Simone Heinrich remembers the first time she saw river otters in Jasper National Park. “I was just amazed at how playful they are. They are so fun to watch, sliding around on their bellies, chasing each other around and moving in and out of the water with such ease,” the wildlife photographer said. ...

The bighorn sheep is Alberta’s official mammal, and when you’re in Jasper National Park, they’re one of a handful of species that you can dependably spot. Typically, visitors see bighorns on the side of the road, where they congregate in several well-known locations to lap up minerals found in road ...

View Post Kirsten Schmitten is a Master Interpreter, and owner of the locally-based company All Things Wild .   She loves the questions folks ask, especially when they stump her.  Contact the The Jasper Local to ask your Wild Question. Master Interpreter Kirsten Schmitten answers All Questions Wild....

My watch claimed it was morning, but as I walked towards my snowmobile it was still dark. The snow crunched loudly beneath my boots, as it does when the thermometer dips below -30℃, and when I drew breath, I could feel the crispness of the frigid air as it entered my lungs. I swung my arms in a vain...

Simone Heinrich is always excited when she has a chance encounter with a pine marten.  Pine martens—or American martens, as they’re officially known—are members of the weasel family. They’re known for their quickness and agility, which, as Simone will testify, makes them hard to photograph. “I’ve sp...

A man who piloted a drone in the vicinity of a wildfire in Jasper National Park has been handed down a $10,000 fine. Judge Jeffrey Champion issued the penalty for the contravention of the Canadian National Parks Act during Provincial Court hearings on December 8. “It could have been a tragedy,” Cham...

Three backcountry users in Jasper National Park were given hefty fines for entering areas closed for caribou conservation. On November 24 Jasper Provincial Court heard that last spring, three individuals were charged by Parks Canada law enforcement officers for trespassing in delayed-access areas. A...

There has been no growth in the Chetamon Mountain Wildfire for more than a month. However, Parks Canada fire crews need more moisture to be able to declare the fire officially extinguished. “There are some remote valleys where the fire is still chewing away,” said Shepherd said Parks Canada’s incide...

Eight different illegal drone-flying incidents in and around an active wildfire in Jasper National Park have resulted in four separate charges being laid by Parks Canada wardens. Katie Ellsworth, Fire Management Officer and Plans Section Chief on the Chetamon Wildfire, said flying illegal drones com...

“Everything’s connected—the oceans, the atmosphere, our glaciers, our rivers.” Bob Sandford Despite its name, Our Vanishing Glaciers , an exhibition about water security and climate change and which is currently showing at the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives (JYMA), is about hope. Our Vanishin...

Firefighting efforts will continue for coming weeks. More rain needed Photogallery and timeline of the Chetamon wildfire. Thanks to Parks Canada photographers including Kevin Gedling, Janelle Verbruggen and Karly Savoy, plus firefighting and ATCO personnel who shared their images with the incident c...

At least 10 bears using townsite to feed on ornamental fruit and berry trees Jasper National Park is planning to remove several bears from the townsite. For weeks, multiple black bears, including two sets of female bears with cubs, have been feeding on the abundant fruit in a variety of non-native f...

Parks Canada mum on future of outfitters  There is still time for members of the public to comment on the proposed caribou conservation plan in Jasper National Park. Comments close today (September 2) on Parks Canada’s plans to build a $24 million breeding facility to rebuild small caribou herds in ...

There’s a cute book in the Jasper Museum called Bears in the Alley . It’s a compilation of stories, mostly by Jasper old timers, who regale readers with recollections of life living with black bears. Back in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, not only were there plenty of bears in Jasper’s alleys, but there we...

Volunteer effort on Whistlers’ Mountain eradicating graffiti from glacial erratics Volunteers were removing graffiti in Jasper National Park’s high alpine after a Jasper Skytram guest was caught vandalizing rocks and boulders along the Whistlers’ Mountain summit trail. On Thursday, July 28, a man vi...

As the August Long Weekend takes shape and Parks Canada reminds visitors and residents to be bear-aware, two grizzlies that were hanging out in downtown Jasper are keeping their distance far in the backcountry Two habituated bears, translocated by helicopter into the Jasper National Park backcountry...

Fire rating is at moderate in Jasper National Park, according to Parks Canada. National parks are considered to be under a permanent fire restriction Unlike other jurisdictions, where open fires on public land are sometimes permissible, Parks Canada does not allow random fires anywhere in Jasper Nat...

The Municipality of Jasper’s administrative team floated the idea of changing Jasper’s paid parking system, but the majority of councillors indicated they are inclined to keep it, warts and all. On July 12, Christine Nadon, Director of Legislative and Protective Services, told councillors gathered f...

Official Opposition Leader Rachel Notley talked to The Jasper Local to discuss running, the Rockies and the road ahead for the NDP   Rachel Notley was in Jasper on June 4 for the Banff-Jasper Relay . The Jasper Local snapped a photo of the leader of Alberta’s Official Opposition as she ran her 19 km...

Two grizzly bears that had been habituated to using the Jasper townsite have been captured and relocated to a remote part of Jasper National Park. The three-year-old siblings, which were “skinny and food-stressed,” according to Parks Canada human-wildlife conflict specialist Steve Malcolm, were capt...