Pilot Project

The Biodiversity Atlas has been developed on a pilot basis. The pilot project was set in the lower elevation, diverse grasslands, wetlands and forests of British Columbia’s East Kootenay region, within Canada’s portion of the Columbia River Basin.

The Pilot Project has been critical to testing and developing the concept of an on-line Biodiversity Atlas.

Learn more about the Pilot Project area, its ecosystems and species.

• Description of East Kootenay Pilot Project Area
  
• Map of Pilot Project Area
  
• Grasslands in the East Kootenay
  
• Deciduous Forests in the East Kootenay
  
• Wetlands in the East Kootenay
  
• Species in the East Kootenay

Learn more about biodiversity in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia.

Use the links below to “zoom” into layers of the Biodiversity Atlas inter-active maps.

• Conservation: National and Provincial Parks, Wildlife Management Areas, and Ecological Reserves
  
• Conservation - Properties: Land acquired for species and ecosystem conservation
  
• Ecosystem - Classification: Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification and Ecosection Classification
  
• Ecosystem – Deciduous Forest: CBFWCP's deciduous forest inventory data
  
• Ecosystem - Restoration: Fire Maintained Ecosystem Restoration (FMER) plans and treatments
  
• Ecosystem - Grasslands: GCC's grassland data
  
• Ecosystem - Wetlands: Wetland data from TRIM
  
• Management: Management data such as Landscape Units and Forest District Boundaries
  
• Species - Badgers: Badger data
  
• Species - Bighorn Sheep: Bighorn Sheep data
  
• Species - Chipmunks: Data for Least Chipmunk, Yellow-pine Chipmunk and Red-tailed Chipmunk
  
• Species - Elk: Elk data
  
• Species - Lewis' Woodpeckers: Lewis' Woodpecker data
  
• Species - Ungulate: Data for species such as mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose, elk, sheep, and goat
  
• Species - Other: Data for other species
  

Description of Pilot Project Area

The East Kootenay region was the testing ground for the Biodiversity Atlas Pilot Project.

The East Kootenay region lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains. It is part of the Rocky Mountain Trench which extends from the United States into central British Columbia.

In the south end of the region, at the border with the United States, the Trench is relatively wide and the climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cold, dry winters.

In the north end of the region, near Golden, the Rocky Mountain Trench is narrow and steep-sided and the climate is wetter. In the middle of the region, the headwaters of the Columbia River at Columbia Lake and the Kootenay River very nearly join at Canal Flats.

The Columbia River flows north to Kinbasket Reservoir before turning south to the border, while the Kootenay River flows south to Libby before turning north to re-enter British Columbia at Creston. Major tributaries join the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers up and down the Trench. These include the Elk River in the south, which is notably wetter than the Trench.

Map of Pilot Project area