Protect Argenta Face now!

The hamlets of Argenta and Johnsons Landing on the northeast shore of Kootenay Lake in B.C., on Ktunaxa, Secwepemc, Sinixt and Okanagan (Sylix) First Nations territories, may be small in population, but they are giants in the eyes of nature advocates. Through the efforts of folks in these communities, the fabulous Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park was designated in 1974 and expanded in 1995 into the largest area of protected wilderness in the southern part of the province.

But the job isn’t complete until Argenta Face is protected as well. These unprotected forested slopes stretch for ten kilometres along Kootenay Lake, rising up to the treeline on the ridge formed by Mount Willet and other peaks towering over the lake. Argenta Face encompasses more than six thousand hectares of a critical wildlife corridor between the valley bottom, and the intact forests and mountains beyond. Residents have faced-off against logging companies hungry to clearcut the slope. It's time to speak up — write now to save the Argenta Face!

Points to consider in your letter:
  • Argenta Face is home to old-growth forests of interior cedar-hemlock, Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir, and very old western and alpine larch. Old-growth forests are more and more rare in the world, so protecting Argenta Face will help conserve these precious old forests.
  • Argenta Face forests encompass critical habitat and potential recovery habitat for threatened southern mountain caribou. It’s essential this habitat and all of Argenta Face be protected now.
  • Argenta Face also encompasses critical habitat for whitebark pine, and is a biodiversity hot spot harbouring habitat for up to 180 known plant, animal, lichen and species at risk, including mountain goat and wolverine. 
  • Argenta Face provides connectivity between the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains for grizzly bears and other wide-ranging species. Preserving Argenta Face now will help ensure these species continue to get where they need to go.
  • Adding Argenta Face to the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park will protect recreational opportunities and access to alpine lakes, and bring three well-established trails into the park.
  • Residents have fought off several logging proposals threatening Argenta Face over the years. It's high time Argenta Face is granted the protection that so many have sought and worked towards for decades, in partnership with First Nations.
Points to consider in your letter:
  • Argenta Face is home to old-growth forests of interior cedar-hemlock, Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir, and very old western and alpine larch. Old-growth forests are more and more rare in the world, so protecting Argenta Face will help conserve these precious old forests.
  • Argenta Face forests encompass critical habitat and potential recovery habitat for threatened southern mountain caribou. It’s essential this habitat and all of Argenta Face be protected now.
  • Argenta Face also encompasses critical habitat for whitebark pine, and is a biodiversity hot spot harbouring habitat for up to 180 known plant, animal, lichen and species at risk, including mountain goat and wolverine. 
  • Argenta Face provides connectivity between the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains for grizzly bears and other wide-ranging species. Preserving Argenta Face now will help ensure these species continue to get where they need to go.
  • Adding Argenta Face to the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park will protect recreational opportunities and access to alpine lakes, and bring three well-established trails into the park.
  • Residents have fought off several logging proposals threatening Argenta Face over the years. It's high time Argenta Face is granted the protection that so many have sought and worked towards for decades, in partnership with First Nations.