Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park

Coordinates: 49°29′55″N 124°12′15″W / 49.49861°N 124.20417°W Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is an island that is 243 hectares (600 acres) in size. Anyone is free to camp on Jedediah island; however, it is only accessible by boat. The nearest access is from Lasqueti Island.

The Palmers

The Palmers bought the Island in 1949^[1] as a vacation getaway in the summer. Then in 1972 they moved to the island and became full-time residents. They lived there for twenty years. Mary Palmer didn't want the island to be developed after she was gone, so they fought long and hard to try to preserve it. In 1994 a small group of residents on Lasqueti Island became concerned that the Palmers might have to sell the property privately after the commitment from a land trust organization fell through. So they organized a campaign to save the island. In less than six months, more than four million dollars was raised. A major donation came from the family of Dan Culver, Canadian educator, white water rafting pioneer, sailor and mountain climber. Donations came from all over the province as the campaign gathered steam. Finally, the minister for the environment of the province of BC bought in too and the target amount was achieved and surpassed. But even at the eleventh hour, the deal was uncertain until Mary Palmer got the provincial park service to agree to Class A status for the island, meaning it could not be logged or mined. With that commitment in place she signed the island over to be our new Gulf Islands park.^[2][3] People all over donated and gave support. Then with a large donation from the Provincial Government, Jedediah Island was turned into a provincial park and can be enjoyed by visitors for years to come.

The Foot

In the summer of 2007, a family visiting Jedediah Island found the remains of a human foot on the beach they were at. It was the first in a series of feet to be discovered over the next two and a half years.

References

1. Palmer, Mary (1998), Jedediah Days, Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, ISBN 1-55017-184-4
2. The Dan Culver Follow Your Dream Foundation, Saving Jedediah Island, retrieved 2009-03-14
3. Green Legacies, A Donor's Guide for BC, Dan Culver, retrieved 2009-03-14

External links

• Government Park Listing
• "Jedediah Island". BC Geographical Names.
• "Jedediah Island Marine Park". BC Geographical Names.