Ministry of Environment
Ecology
Shining Mountains Project
Acknowledgments
Since its inception, the support for this project has been overwhelming; many organizations and scientists have been willing to share both published and unpublished reports and data. Without that data sharing, the support from my supervisor and the dedication of support staff, this project could never have been completed.
Northern Continental Divide Grizzly Bear Ad Hoc Committee - 1990: Ray Demarchi, Regional Wildlife Biologist, BC Fish and Wildlife Branch; Arnold Dood, Threatened and Endangered Species Specialist, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Gary Erickson, Regional Wildlife Biologist, Alberta Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Executive Support: Bruce Pendergast, Manager Wildlife Inventory Section, BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, provided financial support, staff support and allowed this project to proceed; Ray Halladay, Director, BC Fish and Wildlife Branch; Glenn Erickson Chief of Management Bureau, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, funded 2 field trips for correlation, plus encouraged the project from its inception.
International Support: Len Ruggiero of the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Range and Experiment Station, Laramie Wyoming, provided the opportunity to develop and map Ecoprovinces for the central North American Cordillera (1994). That map provided the overview for phase 3 of the Shining Mountains Regional and Zonal Ecosystem map (2000).
Technical Support:
BC Resources Inventory Branch, Wildlife Inventory Section (Formerly in the Wildlife Branch) – Ted Lea mapped the vegetation zones in Alberta, Montana, Idaho and Washington for the phase 2 project, plus he oversaw the correlation of interagency ecosystem classifications for the phase 3 project; Rick Thomas provided design and layout for the phase 2 project; Rick Pawlas drafted the 1:250,000 vegetation zones and the final phase 2 map; Tony Button oversaw the production of the phase 3 map, plus he edited all the digital files; Gary Lucas, Brian Low and Cindy Chung, digitized the 1:250,000 vegetation zone lines in Yukon, Alaska, and Washington; Bon Lee, Baseline Geomatics, Victoria, BC, digitized the 1:250,000 vegetation zone lines in Montana, Idaho and the Rocky Mountains of Alberta; Ron Ell designed and laid out the final phase 3 map. Wildlife Branch – Matt Austin provided financial support to digitize the phase 2 map.
BC Ministry of Forests, Research Branch: Del Meidinger correlated the phase 2 zonal classification, plus provided field support through Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Volunteers: Data transfer – Jan Skiber and her Grade 7 students, Elementary – Secondary School, Jaffray, BC; Women For Wildlife, Cranbrook, BC – Bea Burlingham, Ini Hanna, Leanne Pighin, Pat Riense.
Data and Reports:
British Columbia Institute of Technology, Bela Sivak, provided preliminary copies of the Biogeoclimatic Zones of Southwestern Alberta.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Summerland, Scott Smith-provided unpublished copies of the Ecoregions of the Yukon, plus correlated the Ecoregion units that are shared between the Yukon and British Columbia.
State of Idaho, Department of Water Resources – Robert C. Harmon provided an unpublished actual vegetation map of Idaho (at 1:500,000) plus background report; Dave Gruenhagen and Steve Cuvalla provided unpublished habitat type maps at 1:24,000.
Montana Department of State Lands:
Division of Forests – Brian Long provided unpublished timber stand improvement maps at 1:24,000.
US Department of the Interior:
Bureau of Indian Affairs, the following provided unpublished habitat type maps at 1:24,000: Blackfeet Indian Agency – Larry Dhooghe; Colville Indian Agency – Steve Judd and Ted Felt; Coeur d’Alene Indian Agency - David St. Armand; Flathead Indian Agency; Nez Perce Indian Agency Dennae Bagay and Jack Bell; Spokane Indian Agency - Don Motanic.
Bureau of Land Management: Rick Tholen provided unpublished habitat type maps at 1:24:000 for the Garnett Range.
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service:
Alaska Region: Greg Nowacki, Tongass National Forest, developed the zonal classification of the Alaska Panhandle for this project and provided draft maps at 1:250,000, as well he collaborated on the development of the Ecoregion units British Columbia shares with Alaska.
Northern Region:
The following provided unpublished habitat type maps at 1:24,000 – Bitterroot National Forest - John Ormiston; Clearwater National Forest - Dan Davis; Deerlodge National Forest - Gina Mariani; Flathead National Forest - Don Krogstad and Bob Hensler.; Helena National Forest - Art Howell; Idaho Panhandle National Forests - Paul Herrington and Kim Patzer; Lewis and Clark National Forest – Dave Godtel and Wayne Phillips; Lolo National Forest - Jack Losensky and Mike Hillis; Nezperce National Forest – Patricia Green;
Pacific Northwest Region:
Colville National Forest – Edward L. Schultz and Tom Burke; Okanagan National Forest - Brian Kelley provided unpublished digital maps of potential natural vegetation zones for western Washington at 1:250,000 plus published reports for Colville and Wenatchee National Forests.
Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Research Station: Ogden Utah: Duane Van Hussier and Ron Tymcio provided unpublished data on old growth plot locations;
University of Montana, Missoula: Robert D. Pfister provided a copy of the Climax Vegetation of Montana (1976).
Alberta, Forestry, Lands and Wildlife:
Fish and Wildlife Division – Brent J. Markham provided copies of the map and expanded legend for Alberta Wildlife Habitat Regions/Subregions (1984); Leo A. Dube provided 1:250,000 topographic maps;
Forestry Service, Research Branch- Olinka Bakowsky provided a draft copy of the Field Guide to the Forest Ecosystems of Southwestern Alberta (Sivak 1991).
Yukon Department of Renewable Resources:
Forest Service provided digital files of Forest Cover and Land Feature Classification.
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