Part 2: Home is where the hearth is In Part 1 of our Walking Through Fire series , we discussed how post-fire vegetation bounces back. But what about animals' attraction to fire? There is a small stampede of wild things drawn to fire’s heat and the blackened forests it leaves behind. Some pyro-lovin...

Dry grass crunched underfoot as the old grizzly searched for food. Her nostrils flared and her nose twitched as she tested her surroundings for anything out of the ordinary.  It was hot and dry. It was July, 2024. Bear 222, JNP's most thoroughly-documented grizzly. // Mark Bradley - Boreal Nature Ph...

The Rockies hiking community is mourning the loss of two of its members today. Calgary's Jutta Hinrichs, 70 years old, a member of the hiking group Slow and Steady Hikers, was killed after a rockfall event rained down from the alpine near Bow Lake, in Banff National Park. “Jutta was a kind, compassi...

Collars, fences and attractant elimination keys to bear management Jasper National Park bear biologists are keeping a close eye on area grizzlies. At the same time, initial steps are being taken for two large fencing projects in the park to help mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. As of June 9, seven...

Part 1: Pioneer species on a fire-affected landscape Driving into the park a month after the 2024 Jasper Wildfire, we braced ourselves for a charred-earth landscape. Emotions of loss, devastation, and trepidation followed us in. So when we passed vibrant patches of green grasses springing from newly...

Jasperites encouraged to attend wildfire resilience event A live music event, a rally cry, a celebration of resilience, a reckoning. An artist’s statement on a changing climate, a gathering of community, an album release night, a fundraiser. Call it what you will, the upcoming Jam for Jasper will be...

For 40 years, the province has put industry ahead of endangered species Is the Alberta government hell-bent on eliminating what remains of the two caribou herds that live in the mountains just north of Jasper National Park? Looking at the province’s recently released draft management plan for the Up...

“One thing that has been clear is human behaviour hasn't changed. We tend to think that the last fire was an anomaly, think of it as unfortunate, and don’t plan for the next one.”- Alan MacEachern One of Canada’s most eminent environmental historians is coming to Jasper to share lessons of wildfires...

Last week, while checking some of his trail cameras near Canmore’s Gap Lake, conservationist and wildlife photographer John E. Marriott came upon a cougar kill. Marriott thought it was his lucky day: a big horned sheep carcass meant the elusive cats were likely nearby, and paw prints surrounding the...

Wild Aerial to screen during Jasper in January An aerial athlete and climate champion who lost her home and possessions in the Jasper Wildfire is bringing attention to the mountains’ fragile alpine environments via a celebration of all things winter. Together with filmmaker Trixie Pacis, Sasha Galit...

Staff at Jasper’s caribou breeding facility are gearing up to officially welcome its first animals. The 2024 Jasper Wildfire burned some of the $38 million facility’s perimeter fencing, as well as much of the surrounding forest. Otherwise, however, the centre remained largely undamaged by the fires....

Parks Canada is temporarily closing the Icefields Parkway today (Saturday, December 7) for avalanche control. The Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93N) will be closed from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. from Parker Ridge to Big Bend. “This will allow necessary avalanche control work to safely take place,” a media statemen...

The wolverine is a reclusive, mysterious animal that is rarely seen by humans. I t’s scientific name is Gulo gulo, which translates to ‘glutton’ or ‘I swallow. ' But what’s more gluttonous? The feeding habits of a reclusive wild animal, or the self-serving policy decisions of a populist government g...

Upheaval and change One of the most successful TV shows of the past several years has been Succession, a darkly funny drama about an exceptionally dysfunctional family of rich “one percenters” and their competition to succeed the ailing father as CEO of a huge corporation. In ecology, the word succe...

While some animals will die in a fire, most do not. To varying degrees, species have adapted to fires. Biologist and Jasper Local contributor Mark Bradley explains. The Power of the Burn I can’t help but get emotional when I see social media posts about Jasperites who have lost their homes, the hero...

As a massive wildfire roars up the Athabasca River Valley, an evacuated community waits on fire officials—and the weather—to turn the tide  “One of Canada’s most iconic natural landscapes is on fire,” Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr said on July 23 at a 1 p.m. press briefing. Sixteen h...

Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper are coordinating efforts to implement a fire ban in Jasper National Park. Effective July 12, 2024, a fire ban will be in place in Jasper National Park and the Municipality of Jasper until further notice. This measure aims to prevent human-caused wildfires....

An azure ice cave at the toe of a glacier. A deep limestone canyon, carved by millennia of hydrological forces. A quartzite peak at the roof of the Rockies. These are the places where Sasha Galitzki is in her element. These are the spaces where Galitzki soars. Adventure aerialist Sasha Galitzky perf...

The Nigel Creek Bridge is under construction again.  For another summer, motorists on the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93N) can expect delays one km south of the Big Bend . Although the span across Nigel Creek’s 100-foot deep canyon has been undergoing improvements since 2008, the current project has been...

This is the time of year when competition is on everyone’s mind. The NHL and NBA playoffs have just ended, the 2024 Euros are underway and the Paris Olympics are just around the corner. Everywhere you look, people are straining and sweating to reach the podium or lift the cup (sadly, my Toronto Rapt...