The Crown of the Continent is a rare and special place - an ecological crossroads where plant and animal communities from the Pacific Northwest, eastern prairies, southern Rockies, and northern boreal forests mingle. This spine of glacier-carved mountains is also the headwaters for North America, where pristine rivers originate and flow to the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Hudson Bay. Nowhere else on the continent retains its full complement of native habitat and native predators - wolves, grizzly and black bears, cougar, coyote, fox, wolverine, bobcat, and lynx - as well as large populations of moose, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and deer.

The Crown is also a place where nations and cultures meet. Across this vast landscape, Native American cultures have thrived for thousands of years. Over the past 200 years, rural communities and small cities have been built up around universities, natural resource industries, tourism, and agriculture. The Crown is now a shining example of a collaboratively managed landscape where diverse people work together to bridge cultures, promote sustainable use, steward natural resources and support vibrant communities.

It is a magical landscape that easily captures hearts and minds. Northwest Connections is rooted here.

 

IMAGE CREDITS: Top - Faith Bernstein; Map - Braided River