Even though the summer sun was sweltering, the mother grizzly kept up the search. Eventually, she poked her nose into the ground and started digging. Within minutes, her head and shoulders had vanished underground, and before long she re-emerged with a wriggling prize in her jaws: a Columbian ground...

Permitting is steadily moving forward in Jasper, according to the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC). At the August 5 regular council meeting, Directory of Recovery Michael Fark updated Jasper Municipal Council on the most recent activity facilitated through the JRCC’s offices. Fark said tha...

Too restrictive regulations? Or insincere insurance companies? The Jasper Local digs into one of the complex elements of rebuilding in a national park Editor's note (Aug 11 5:30 p.m.): This story has been updated to include comment from the Insurance Bureau of Canada When compared to how quickly it ...

Two people who illegally harvested morel mushrooms in Jasper National Park have been charged with multiple offences. On May 28, 2025, Parks Canada law enforcement officials responded to reports of illegal mushroom harvesting near Lake Edith. Lake Edith is a tranquil oasis that begs to be explored. B...

When normal forestry practices don’t cut it: With a light-on-the-land touch, specialized arborists are cleaning up Jasper’s burn debris It’s a widely-accepted mystery: whether or not a tree that falls in the forest makes a sound. But what about the riddle that Jasper National Park officials were fac...

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...