The Wildest Valley

The Flathead Valley is the only large unsettled low elevation valley in southern Canada. As a result species like grizzly bears are able to use lush riparian areas that they have been displaced from almost everywhere else. Because the Flathead River has never been dammed nor have its banks been tampered with to prevent flooding it is also home to a rich shifting mosaic floodplain that provides outstanding habitat for birds. The reason for its undeveloped state is that the Flathead River flows south to the US, the soil and climate are not very suitable for agriculture, and the cross Canada rail-line passed one valley north through the Elk Valley, leaving the Flathead unsettled.

Fast Facts

The Flathead Valley is the only large unsettled low elevation valley in southern Canada. This creates a unique situation that makes it perhaps the most important area for maintaining large carnivores and many other species in North America.

Quotes

“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.