Ktunaxa Nation Council Celebrates Decades Long Battle to Safeguard Qat’muk, Keep Jumbo Wild

Photo credit: Pat Morrow

For thirty years, the Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC) has been fighting to protect Qat’muk, an awe inspiring landscape in southern British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains, encompassing the renowned Jumbo Valley, from the development of an intensive, year-round resort. 

Over the weekend, the Ktunaxa Nation formally celebrated the termination and retirement of all development interests that had been held by Glacier Resorts Ltd. Thanks to a partnership between the Ktunaxa Nation Council and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Jumbo Glacier Resort will not be built – now or ever. Qat’muk and the Jumbo Valley will remain wild forever.

“Qat’muk is the spiritual home of the grizzly bear and of profound importance to our Nation. Grizzly bear spirit’s home will become part of a larger Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA),” said Kathryn Teneese, chairperson of the Ktunaxa Nation Council. “So, today marks both an end and a beginning. Finally, we have achieved an end to 30 years of struggle by the Ktunaxa Nation and many other groups to protect Qat’muk and Jumbo, including court challenges all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. But more importantly, today is an important beginning as we work towards developing a Ktunaxa stewardship vision for an IPCA in the Central Purcell mountains.”

The outdoor retailer Patagonia recently produced a documentary, called Keep Jumbo Wild, that featured the long-running fight to safeguard the Jumbo Valley, which is also revered by outdoor adventurers and backcountry skiers.

“Patagonia is honored to support the Ktunaxa Nation in their efforts to protect the Qat’muk from the proposed development of the Jumbo Glacier Resort. Today’s important step towards an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area will preserve Ktunaxa cultural, biodiversity and ecosystem values for generations to come,” said Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario. “The Ktunaxa Nation has been fighting for protection of this wild and spiritual place in the central Purcells for nearly three decades, and our company and community are proud to stand with them.” 

Since Glacier Resorts Ltd. first proposed its massive 5,000 hectare (15,000 acre) European-style ski resort in 1991 in the heart of the Purcell Mountains – home to some of North America’s most critical grizzly bear habitat – the Ktunaxa Nation Council has proactively resisted development in their traditional lands. Years of sustained protests and legal battles set the stage for the Nature Conservancy of Canada to help KNC negotiate a solution to the conflict.

Nancy Newhouse the British Columbia Regional Vice President at Nature Conservancy of Canada added, “The Nature Conservancy of Canada extends our heartfelt congratulations to the Ktunaxa Nation in light of today’s announcement. This marks a significant step towards conserving Qat’muk in perpetuity, which will help to maintain crucial wildlife habitat connections while also safeguarding a living, cultural relationship with this land. We are honoured to support the Ktunaxa in achieving their vision of an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area in the Central Purcell Mountains, and we welcome the opportunity for shared learning of Ktunaxa stewardship principles and natural law.”

With the buyout of all development rights within Qat’muk, the Ktunaxa Nation is now collaboratively working with the Government of British Columbia and the Government of Canada to permanently protect the region as an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area. Permanent protections for Qat’muk are part of a larger trend in Canada – and across the globe – to formally recognize and support indigenous-led protections for culturally- and ecologically-significant lands. 

“Anyone lucky enough to cast their eyes on the Jumbo Valley knows that this incredible place is too special to develop. The Wyss Foundation’s support for the Ktunaxa Nation and its efforts to secure permanent protection for Qat’muk is part of its long-term commitment to support indigenous-led and locally-supported efforts that protect culturally, historically, and ecologically significant lands and waters across the planet. With wildlife and natural places rapidly vanishing, we must all do far more to ensure that places like Qat’muk are protected for all time,” said Molly McUsic, president of the Wyss Foundation, a philanthropic organization that is working to accelerate the pace of conservation worldwide, with a goal of helping to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030. 

Protections for Qat’muk are made possible by a $16.1 million CAD contribution from the Government of Canada through the Canada Nature Fund. These funds will leverage an additional $5 million CAD in private funding from the Wyss Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation, Patagonia, the Columbia Basin Trust, and Donner Canadian Foundation.