The Crown of the Continent
Ecosystem Education Consortium
C.O.C.E.E.C.

Welcome to the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.

The Crown of the Continent Ecosystem covers approximately 44,000 square kilometers (16,000 square miles) and includes treasured places like Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. (click on map for larger map)

The Crown of the Continent is one of the premier mountain ecoregions of the world and an integral part of the much larger mountainous landscape Yellowstone to Yukon.

The natural processes in the Crown continue to unfold, largely unimpeded by human tinkering. As a result, rare species of fish and wildlife can still be found here, including grizzly bears and gray wolves, lynx and bull trout.

For the most part, the Crown of the Continent is a vibrant, functional ecosystem. It will remain so provided the people who treasure this place are willing to do three things.

First they must make themselves aware of the ecological processes that govern this ecosystem and humankind's impact on those processes. Second, they must be concerned about maintaining the health of this ecosystem, and third, they must translate their concerns into beneficial actions.

Recognizing the need to assist people with these three things, in 1994 more than 20 education providers came together to form a collaborative organization known as the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem Education Consortium (COCEEC.) COCEEC has since been active in developing ecosystem-focused curricula, workshops, and projects. Meeting semiannually, COCEEC represents the ecosystem from the Waterton and Castle-Crown regions in southern Alberta to Missoula, Montana.

We invite you to explore this Web site and learn more about the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem and COCEEC.