A new era begins for the Elk Valley’s Kootenay Forest Lands – Wildsight

October 23, 2025

In early October, Elk Valley residents awoke to news that the Nature Conservancy Canada had sealed the deal on the purchase of more than 45,000 hectares (110,000 acres) of the valley (and some additional private lands in the East Kootenay) for future conservation. Representing one third of all private land in the Elk Valley, many have called the protection of these forests the most significant step forward for conservation in the region’s recent history — and for good reason.

Conservationists have been trying to protect the Kootenay Forest Lands, as they’re known, for decades. Located in the heart of ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, they sit in one of the most heavily utilized corridors for wide-ranging carnivores in the BC southern Rockies region, as well as being a well-loved recreation playground. But until now, these lands have been managed as private forests and heavily logged at the hands of various owners, from Jemi Fibre Corp to CanWel, and, most recently, Doman Building Materials.

Read More: https://wildsight.ca/2025/10/23/a-new-era-begins-for-the-elk-valleys-kootenay-forest-lands/