The Columbia River Basin encompasses large areas of Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.  Until recently, information on forest ecosystems, wildlife, and wildlife habitat within both the Canadian and US portions of the basin had not been easily accessible. In 2001, after years of work, “Wildlife–Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington” (Johnson and O´Neil 2001) was published.  This work, with an associated CD-ROM and web site, presents wildlife maps and databases that allow resource managers and others to learn about and conduct analyses of vertebrate species and their habitat in the US Columbia Basin.

Through the generosity and assistance of the sponsors of the US project, government agencies and other co-operators in British Columbia have been able to develop corresponding maps and databases for the BC portion of the Columbia River Basin. The BC work was initially funded by Forest Renewal BC and led by the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks (now the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management and the Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection). These agencies were investigating the effects of incremental silviculture on forest ecosystems and wildlife habitat. Other potential uses of the species-habitat information quickly became apparent, and the BC partnership has grown to include others, such as the Columbia Basin Trust, who have much broader interests in the Columbia Basin areas.

The BC databases and applications are still in development. Watch for new products and news to be posted on this site over the coming months.