Peace River Break - Collaborative Projects

Located in northeastern British Columbia, the Peace River Break (PRB) serves as a critical connector for wildlife, linking the Muskwa-Kechika Management Area in northern BC with the provincial and national parks of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta. This valley supports a number of sensitive species such as bears, wolves, woodland caribou, and bull trout, and is critical wintering habitat for a diversity of ungulates.

Peace River Break Collaborative

Impediments to wildlife movement and connectivity within the PRB are growing due to a lack of coordinated planning for industrial forestry, oil and gas exploration and development, coal mining, coalbed methane production, transportation and transmission corridors, existing hydroelectric dams, and the proposed Site C dam. To ensure continued wildlife connectivity across and within the PRB area, a shared conservation vision and strategy are needed.

Over the past three years, the Y2Y Initiative has initiated building such a vision with conservation organizations, First Nations, government agencies, industries, and researchers in the PRB region. Building from that shared vision, the Y2Y Initiative is facilitating the creation of a collaborative conservation plan to identify local and regional actions that will ensure landscape connectivity in the PRB. Next steps will include implementing on-the-ground projects identified in the plan.

The next step in this process is to build more support for the conservation vision for the Peace River Break. The vision and much of the science that is its foundation will be presented at a conference and workshop at the University of Northern BC on March 15 and 16, 2013. Click here for more information.

Partners involved in this project include BC Integrated Land Management Bureau, BC Fish and Wildlife, BC Ministry of Environment, BC Ministry of Forests and Range, Chillborne Environmental, Citizens United to Save the Peace, Canadian Parks And Wilderness Society British Columbia Chapter, District of Hudson's Hope, Diversified Environmental Services, Peace Habitat and Conservation Endowment Trust, Peace Valley Environment Association, Peace Williston Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Sierra Club of BC, The Land Conservancy of BC, Treaty 8 Tribal Association, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Montana, University of Northern British Columbia, West Fraser Mills, West Moberly First Nations.

Photo: Larry Peterson

Site C Campaign

The Peace is the only river in the continent that rises in the Rocky Mountain Trench and flows east through the Continental Divide, eventually joining the Mackenzie in its journey to the Arctic Ocean. The broad valley bottom of the river and its warm winters support abundant wildlife species, particularly ungulates like moose, elk and deer.

On April 19, 2010, BC Premier Campbell declared that Site C would be built and moved the process into the Environmental Assessment phase, in spite of strong local opposition and incomplete scientific analysis during the public component of the process.

With the launch of the environmental assessment process, the campaign against the dam takes on a whole new dimension. For more information on this campaign, click here.

Funding for the Y2Y Initiative's work in this Priority Area is graciously provided by Alberta Lottery Fund - Community Spirit Program, Bunting Family Foundation, Clara Jeffery Charitable Trust, Fanwood Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, The Brainerd Foundation, The McLean Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation, Woodcock Foundation.