Will Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park receive Endangered status?
Blooming wildflower meadow in Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park
What is happening, Canada? That is what I have been wondering for a while. As I was working intensively on my Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam Project I was stunned about Canada`s policies on the environment and their practices in regards to their natural resources. Of all countries CANADA! A country that wants to stand in strong contrast to its big brother the United States. It is Canadians who make the point to sow Canadian flags on their backpacks so they do not get confused with “war hungry, environment trashing” Americans.
Scars left by clearcut operations in the Flathead River Valley
And yet it is Canada that is raping its natural resources with seemingly no environmental ethics. Whether it is the ongoing clear-cuts, the rape of earth with Alberta’s Oilsands or the National Parks that seem to resemble more amusement parks with golfcourses, ski areas and growing towns within their boundaries. There is nothing like an “Endangered Species Act” that gives the bases of a legal protection to endangered species…….. the list goes on.
Elk Valley Coal mine near Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park. Multiple mines in the area have a tremendous environmental impact on the area
World Heritage Site in Danger
But I am sure the core of the Canadian People are not agreeing with such environmental policies. They probably feel betrayed and ashamed like large portions of the American Public under the Bush administration. They need help from an international public. This is where everyone of us can make a huge difference.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has voted today to send representatives to Canada to investigate threats to Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The committee reacted to a petition written by Earthjustice, representing 11 conservation organizations including NPCA, Wildsight, Sierra Club Canada and others. The groups see the park under a severe threat posed by energy and mining proposals in southeastern British Columbia.
Kintla Lake - within reach of the border of Canada
Accounts of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
I have spent several summers and falls in this wonderful place. It is a linkage hotspot for wildlife connecting the US with Canada. The famous Flathead Valley allowed wolves to repopulate parts of Montana after they had been shot and trapped out. Grizzly bears cross back and forth across the border in the Flathead River Valley. Scientists described the Flathead valley as the most important refuge for carnivores in the continental North America.
Grizzly wandering through the high alpine meadows in Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park
For the concept of a continuous wildlife corridor from Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) – the area and its surroundings, often referred to as the “crown of the continent”, are of utter importance! Yet development is encroaching from every corner. Just outside of the roads lead into every valley for coal-bed methane extraction. Elk valley coal operates multiple enormous coal mines just outside of the park that have huge environmental impacts.
Lakes along the Flathead River Valley
Yet the park is a true Rocky Mountain Gem. It is probably one of my most favorite places along the Rockys. The amount of wildlife that comes together in such a small concentrated area lets your heart rejoice and the vistas take your breath away. I remember the wonderful alpine gardens that fill the vallies with and explosion of colors, the long days in the high alpine observing the rocky mountain grizzly bears and the winter fall day when tracking wolverines with one of my favorite writers and friend Doug Chadwick.
Black Bear family wondering the mountains of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
The core of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is missing an important peace of land to fill a void: It is the Flathead River Valley. It needs full protection. Please sign the petition to make your voice heard! Check also the SaveWatertonGlacier site
To learn more about wildlife corridors and the Y2Y initiative read the essays in my book: Yellowstone to Yukon – Freedom to Roam and check out the website of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2YCI).
Also watch for the upcoming RAVE of the ILCP ( International League of Conservation Photographers ) that will call further attention to the protection of this wonderful Park.
WOW! The Blooming wildflower meadow shot is awesome. Nice work.
BTW- Thanks for all you’re doing for the wild places in North America. I posted your Freedom to Roam video clip on my blog.
If your ever in Nevada let me know and I’ll show you some Wild Places that are off the beat path.
Cheers,
Kurt Kuznicki
Reno, Nevada
Hello Kurt,
thanks for your comments and for posting the video. I know it needs a good connection and computer but when people can play it full screen it is beautiful.
Wilderness is shrinking fast and we can only throw our whole effort at keeping what we have left……
I will keep you in mind for Nevada. Thanks for the invitation. Right now I seem to not get away from the coastal project……
Hello Florian!!
I hope the weather get better for you up there.
Regarding Waterton, things do happen at a seemingly glacial pace regarding formal conservation decisions. The Provincial government has mostly backed off it’s previous public land use planning processes in the Kootenays, leaving such decisions to a more lobbying intensive political way of doing things. It would be much better to have an open process inclusive of all groups – such a thing takes more time, but the result is often better than valley by valley one-off decisions.
The Flathead has long been an area of contention. Best wishes for the ILCP work next month.
Thank you for this excellent post and your support Florian. These pictures are amazing.
Ryland Nelson and Will Hammerquist, representing the petition in Seville Spain at the 33rd UNESCO World Heritage meeting.
Wow Ryland and Will,
this is fantastic!!! I wish you a lot of energy! I am working right now to cover the arctic coast because of the threats of offshre drilling in Alaska’s Arctic and I will be out in the field again, but I want to write a few more experiences of this wonderful Peace Park.
[...] just found this great blog post by Florian Schulz. He is an amazing photographer who has some really amazing photos of the Flathead [...]
Hi Florian, thanks for stopping by the Perceptive Travel blog!
I agree with you about how important this is, and I think you should definitely keep up with the blog if you can. Just read your post about Canada’s environmental practices threatening Glacier. Makes my heart stop. I’ve been following the mountaintop-removal mining in the Appalachians and couldn’t believe it a few years ago when I heard British Columbia was going there, too. Absolutely awful, and the Flathead Valley is where I grew up. These kinds of mining practices are sickening (in many uses of the word), and particularly so when they threaten such incredible beauty and purity.
We can just keep writing, and sharing photos, and caring.
Doug Chadwick and my parents used to hang out a bit in Whitefish, if I remember. Some good people there.
Wow, if you grew up there, this must be even closer to your heart. It is funny how this world is so interconnected, that your parents spent time with Doug. But his kind of web of people can make the world of difference. If we work together for the right cause we can make a difference. It is hard to fight something that is the right thing to do, if you get enough caring people involved!
Yes, lets keep writing and photographing!
Greetings, Flo
Each of us with our own small specks of effort … in your case, more than specks. Thanks for your work, and I’ll keep following it!
Cheers,
Antonia
The West is a small town, as I’m sure you know. It’s hard to live in a place like Whitefish and not know people who care about the things you do.
Each of us with our own small specks of effort … in your case, more than specks. Thanks for your work, and I’ll keep following it!
Cheers,
Antonia
I am a long term resident of the elk valley (30yrs) I have had the privilege of being able to use and access this area at will to camp ,fish, hunt, or just take a walk with my dog yes it is a beautiful and tranquil place ,and the proposed park expansion into the Flathead area of B.C. is and will be a political social and economic quagmire of ignorance with every side trying to prove there right.
I have to live with this type of arrogant uneducated attitude every day its in the coffee shops , grocery stores and work places , be those voices for or against the park expansion they both seem to fall in to the above category its a part of every day life for myself and all the other residents of this area. should the Flathead be protected well in my opinion it already is by us the people of the area the every day users of this area we know as the Flathead.
We all know that this will come down to a matter of money so lets look at this aspect who will pay to police this area as we only have three conservation officers in this jurisdiction, will the B.C. government cover the cost or will the other groups involved in the proposal be willing to cover the cost of policing the proposed expansion.
If its worth fighting for somebody has to pay for it, will it be your group or someone else!
Maybe we should go to the extremes no human interaction with this habitat at all including scientist biologists naturalist photographers I mean everybody.
A bit extreme yes but it could happen.So lets stop the belly-aching and start educating people in this matter.
In the end this choice will be left up to us the people of B.C. as it should be because I know who will end up paying for it my children.
hey great photos of the Flathead area I have been to most of them including the byron creek mine witch has been there for a lot of years.
I will be forwarding a copy of my comments to my local MLA Bill Bennett so please read them i know he will.