National Geographic map highlights Columbia Falls

By CHRIS PETERSON / Hungry Horse News

Columbia Falls is well represented in a new National Geographic Geotourism Map of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.

The map includes the Trumbull Creek Educational Forest, which is owned by F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber, the RBM Lumber mill and Montana Coffee Traders.

"Learn Conservation Forestry from Roy, Ben and their Mom," the map suggests. Mom is Evelyn Thompson.

In the Trumbull Creek Forest, the map says, "See examples of Montana's Native conifers and learn about sustainable forest management while walking this short and easy trail."

For Montana Coffee Traders, "Tenderfoots might prefer these organic, fair-trade, shade grown roasts to grounds boiled over a campfire, cowboy style."

As you might guess, this is no ordinary map.

The whole idea was to create a map that captured "the flavor of an area," said Steve Thompson, who worked jointly with the National Geographic Society, the National Parks Conservation Association and a host of other interests and organizations to create the waterproof product.

Roy Thompson, co-owner of RBM Lumber, said he knew the company was going to be on the map. But it's been awhile since he talked to Steve Thompson.

RBM isn't exactly a tourist destination per se. It's a value- added lumber mill that prides itself on a business model that emphasizes quality, sustainable forestry and treating its employees well.

"I have no idea what to expect," Roy Thompson said, but he also noted it sure wouldn't hurt the business, either.

National Geographic printed 2000,000 copies of the map, which will be distributed to tourism outlets as well as the areas mentioned in the map.

Geotoursim is different from the typical tourism in that it tries to teach sustainibility, a lightness on the land and a recognition of local customs and traits.

For example, there's an entire section on eating local foods, historic lodging, climate change and leave no trace principals. It even offers guidance for folks looking to move here, telling them to live in town, or at least close by, to limit sprawl.

"The fragmentation of working farms and forests into rural subdivisions and small ranchettes harms water quality, wildlife habitat, native plants and traditional livelihood," the map notes.

Text for the map was written by Steve Thompson and David Thomas of Fernie, B.C.

The map covers the entire Crown, from Ovando north to Elk Lakes Provincial Park in Canada.

Thompson views the map as educational as much as directional, even for locals.

"Everyone will learn something they didn't already know," he said.

The map was generated by the input of 700 different groups and interests. It really holds no secrets. Your favorite fishing hole, for example, likely isn't on there.

Thompson views the map as a spring board to protect the character of what we've got in place. For example, there's increasing pressure to develop privately held forestlands here.

The map could provide an opportunity to preserve the unique character of the area and come up with solutions that keep sustainable forestry mills in business while preserving open space.

"No one wants to see them chopped up and subdivided," he said.

Thompson said that for too long, the idea was that preserving the environment meant losing jobs. It simply doesn't have to be that way, he noted.

The reason people visit here and spend money here is because it isn't like everywhere else. It's a very cool place. The challenge is to keep it that way, he noted.