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...