In our member’s Spring 2008 newsletter we told you about a shortsighted proposal to drill for gas in the headwaters of the Flathead River, a river originating in Canada but quickly flowing south to Montana’s Glacier National Park. The plan would industrialize a breathtakingly beautiful and biologically crucial river valley in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.
The Wilderness Society and our members were prepared to lend our voice to those of our Canadian friends working to protect the headwaters of the Flathead, but fortunately the immediate threat to the Flathead has subsided.
British Petroleum (BP) announced in late February that, at least for now, they are dropping their plans to drill in this stunning area saying, “We heard people's concerns, and we no longer have any plans for the Canadian Flathead.”
The Canadian Province of British Columbia also showed signs of recognizing the importance of the Flathead River, calling it an area of environmental sensitivity.
These two events signified major progress in the long term protection of the Flathead River and the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, but it seems to be a case of two steps forward and one step back in Canada, with BP officials beginning to equivocate on their statement last week.
Not out of the woods yet
BP now suggests that their interest in the Flathead is only temporarily suspended and that eventually they will again ask for coal-bed methane drilling rights in the Flathead. British Columbia, the Canadian Province where the Canadian Flathead is located, too has not yet begun talking about long term conservation solutions for the Flathead.
With a still looming coal mine proposal for the Flathead and with BP gas drilling still on the table, The Wilderness Society will not let this critical issue fall off our radar. We will continue work with elected officials and our conservation partners on both sides of the border to ensure the Flathead and the Crown of the Continent remain wild, open and free.
Ultimately, a new conservation plan for the Flathead will provide the long term solution the Flathead needs. Important opportunities may also exist for Americans to lead by example with conservation efforts on the U.S. side of the Flathead. We’ll be counting on our members to be ready to stand up for the Flathead and Crown of the Continent when the time is right. Until then, thanks for stopping by, and for your dedication to wild places.
