Website is still currently under construction, thank you for your patience!
Saving Argenta Face
The Argenta-Johnsons Landing Face is an endangered forest. There is currently an accepted proposal to have this area be on the cutting block. Located at the lower base of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park, it is the only area that is not protected. This face is crucial to be protected for multiple reasons :
23% of the AJL face consists of 300+ year old Western Larch which is a fire resistant species, holding some of the thickest bark to protect from external forces. With fire season just around the corner, and seeing the devastating affects of loss of biodiversity within our forests, its plain to see that whatever Old Growth is left in this area must be protected and added to the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy
This is a Class 8 forest (majority being 140-250 years old) with some being several hundred years old, and this is important for structural integrity of the root system, as well as the home this area has provided for so many species of wildlife for hundreds of years
Being the entrance into the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park, this area is not only dear to the local communities of Argenta and Johnsons Landing, but people from around the province come to hike the Purcells and enjoy the vast beauty this area holds
The Argenta-Johnson’s Landing Face
"At the north end of Kootenay Lake, lies a unique, virtually intact wilderness mountainside, that reaches from lakeshore to mountain peaks. It is bordered on three sides by the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park (PWCPP). Mt. Willet (2740m), the highest mountain on Kootenay Lake presides over this west facing slope, from Hamill Creek, (Argenta) in the north to Fry Creek, (Johnsons Landing) in the south.
In the forming of the PWC in 1974, and the subsequent boundary revision in 1995, this slope, known locally as “The Argenta-Johnsons Landing Face”, was not included."
The Purcell Wilderness Conservancy
"The current threat to the area and its biodiversity is development on adjacent lands. These include heli-skiing and heli-hiking, logging, and other industrial development. The PWC touches the western shore of Kootenay Lake only on a small piece of shore south of Fry Creek, otherwise the wildlife is entirely cut off from the lake leaving this area open to logging and other unrestricted development. There has been much support for inclusion of this important ecosystem into the park, however, previous governments have been reluctant to consider this due to lobbying by developers and industry."
Respect The Land
These fire resistant Western Larches also carry extremely important lichen species in which the mountain Caribou eat as their primary source of food in the winter, so ecologically these forests are extremely important for survival of many species, in particular the last remaining 10% of our mountain Caribou. Theres less than 30 mountain Caribou left in the Kootenays, south of the Trans Canada, so that alone speaks for itself
Raise Your Voice
Every letter counts. We need letters of support for our campaign to include the Argenta-Johnson's Landing Face in the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park. By writing letters to your Government representatives you can help bring this issue to the forefront and show that you care about protecting this beautiful land!
​
Sign the Petition!
News
