NEW: And B.C.’s newly-minted commitment to work more closely with Montana to steward the transboundary ecosystem in the Crown of the Continent is great news as well. READ IT HERE. So let’s be vocal about it.
Let’s say thanks, so the Premier knows we care about the Flathead River Valley.

Please send a quick e-mail right now.

Remind her there are two more steps to take.

There are two more things that need to be done in order to protect the Flathead River Valley, its wildlife and its special values.
As you thank Premier Campbell, please let him know that you also support…

• Creating a national park in the lower one-third of B.C.’s Flathead River Valley.
• Establishing a Wildlife Management Area in the rest of the valley and adjoining habitat.

Why the park?

A national park in the lower one-third of B.C.’s Flathead River Valley is absolutely necessary to protect this unique area into the future.
Recently, more than 60% of East Kootenay residents polled supported the creation of this park. The park would contribute to important wildlife connectivity and help wildlife access the space they need to maintain healthy populations. Connecting and maintaining habitat is especially important now that climate change is increasing threats to wild populations and ecosystems stability.
A national park would allow for better long-term management of all the magnificent values of the Flathead: its wildlife, plant and endangered fish populations; its incredible landscape, its connection to the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park; and its clean, clear river.

Why do we still need a Southern Rockies Wildlife Management Area?

A Wildlife Management Area helps wildlife maintain vital populations. It ensures that wildlife is considered, and that wildlife are not the “last on the list”, when it comes to land use planning.
When the Province of B.C. establishes a Wildlife Management Area, it recognizes that wildlife is is the first priority in land use management. The Southern Rocky Mountains Management Plan (SRMMP) placed mining and resource extraction above wildlife values throughout BC’s Southern Rockies region.
This is a concern, because the Flathead River Valley has North America’s greatest diversity of large carnivore populations, a number of threatened and endangered species, Canada’s most diverse plant population and more grizzly bears per square kilometer than anywhere else in inland North America.
The ban on mining, oil, gas and coalbed methane development changes the focus of the SRMMP in the Flathead, but not in the remaining portions of this critical wildlife corridor. It’s time to create a Southern Rocky Mountain Wildlife Management Area that makes wildlife the top priority.
Habitat loss and fragmentation are the most significant threats to wildlife populations throughout the Rocky Mountains. Establishing a Southern Rocky Mountain Wildlife Management Area is a necessity in order to maintain the region’s globally important wildlife populations.