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Water

The Flathead River is one of North America’s wildest rivers. It is a transboundary watershed, originating in the remote interior of southeast British Columbia. The river flows through an uninhabited valley in B.C. across the border into the state of Montana, where it empties into Flathead Lake. In Montana, the Flathead River is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River and forms the western boundary of Glacier National Park.

The transboundary Flathead supports important native fish populations, including bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, both of which are transboundary populations, shared by the U.S. and Canada. Bull trout are a sensitive species, native to cold, clear waters like those in the Flathead River. They spend their adult life in Flathead Lake in Montana, then migrate up river (up to 275 km) to spawn in select tributaries throughout the B.C. Flathead, as well as the Montana tributaries. Bull trout have highly specialized habitat requirements and are very sensitive to water temperature and any form of habitat degradation. Bull trout are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act and blue-listed in British Columbia. The tributary streams and mainstem of the Flathead in B.C. are critical spawning and rearing habitat for bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish and sculpin.

In addition to native fish species, the Flathead supports a population of tailed frogs, the most primitive frog in the world. Like the native fish, the tailed frog is sensitive to habitat degradation and is the only stream-dwelling frog in Canada. The tailed frog is blue-listed in British Columbia (a list under BC’s Endangered Species strategy for species not immediately threatened with extinction but of special concern because of sensitivity to human activities or natural disturbances).

In addition to the river itself, the rich, riparian valley and floodplains of the Flathead support a rich diversity of plant communities and wildlife. The Flathead supports a greater diversity and abundance of carnivores, such as mountain lion, grizzly bear, lynx and wolverine, than any other area in North America. The riparian floodplain is a natural travel corridor for wildlife, allowing seasonal movement in the rugged topography of the Rocky Mountains. In addition to habitat connectivity, the floodplain and riparian areas contain important bear food with abundant early spring and late fall foods.

Fast Facts

  • The watershed encompasses 4134 square kilometers with 38% of the drainage in B.C., and 62% in Montana.
  • The watershed supports over 300 species of aquatic insects, 10 species of native fish and 12 species of introduced fish.
  • Forms the western boundary of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a designated UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site
  • British Columbia Blue-listed species: grizzly bear, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, northern goshawk, turkey vulture, Lewis’ wood pecker, tailed frog, bull trout, mottled sculpin
  • US threatened: grizzly bear, lynx, bald eagle, bull trout
  • US endangered: wolf, peregrine falcon
  • In 2003, the BC portion of the Flathead basin supported approximately 55% of the bull trout spawning population in the transboundary Flathead River.

Quotes

“The transboundary Flathead has one of the most outstanding large mammal assemblages in North America, including 16 carnivore and six ungulate species” (Transboundary Flathead Research Needs Workshop, West Glacier, MT, Executive Summary, 2005)
“The B.C portion of the transboundary Flathead is a regional stronghold for (genetically pure) westslope cutthroat trout populations” (Muhlfeld et al, 2005) and both bull trout and westslope cutthroat use the entire drainage as critical spawning and rearing habitat (Fraley and Shepard, 1989)
“The Steering Committee finds that the proposed mine poses an unacceptable threat to the quality of the bull trout sport fishery of the basin.” (Recommendations of the Steering Committee for the Flathead River Basin Environmental Impact Study, 1983)
“The health of the aquatic environment is dependent upon the management of the terrestrial resources of the basin” (Recommendations of the Steering Committee for the Flathead River Basin Environmental Impact Study, 1983)
"Transboundary fisheries populations support a valued cultural and economic heritage in Canada and the United States…The value derived from protecting key ecosystem processes will far outweigh short-term monetary gains from short-sighted resource extraction that will scar the landscape and its ecosystem indefinitely.” AFS letter to Premier Campbell and Governor Schweitzer regarding the Cline Mining Corp. Lodgepole proposal, January, 9 2006)
“The Flathead River is the ecological engine of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem” (Transboundary Flathead Research Needs Workshop, West Glacier, MT, Executive Summary, 2005)
"On a continental scale, the entire Flathead is a biodiversity hotspot with a range of important habitats." (The State of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem: Transboundary Bioregion. Flathead Transboundary Network, 2001)
“A unique community of carnivore species resides in the Transboundary flathead region that appears unmatched in North America for its variety, completeness, use of bottomlands, and density of species that are rare elsewhere” Dr. John Weaver.
“The “shifting habitat mosaic” mediates very high biodiversity and bioproduction. Indeed I hypothesize that the highest level of species diversity in the Rocky Mountains, if not the entire continent may occur in these floodplains” Dr. Jack Stanford.