Wildlife Quiz: What river valley has the most important habitat
for grizzlies, wolves, wolverines and lynx in the Rocky
Mountains? Hint: The river forms the western boundary of Glacier
National Park, and straddles the Canadian/US border between
British Columbia and Montana. Answer: The Flathead River. The
Flathead was recently named British Columbia's most endangered
river, and the fifth most endangered river in the United States.
Why? British Columbia's land use plan ensures that mining for
coal and minerals can trump all other land uses in the Flathead
valley. Now active exploration is taking place in the Flathead
valley for gold mining, along with studies for coal-bed methane
gas drilling and plans for a mountaintop removal coal mine. This
mine would dump 326 million tons of waste in the headwaters of
the Flathead, allowing heavy metals and other contaminants to
reach Glacier National Park within 24 hours. Mining would also
disturb sensitive wildlife, including threatened bull trout that
spawn in the river