Western Dispatch October 2010 - The Backbone of the World

Glacier National Park - Crown of the Continent

The Backbone of the World
Collaboration at Work in the Crown of the Continent

Friends,

When Andy Blackwater, an elder in the Kainai (Blood Tribe) in Alberta, talks about Chief Mountain (located in Montana, on the eastern border of Glacier National Park) it's clear he has a profound and indelible connection to the imposing landmark: "I am a part of Chief Mountain, and it is a part of me."

Wayne Stetski, director of the East Kootenay Conservation Program, is resolute that he has found "heaven on earth" in the mountain valleys of Southeast British Columbia.

Rhonda Fitzgerald, owner of the Garden Wall Inn in Whitefish, Montana, bubbles with enthusiasm as she talks about how targeted tourism can preserve what she calls the Montana brand: unspoiled nature, charming small towns, and breathtaking experiences.

In different forms, people and organizations throughout the region known as the "Crown of the Continent" share an abiding connection to the landscape. More often than not, however, these people are not connected to one another. Cultural differences, international boundaries, mixed ownership patterns, diverse public management regimes, and the rugged landscape itself act as barriers to mutual understanding and a shared identity. Helping to bring people together so they can collaborate in caring for the landscape they all love was the driving force behind a recent Sonoran Institute policy report, Remarkable Beyond Borders: People and Landscapes in the Crown of the Continent.*

The report describes the unparalleled features of the Crown's landscape and communities; it highlights the significant number of people and organizations involved in protecting and conserving the region's rich natural and cultural heritage; and it presents options for sustaining the Crown's natural and human systems in the face of ever-changing regional and global forces.

Remarkable Beyond Borders was presented at a conference in late September in which over 200 people came together in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta to explore shared challenges and opportunities for protecting the Crown. More than any program, speaker, or networking opportunity, it was the landscape itself - through the stories of Andy, Wayne, Rhonda, and others - that provided the impetus for new relationships and connections.

A Rare and Special Place

The 18-million-acre Crown of the Continent is a rare and special place, an ecological crossroads where plant and animal communities from the Pacific Northwest, eastern prairies, southern Rockies, and boreal forests mingle. This spine of uplifted, glacier-carved mountains is also the headwaters for North America, where rivers originate and flow to the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay. No place else on the continent retains its full complement of native habitat and native predators - wolves, grizzly and black bears, cougar, coyote, fox, wolverine, bobcat, and lynx - as well as large populations of moose, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and deer.

The Crown is also a place where nations and cultures meet. Humans have traveled through the Crown of the Continent since the last great ice sheets retreated about 11,500 years ago. Ancestors of the Blackfeet, Kainaiwa, Ktunaxa, Salish, and Kootenai peoples were among the first to hunt, fish, and gather plants for food and fiber here.

In the late 1890s, the editor of Forest and Stream magazine, George Bird Grinnell, and others lobbied Congress to establish a national park south of the Canadian border. In a series of articles, Grinnell referred to the region as the "Crown of the Continent;" the Blackfeet already called it the "Backbone of the World."

Connecting People and the Landscape: Challenges & Strategies

"There is a great opportunity for conservation to happen at a larger scale in this region," says Nina Chambers, program director for the Institute and co-author of the report. "Our report builds on the foundation laid by many groups, and consolidates their goals into a regional framework that can bring people together and spark new ideas."

Nina's insight is spot on. There are many dynamics that require engagement at the local level and coordination within the region. Remarkable Beyond Borders provides an overview of five such challenges: (1) adapting to a changing climate; (2) managing water resources; (3) protecting critical wildlife habitat and corridors; (4) shaping regional economic conditions while responding to global influences; and (5) guiding growth and development to best protect wildlife and benefit communities. Understanding these issues and addressing them in the context of shared goals, as well as individual places, is vital for charting a future path for the region.

Moving forward, the Crown of the Continent demands our continued attention and involvement. The Remarkable Beyond Borders report presents a number of options that seek to coordinate policy and planning, expand conservation funding and finance strategies, facilitate scientific and public learning, and build regional capacity. These emerging strategies involve landowners, communities, government agencies, and advocacy groups - on both sides of the border - working together to address issues related to the natural and human environment.

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"Learning from the successful activation of networks of people committed to the stewardship of the Crown of the Continent has advanced our ability to collaborate effectively on large landscape conservation throughout North America."

- Armando Carbonell, Senior Fellow and Chair, Department of Planning and Urban Form, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

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I encourage you to view the full Remarkable Beyond Borders report and its recommendations at our website, www.sonoraninstitute.org.

Building Energy & Connections for the Future

On the heels of the conference, working groups have been established and are focusing on specific challenges and opportunities. As a member of the Steering Committee for the region, the Institute and our many partners in the Crown are already looking for other ways to build upon the energy and new connections that this initiative has generated. We are delighted to see how the report and conference have brought people in the region together, confirmed shared goals and values, and have helped to chart a future for this remarkable region.

Sincerely,