The Nelson Region includes the Boundary, Arrow, Kootenay, Cranbrook, Invermere and Columbia Forest Districts.  The majority of the grasslands in this region can be found in the East Kootenay Trench, a valley extending from the Canada/US border north to Golden and bordered by the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Purcell Mountains to the west.  In the southern portion of the Trench, open grasslands follow the Bull and Elk rivers.  Larger grassland openings intermingled with ponderosa pine savannah are more prominent as the elevation drops to the Kootenay River and the shores of Lake Koocanusa.  Extensive tracts of grassland also extend north from Cranbrook to Skookumchuk Prairie.

Nelson Region Maps