In early October, Elk Valley residents awoke to news that the Nature Conservancy Canada had sealed the deal on the purchase of more than 45,000 hectares (110,000 acres) of the valley (and some additional private lands in the East Kootenay) for future conservation. Representing one third of all private land in the Elk Valley, many have called the protection of these forests the most significant step forward for conservation in the region’s recent history — and for good reason.
Conservationists have been trying to protect the Kootenay Forest Lands, as they’re known, for decades. Located in the heart of ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, they sit in one of the most heavily utilized corridors for wide-ranging carnivores in the BC southern Rockies region, as well as being a well-loved recreation playground. But until now, these lands have been managed as private forests and heavily logged at the hands of various owners, from Jemi Fibre Corp to CanWel, and, most recently, Doman Building Materials.
Now, under the NCC’s stewardship, there is an opportunity for the Kootenay Forest Lands to heal from the overharvesting, including through collaborations with the Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation, which the NCC has said it looks forward to collaborating with, and Elk Valley residents.
“Minimally regulated private land logging activity has taken a heavy toll on these lands over the last decade. Through restoration, reforestation, invasive plant control and protection of remaining intact forests, our hope is that a greater balance will be achieved,” said Wildsight’s Casey Brennan.
A missing piece of the wildlife movement corridor
The NCC’s acquisition extends a network of protected areas that connects Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass right down to Montana’s northern Rockies. Known to the Blackfeet Nation as the ‘Backbone of the World’, huge swathes of this ecologically diverse region are still largely intact and provide critical habitat for wide-ranging animals such as grizzly bears, wolves, cougars, elk and lynx. For this reason, it’s part of several transboundary conservation initiatives, including Yellowstone to Yukon and Crown of the Continent. But with the region falling under more than 20 different jurisdictions, it’s a challenging landscape to protect, particularly when it comes to the private land it encompasses.
On a local scale, these lands connect wild areas like the Flathead Valley and Wigwam to the south with large areas of core habitat and protected areas to the north, including the upper Elk Valley, Canada’s Rocky Mountain national parks, and the Elk Lakes, Height of the Rockies and Kananaskis Country provincial parks. In a landscape that’s been heavily impacted by open pit coal mining, industrial forestry and transportation development, the Kootenay Forest Lands will provide wildlife with secure passage between intact wilderness areas to help support their continued survival.
Healing from overharvesting
Despite the Kootenay Forest Lands’ history of intensive logging, they still contain areas of ancient, old and mature forests, as well as other important habitats for Elk Valley wildlife. Grizzly bears, for example, can be found gorging themselves in the area’s many huckleberry patches, while ungulates like deer and elk benefit from its mix of grasslands, open forest and low-elevation cottonwood forests. The Elk Valley also contains rare, provincially at-risk, high-elevation grasslands, which are essential for supporting bighorn sheep throughout the winter months.
With these lands protected, parts of the property that have been logged can now begin to regenerate. The NCC estimates that 370,000 tonnes of CO2e can be saved each year through this regeneration, plus the protection of existing old and mature stands.
The NCC has stated it will repopulate the logged area with native trees like western larch, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, sub-alpine fir and whitebark pine. It also intends to use small-scale timber harvesting as an ecological tool to help mitigate wildfires and restore dying forest.
When combined with invasive weed control, flood mitigation and responsible recreation, there’s a good chance the Kootenay Forest Lands will provide biodiverse and functioning ecosystems soon.
Flow-on effects
The protection and regeneration of these lands is a boon for local wildlife, but it will also have much further reaching impacts. More than 930 kilometres of streams crisscross this area. Many of them feed into the Elk River, which flows through Fernie, into Lake Koocanusa, and across the border into the US. Some also flow into the Flathead Valley, whose waters wind south to provide drinking water for Montana residents.
The liquidation of the Kootenay Forest Lands has increased flood risk and impacted water quality for these downstream communities. Steep slopes have been stripped and vast areas of the Coal Creek watershed have been heavily logged and roaded, causing a massive change to the hydrological balance in this important fish spawning tributary of the Elk River.
During the atmospheric river event of November of 2021, one of the few waterways that experienced significant flooding was Coal Creek. Compared to more natural adjacent streams like Lizard Creek, Coal Creek is now much less resilient, as illustrated through data collected by the Elk River Alliance. With flood mitigation and natural regeneration, however, the slopes of the Kootenay Forest Lands should stabilize.
A landscape for all to enjoy
When news of the NCC’s acquisition reached public ears, local trail users rejoiced — with cautious optimism. The lands are a haven for hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers and more, but active logging has limited access to some shuttle roads and trails. When the Fernie Trails Alliance shared the news with its Facebook followers, the post quickly amassed dozens of comments, with many asking whether they’d now regain access to these areas, and how the acquisition would impact future trail development.
For now, current closures remain in place, and the NCC has said it will work with the FTA, local trail users, hunters, fishers, and motorized sports groups to ensure continued and responsible access.