The Columbia Highlands
The Columbia Highlands of northeastern Washington
As the Columbia River enters northeastern Washington from British Columbia, it cuts a gateway through two sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains: the Kettle River Range and Selkirk Mountains. Open park lands, wet forests, rolling grassy slopes, granite ridges, rushing streams, rocky outcroppings, and quiet canyons comprise this beautiful and diverse region that we call the Columbia Highlands.
The Columbia Highlands still holds the mystique of the American West: Wild lands team with abundant and diverse wildlife, family-owned timber mills provide local jobs and wood products, and historic ranches dot the landscape. It is home to many western wilderness icons, from grizzly bear to caribou to the ghost-like Canada lynx. .
But the wild and rural character of Washington’s last frontier cannot be taken for granted. Given the complexity of modern challenges and the variety of land ownership across this large region, a new and broad conservation approach is called for, and it includes you.
We are working in a unique partnership with timber industry leaders, private landowners, small business owners, public agencies, conservation and recreation groups, and community leaders to conserve thousands of acres of wildlife habitat on both public and private lands.
We invite you to explore these pages--see "In the Section" on the left or click the links below--to learn more about this unique and multi-faceted effort. We also call upon Congress to do its part by designating wilderness and improving forest management on federal land and providing funds to keep intact large working ranches that are rich in habitat. These actions combine to protect a vital and often overlooked wildlife heritage in our state.
A place like no other
A unique collaboration
A proposal for the future
You make wilderness happen!
