Photo: Cori Gadomski

Jumbo Wild

Jumbo will be wild forever!

The Jumbo Glacier Resort was a year-round ski resort proposed in the Jumbo Valley in the heart of BC’s Purcell Mountains. Located in the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Nation, 55 km west of Invermere, the resort would have occupied 6,000 hectares and accessed four glaciers. For nearly 30 years, local residents, concerned citizens and the Ktunaxa Nation strongly opposed this development for environmental, economic and spiritual reasons—and we won!

In early 2020, the Ktunaxa Nation, with the support of Federal and Provincial governments, declared the Qat’muk Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, protecting the Jumbo Valley and 700 square kilometres around it—forever.

The Jumbo Valley, located deep in the wilds of British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains, has long been revered for its spiritual significance and beauty. To the Ktunaxa Nation, it is known as Qat’muk, home of the grizzly bear spirit.

Photo by Agathe Bernard

Part of a crucial international wildlife corridor, the Jumbo Valley is one of only two remaining areas in North America where bears can freely roam between Canada and the US. Permanent development of the valley would likely have lead to reduced grizzly populations locally, regionally and even continentally.

We all need the wild—clean water to drink, open spaces to run, animals to remind us of our nature, mountain peaks to connect us to something bigger than ourselves. That’s why we did our part to protect Jumbo for almost three decades, and why we will always hold the Jumbo Valley in our hearts.

During the height of the struggle to protect Jumbo, Patagonia sponsored a film made by Sweetgrass Productions to shine a spotlight on the issue. We’re delighted to present the short film version here:

To learn more about the issues surrounding the Jumbo Valley or the longstanding campaign, visit our Jumbo Wild website.


Purcells & Columbias news

Our plane hovers at 9,000 feet above the massive glaciers of British Columbia’s northern Monashee Mountains. It’s hot and cramped in this small, aluminium sky-box, which…Read more 
The article below was originally published in the Salmon Arm Observer and Shuswap Passion. By Jim Cooperman Thanks to the work of a forest campaigner, Eddie Petryshen, from the Kootenay…Read more 
Eight years ago, I was standing with a crowd of ~100 people in Radium protesting the inaugural meeting of the Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality (JGMRM).Read more 
In the Columbia Valley, a lucky herd of mountain goats have found themselves an advocate in local rancher John Zehnder. His interest in the local herd began as a boy…Read more 
Proposed logging in the Columbia Wetlands threatens the internationally recognized wetlands and the wildlife that call them home. Wildlife are in decline around the province. If we can’t prioritize wildlife in a wildlife management area, where are they a priority?Read more 
Listen as Dr. Aerin Jacob and Dr. Matt Mitchell share about first-of-its-kind research that maps Canada’s most important places for freshwater, carbon storage, and nature-based outdoor recreation, and how that fits into Canada's conservation plans.Read more 
Read more news

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