Wildsight is concerned about misinformation being disseminated by a B.C. hunters’ group. The group, the British Columbia Wildlife Federation, released a statement earlier this week that questioned the value of a park in the Flathead River Valley.

“Let’s be clear,” said Casey Brennan, Wildsight’s Southern Rockies program manager, “the proposal for a national park in the Flathead Valley is for the lower one-third of the valley. There have been calls for a national park in the Flathead River Valley for nearly a century. It wouldn’t interfere with current mining activities — even BP’s controversial coalbed methane tenure — but it would provide much-needed sanctuary for increasingly threatened and vulnerable wildlife populations.”

Brennan said Wildsight believes a wildlife sanctuary in the form of a national park belongs at the headwaters of the one of the most pure and pristine rivers in the world, the Flathead River.

And as for wildlife, Brennan said the 16 species of carnivores that help lend the Flathead Valley the title “Serengeti of the North” need a sanctuary.

“There is not a single sanctuary for wildlife in southeastern B.C.,” he said. “Not one. Geographically, the Flathead is the best place to have one. It’s the last, unsettled, low-elevation valley in all of Canada. It’s where animals should be able to breed and raise their young — securely.”

Seven out of  Ten residents support a park.

“The BCWF’s claim that there is no support for the park is plain wrong,” Brennan said. “The group claims to speak for ‘local wishes’, but its wishful thinking, given that actual poll results show clear support for a park.”

An random digit dial telephone poll conducted by McAllister opinion research last fall found that seventy percent of residents in the East Kootenay support the establishment of a national park in the lower one third of the Flathead River Valley.

Brennan cautioned people not to be fooled by the rhetoric of the federation.

“The BCWF is a hunter’s group, which is just fine,” he said. “Some of its members are ideologically opposed to any wildlife sanctuaries, period, so their opposition is no surprise.

“Other members hold a more balanced view that considers the needs of sanctuaries for animals. They know that a wildlife sanctuary in the Flathead would still leave the vast majority of the East Kootenay region open to hunting.”

Contrary to the BCWF’s unsupported rumor that Hillary Clinton is involved in the issue, Brennan said that Clinton has not contacted Wildsight or any other group about the Flathead park question.

Why sanctuary?
The Province’s own grizzly bear study (Peak et al, 2003) said southeastern B.C. needs wildlife sanctuaries to ensure the grizzly bear’s long-term survival, but none have been created.

And the Southern Rocky Mountains Management Plan has serious shortfalls.

“Although the plan is held by some to be adequate, the truth is it fails wildlife dismally,” Brennan said.
“It’s subject to the B.C. government’s ‘two-zone’ mining policy, which puts a priority on energy and mining development.”

Brennan added: “While the BCWF might be happy for us to continue to fight their battles to keep mining out of the Flathead, we need to move toward a proactive solution to long-term conservation in this area. The current land-use policy puts  wildlife at risk by giving mining and energy extraction the highest priority. It would be nice to see the BCWF take a balanced approach to land use and rather than worry about protecting their access we would invite them to work together to protect one of the last great wilderness areas in Southern British Columbia.”

The water question
Mining has had a significant impact on water quality in the southeast corner of the province.
“We can’t afford to see more cumulative impacts on the land from strip mining and poorly-monitored and enforced energy extraction regulations,” Brennan said. “We need balance on the land and the public knows we don’t have it now. That is why the majority of residents support a wild Flathead.”

For more information, contact:
Casey Brennan, Wildsight Southern Rockies and Flathead Program Manager
casey@wildsight.ca