Highest species richness concentrated in north-central island around Mount Collins / Crippen Park area. Roads and property boundaries shown as grey lines. Prominent DRAFT watermark overlaid.
Image Descriptions
Page 1: Cover page with decorative compass rose graphic centred on a parchment-style cream background, with the Bowen Island Conservancy logo (stylized mountain and water scene in an oval frame) displayed below the atlas title.
|Page 2: Two 3D perspective illustrations of Bowen Island topography shown as inset panels in the upper left - one view from northeast to southwest and one from south to north, rendered in green/grey terrain style with labelled geographic features. A great blue heron illustration appears in the lower right.
|Page 3: An otter illustration appears in the lower right corner.
|Page 4: A beaver illustration appears in the lower right corner.
|Page 5: A woodpecker illustration appears in the lower right corner.
|Page 6: A skunk illustration appears in the lower right corner.
|Page 7: A mouse or vole illustration appears in the lower right corner.
|Page 8: No wildlife illustration on this page. Compass rose appears in the upper right.
|Page 9: Compass rose appears in the upper right. DRAFT watermark text stamped across the centre of the map.
Page Count
9
Publisher Location
Bowen Island, British Columbia
File Size
72425005 bytes (approximately 70 MB)
File Format
application/pdf
Geographic Locations
Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada | Nexwlelexwm | Howe Sound | Hut Island | Cape Roger Curtis | Snug Cove | Grafton Bay | Galbraith Bay | Hood Point | Scarborough Bay | Miller's Landing | Mannion Bay | Dorman Bay | September Morn Beach | Seymour Bay | King Edward Bay | Bowen Bay | Tunstall Bay | Fairweather Bay | Arbutus Bay | Alder Cove | Echo Bay | Onion Island | Mount Collins | Mount Gardner | Mount Apodaca | Radar Hills | Killarney Lake | Grafton Lake | Josephine Lake | Lee Creek | Crippen Regional Park | Ecological Reserve 48 | Apodaca Provincial Park | Art Rennison Nature Reserve | Singing Woods Nature Reserve | Fairy Fen | Wild Coast Nature Reserve | David Otter Conservancy
Coordinate Reference Systems
UTM NAD 83 | EPSG 26910
GIS Layer Geometry
Polygon