Kootenay Forest Lands phase 2
On December 16, 2025, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced the purchase of the Kootenay Forest Lands – 45,000 hectares - within the homelands of the Ktunaxa Nation which endorsed this purchase led by the NCC. The parcels of land that make up this network are primarily near Elkford and Fernie.
Our Columbia Region Board approved $606K toward the purchase price of more than $70M to conserve the Kootenay Forest Lands – a Rocky Mountain landscape that is vital for wildlife movement and ecological health, supporting grizzly bears, wolverine, bighorn sheep, badger, lynx, bull trout, and Endangered white-bark pine. Rare high-elevation grasslands, ancient forests, and a multitude of streams influencing 42 watersheds and 930 kms of streams we be conserved through this purchase.
This Rocky Mountain landscape purchase sits at the intersection of major conservation initiatives including the Crown of the Continent, Yellowstone to Yukon, Heart of the Rockies, and it overlaps with the significant Flathead Watershed Area.
The Elk Valley is a priority area identified in our Wetlands & Riparian Areas Action Plan and securing critical habitats by supporting land purchases like this is a vital way for us to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams.