The Flathead Valley has been compared to Africa's Serengeti for its richness of plant species. The valley has never been settled and is home to significant populations of large carnivores.

MAX Resource Corp has begun exploration there, drilling for gold in the headwaters of the Flathead. Yet a new poll by Wildsight and the Sierra Club shows that a majority of Kootenay residents want to see the valley protected as a national park.