The Montane Cordillera – Wild West Country

The Montane Cordillera –
Wild West Country
By: Chelsea, Karlee, Katlyn, Ashton, Lucas, Nick,
Adam, & Dion.
Lucas
Landscape
 This ecozone covers most of
southern British Columbia, and
a little bit of western Alberta.
The ecozone is filled with
young rolling mountains and
lush evergreen forests,
inhabited by a variety of
wildlife. Mining and Lumber
industries are popular sources
of wealth in the area, and
vegetation is quite varied, just
like the land it grows on.
Landform Region
 The landform region of the
Montane Cordillera ecozone is
mostly rolling snow capped
mountains, and rolling hills
more to the east. The
mountains have been formed
by folded sedimentary rock. to
the east you come across a
flatter landscape of western
Alberta. It is quite the
opposite of the high peaks of
British Columbia. Percentage
of total area of ecozone (by
area): Mountains: 51, Plains:
2, Hills: 6, Plateaus: 35,
Valleys: 6
Rocks and minerals
 Mountains are made mostly
of sedimentary rock. The
plains and valleys have
glacial moraine, or deposits in
ancient lakes. Iron and silver
are found in igneous rock,
Sedimentary rocks which
have been uplifted to form
mountains, through the
process of faulting, form the
Cordillera. The valleys and
some other areas are formed
of glacial deposits. There is a
wide variety of mining, with
products including precious
metals, industrial minerals,
and coal.
(2)
 A significant amount of
mining is done throughout the
Montane Cordillera. Most of
this mining is for gold, copper,
lime, lead, zinc, barite, and
others. All of these minerals
are in high demand, creating
many jobs in various sectors.
The minerals that can be
found in and near the Rocky
Mountains include copper,
gold, lead, molybdenum,
silver, tungsten and zinc. The
Rocky Mountains are made of
sedimentary rock, while the
plains, meadows and valleys
of the Montane Cordillera
consist of igneous rock.
(3)
 There is a very low
concentration of metamorphic
rock compared to the other
ecozones. Approximately
57% of the Montane
Cordillera is sedimentary
rock, relating greatly to the
fact that almost two-thirds of
the eastern half of this
ecozone is occupied by the
Rocky Mountains. Also, about
38% of the land in this area
is igneous rock, which
explains the great meadows,
plateaus and valleys. These
rocks were formed by the
deposits of ancient lakes. The
other 5% is made of
metamorphic rock, and a
mixture of other rock types.
Vegetation and Soil
 you could say the plants and
vegetation vary just as much
as the landscape does.
Vegetation that is plentiful in
one area may be completely
absent in another. Types of
trees among the ecozone
include The vegetation is
extremely varied depending
on location and altitude.
(2)
 Mountain ecosystems include
lichens, herbs, and shrubs,
while the sub alpine areas
contain far larger flora such
as Lodgepole pine, Alpine Fir,
and Engelmann spruce.
 The growing season is usually
140-240 days depending on
location. The southern valleys
can be used as orchards or
vineyards, and forestry is the
ecozone's leading industry.
The area tends to have poor
acidic soils, but there is a
wide variety.
Climate and Climograph
 this regions climate if the
most diverse in the
country. The Effects of the
2 mountain ranges are
evident, with the average
temperature in the north
of the ecozone being 0.5
degrees Celsius, while in
the south of the ecozone
the average temperature
is 7.5 degrees Celsius. The
dry summers and wet
winters are mostly mild,
although it can become
colder the higher you go in
elevation.
(2)
 The coastal mountains
cause air to rise,
becoming cooler and
condensing into rain or
snow. A process know as
orographic precipitation.
Due to this process the
western side receives
more precipitation,
around 1200-1500mm.
While as the easter side
receives only 300mm in
the south and 500mm800mm of precipitation.
Chelsea
Natural Vegetation
 The vegetation across Montane cordillera varies
greatly due to the altitude changes. There are both
deciduous and coniferous trees across the ecozones.
 There are 3 regions of altitude
 These 3 regions are :
(1) Alpine – which has lichens, herbs, and shrubs.
(2) Sub-alpine – which has Lodge Pole Pine, Alpine Fir,
and Engelmann Spruce.
(3) Ground Region – which has Douglas-Fir, Western
Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, Western White Pine,
and many types of flowers.
What you would find in a Alpine
Region : Lichen
 any complex organism of the group Lichens,
composed of a fungus in symbiotic union with an alga
and having a greenish, gray, yellow, brown, or
blackish thallus (A simple vegetative body
undifferentiated into true leaves, stem, and root) that
grows in leaf like, crust like, or branching forms on
rocks, trees, etc.
Herbs
 a flowering plant whose stem above ground does not
become woody. Such a plant when valued for its
medicinal properties, flavor, and scent.
Shrubs
 a woody plant smaller than a tree, usually having
multiple permanent stems branching from or near the
ground.
What you would find in a subalpine region: Lodge Pole Pine
 a tall, narrow, slow-growing coniferous tree, of
western North America, having egg-shaped cones
that remain closed for years.
Alpine Fir Tree
 a fir of the Rocky Mountains, yielding a soft, brittle
wood used for making boxes, crates, and more.
Engelmann Spruce
 a narrow, conical spruce of western North America,
having short, dense branches and yielding a soft,
pale-yellow wood.
What you would find in a Ground
Region: Douglas-Fir
 a coniferous tree of
western North America,
often more than 200
feet (60 meters) high,
having reddish-brown
bark, flattened needles,
and narrow, light-brown
cones, and yielding a
strong, durable timber:
the state tree of Oregon.
Western Hemlock
 a tall, narrow hemlock,
of western North
America: the state tree
of Washington.
Western Red Cedar
 an arborvitae, of western
North America, grown as
an ornamental.
Western White Pine
 tall pine of western North
America with stout bluegreen needles; bark is
grey-brown with
rectangular plates when
mature
Nick
Wildlife
Gyrfalcon
 Gyrfalcon is the largest of
the falcon species. The
Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic
coasts and the islands of
North America, Europe, and
Asia. It is mainly resident
there also, but some
Gyrfalcons disperse more
widely after the breeding
season, or in winter. The
Gyrfalcon is dispersed
throughout much of the
Northern Hemisphere, with
populations in Northern
America, Greenland, and
Northern Europe
Woodland Caribou
 The Woodland Caribou living in
the western provinces and
Ontario are different than the
large Northern herds of Caribou
Woodland Caribou stay in small
groups and don't migrate over
large distances as do their
Northern Cousins. In Alberta
they're found in the mountain
parks [Banff, Jasper, Wilmore]
and in the forested foothills and
eastern slopes regions
Whitetail Deer
 The white-tailed deer , also
known as the Virginia deer or
simply as the whitetail, is a
medium-sized deer native to
the United States (all but five
of the states), Canada,
Mexico, Central America, and
South America as far south as
Peru. It has also been
introduced to New Zealand
and some countries in Europe,
such as Finland, Czech
Republic, and Serbia. In the
Americas, it is the most
widely distributed wild
ungulate.
• In North America, the
species is most common
east of the Rocky
Mountains, and is absent
from much of the western
United States, including
Nevada, Utah, California,
Hawaii, and Alaska (though
its close relatives, the
black-tailed or mule deer
Moose
 Moose is the largest extant
species in the deer family.
Moose are distinguished by the
palmate antlers of the males;
other members of the family
have antlers with a dendritic
("twig-like") configuration.
Moose typically inhabit boreal
and mixed deciduous forests
Red Squirrel
 The red squirrel has a typical
head-and-body length of 19
to 23 cm (7.5 to 9 in), a tail
length of 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to
7.9 in) and a mass of 250 to
340 g (8.8 to 12 oz). The red
squirrel is somewhat smaller
than the eastern grey
squirrel which has a headand-body
Wolverine
 Wolverine is referred to as
glutton, carcajou, skunk bear,
or quick hatch, is the largest
land-dwelling species of the
family Mustelidae (weasels).
It is a stocky and muscular
carnivore, more closely
resembling a small bear than
other mustelids. The
wolverine has a reputation for
ferocity and strength out of
proportion to its size, with
the documented ability to kill
prey many times its size.
Willow Ptarmigan
 In summer male's plumage is
marbled brown, with a reddish
hue to the neck and breast, a
black tail, and white wings and
underparts. It has two
inconspicuous wattles above
the eyes, which become
prominent in the breeding
season. The female is similar,
but lacks the wattles and has
brown feathers strewn all over
the belly. In winter, both sexes'
plumages become completely
white, except for the black tail.
Bighorn Sheep
 Bighorn sheep are named for
the large, curved horns borne
by the rams (males). Ewes
(females) also have horns, but
they are shorter with less
curvature. They range in color
from light brown to grayish or
dark, chocolate brown, with a
white rump and lining on the
back of all four legs. Males
typically weigh 127–316
pounds
Grizzly Bear
 Grizzly Bears generally lives in
the uplands of western North
America. This subspecies is
thought to descend from
Ussuri brown bears which
crossed to Alaska from
eastern Russia 100,000 years
ago, though they did not
move south until 13,000 years
ago.
 Except for cubs and females,
grizzlies are normally solitary,
active animals, but in coastal
areas, the grizzly congregates
alongside streams, lakes,
rivers, and ponds during the
salmon spawn
Black Bear
 Black Bears are omnivores
with their diets varying
greatly depending on season
and location. They typically
live in largely forested areas,
but do leave forests in search
of food. Sometimes they
become attracted to human
communities because of the
immediate availability of
food.
White sturgeon
 It is the largest freshwater
fish in North America and is
the third largest species of
sturgeon, after the Beluga
and the Kaluga. The white
sturgeon is known to reach a
maximum size of 816 kg
(1,799 lb) and 6.1 m (20 ft).
Sockeye Salmon
 Sockeye Salmon also called
red salmon or blueback
salmon in the USA, is an
anadromous species of
salmon found in the Northern
Pacific Ocean and rivers
discharging into it.
 There are also completely
landlocked populations of the
same species, which are
known as kokanee or "silver
trout"
Dion
People who live in the Montane
Cordillera
Karlee
Human Systems
Katlyn
Threats to the ecozone
 The montane
cordillera has multiple
threats to its
environment.
 Some are caused
naturally and others
are caused due to
human activity in the
area.
 Urban growth is a
huge factor in it all.
We are taking away
large masses of
forests to build towns
and parks causing an
interruption to many
aspects of the wildlife.
(2)
 The buildings and
railways are destroying
the habitats of many
different species which
could potentially put a
particular animal in risk
of endangerment.
Logging
 Logging is also a threat to the
montane cordillera but is a
popular activity.
 The region is covered thickly
through with beautiful pine
trees.
 So you have forestry industries
coming in and cutting down
thousands of tree's for paper,
building supplies, lumber, etc.
 This causes a decline in the
number of pine trees and is a
whole new problem for the
wild life who depend upon
them for shelter and maybe
even food.
(2)
 towns, cities and agriculture
in interior valleys such as
Okanagan have replaced the
natural grassland with
themselves.
 The mountain pine beatle is
probably the biggest threat
and concern in the region.
 As these rice sized
creatures move eastward
they are taking out huge
amounts of forest with
them.
 The beatle eats holes in
through the bark and then
lay their eggs inside.
 More than 17 million
hectares of forest have
been affected.
(2)
 This doesn't exactly
benefit the forest
though, it actually
causes even more
wildlife habitats by
completely disposing of
everything.
 The government has
actually resulted in the
burning of forests where
the bugs are most
populated to try and
stop them
Ashton
and
Adam
What is being done about the
theats