ABSTRACT
The mountains and alpine meadows of the Rocky Mountain region feed three major continental rivers—the Columbia, the Missouri, and the Saskatchewan. These are the headwaters of the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and Hudson Bay, respectively. Long before these waters reach their destinations, they are likely to flow across the U.S.–Canadian border, sometimes again and again. The Wigwam River, for example, originates in Montana's Ten Lakes Scenic Area and flows north into the Elk River in British Columbia before splashing into border-straddling Lake Koocanusa. Those Wigwam waters then flow into Montana's Kootenai River, crossing into Idaho and winding through a series of lakes and reservoirs in British Columbia before joining the Columbia River in Washington on their ultimate race to the Pacific Ocean.
