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CROWN OF THE CONTINENT: LABORATORY FOR REGIONAL
COLLABORATION AND RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Leaders gathered in Kalispell, Montana to probe future of 17 million-acre ecosystem
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Thirty-two leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors met on November 6-7, 2008, at Flathead Valley Community College near Kalispell, Montana, to explore the future of the Crown of the Continent, a 17 million-acre ecosystem that spans Alberta, British Columbia, and Montana and is anchored by Glacier and Waterton Lakes national parks.
Roundtable participants agreed that the Crown of the Continent is valuable for ecological, economic, cultural, spiritual, educational, recreational, and other reasons. As one of the most intact large-scale landscapes in the world, it also serves as a unique international laboratory on how to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.
The roundtable was convened by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Public Policy Research Institute at The University of Montana. Participants came from Alberta, British Columbia, and Montana and included representatives of public land management agencies, conservation groups, businesses, universities, communities, and elected and appointed officials.
In addition to finding common ground on the values that define the Crown of the Continent, the participants agreed on a number of issues that confront the region, including the need to generate a sustainable economy, conserve wildlife corridors, and respond to fire and insect threats. The leaders promised to continue the roundtable, reach out to private landowners, tribes, and local officials, and raise awareness and understanding about the ecosystem through a variety of educational activities, said Matthew McKinney, executive director of the Public Policy Research Institute at the University of Montana.
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