Location: southwest Alberta and southeast British Columbia near Montana border

Uninterrupted wild country from Yellowstone to the Yukon once allowed wide-ranging species like grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, and caribou to thrive. Wild creatures now find their home ranges severed by highways and sprawling subdivisions, industrial forestry and mining, oil and gas operations. Increasing levels of recreational activity in backcountry areas also threaten sensitive wildlife. A critical choke point in the northern spine of the continent is Highway 3 through Crowsnest Pass, which bisects the Rocky Mountains at one of its narrowest stretches. This potential habitat fracture zone is often referred to as the “soft under-belly” of the Y2Y region; leading bear biologists believe that if Crowsnest Pass becomes impassable to grizzly bears, they will eventually go extinct in the Lower 48.

Private Landowner Participation
Private landowners within Wildlands Network planning areas are encouraged to participate in voluntary actions to protect wildlife linkages and native species. Such voluntary actions may include taking advantage of federal and state programs that pay landowners for conservation of their lands; voluntary sale or donation of conservation easements to land trusts or conservancies; changes in management to protect ecological property values; or through voluntary sale or donation of land to conservation buyers.