Flathead

The Flathead River Valley in the southeast corner of B.C. is one of the most biologically important places on the planet. Located next to the World Heritage Sites of Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta and Glacier National Park in Montana, it is the missing piece in the world’s first International Peace Park.

The Flathead River Valley is unmatched in North America for the variety, completeness and density of carnivore species that live and breed there. It is a magical place that has never been permanently settled. The Flathead Valley is so wild that it has a grizzly bear every kilometre. All the native large animals – cougars, wolves, elk, deer, moose – still roam this valley. As rich in plant species as the Okavango Delta or the Serengeti, the Flathead is a mixing zone for plant species from north, south, east and west and is noted for its brilliant wildflowers. It remains a strategic, food-rich valley in the greater Rocky Mountain corridor.

At the 2010 G20 Summit, President Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper agreed that there should be a four-government international agreement about the transborder Flathead River watershed – it is that important.  Today, the future of the Flathead is in the hands of Canadian and United States governments, including B.C. and Montana.

B.C. announced a mining and energy ban in the Flathead Valley during the 2010 Olympics.  In November 2011 this ban was legislated by the B.C. government as the "Flathead Watershed Area Conservation Act". This was a significant achievement for the campaign. However, we still need a national park and wildlife management area.

Conservation significance

• The Flathead is a key link for animals moving north and south through the Rocky Mountains from Montana's Glacier National Park to Canada's Rocky Mountain parks like Banff and Jasper.
• The valley is home to a free-flowing river with exceptional water quality.
• Highest concentration of grizzly bears in the interior of North America.
• 6 hoofed species including elk and mule deer.
• 10 native fish species.
• Greatest predator-prey showdowns in North America, with all the native ungulates, cats and other clawed predators still competing for survival.
• The only large, unsettled, low-elevation valley in southern Canada.
• Oldest sedimentary formations in the Rocky Mountains.
• Contains the greatest variety of plants and wildflower species in Canada with over 1000.

The threat

• Logging, trophy hunting of grizzlies and other animals, increased road access, and quarrying still threaten the Flathead and its remarkable wildlife. British Columbia has no wildlife sanctuaries at all in its southeast region.
• B.C.’s Flathead Valley contains the missing piece of the Waterton Glacier International Peace Park.

What CPAWS is doing

CPAWS has long worked to ensure the protection of the Flathead as a national park and World Heritage Site as part of the Flathead Wild team.  CPAWS continues to advocate for a national park for the Flathead and a connecting wildlife corridor for animals to travel back-and-forth to Banff. CPAWS advocates for the inclusion by decision makers of First Nations governments on both sides of the border. Currently, we are increasing support for the Flathead campaign through public education and engagement through presentations, a petition drive and advocacy.

Resources

Help protect Glacier National Park - part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world's first international peace park.

Take Action

Keep the Flathead Wild

The Flathead Valley is one of the most biologically important places on earth. A key connection for animals moving north and south through the Rocky Mountains, it is a magical place of great wildness that has never been settled by humans. Help create a National Park in this special area.

Take action