Aurora alert! Jasper residents and visitors who got the magical memo on February 26 that the night sky would be lit up with auroras were not disappointed. Jasper Local freelance photographer Simone Heinrich was one of several Rockies shooters getting a kaleidoscopic dose of light therapy as the nort...

“This is a really exciting opportunity, a novel undertaking in caribou conservation” A first-of-its-kind caribou breeding facility will move forward in Jasper National Park. Ottawa has given its blessing to Parks Canada’s plans to move forward on a new caribou conservation breeding program to suppor...

Parks Canada will not close the Icefields Parkway today as planned. The Maligne Lake Road is also open. Snowfall levels from the winter storm forecasted to hit Jasper National Park starting February 12, 2023, were not as significant as expected, Parks Canada says. Still, the agency is advising motor...

It was a chilly evening in the winter of 2008. I was crossing the railroad tracks on the way home from work when I suddenly found myself in the middle of a flock of perhaps 2,000 birds. I had inadvertently startled a huge flock of birds that had recently irrupted! Grey-crowned Rosy Finches darken th...

U.S. tourist will forfeit $7,000 for flying a drone near a wildfire in a national park A visitor to Jasper National Park was fined $7,000 for flying a drone during an active wildfire.  On January 26 at Jasper Provincial Court, federal crown prosecutors explained that on September 3, 2022, Richard Ja...

Rising costs of providing waste services in Jasper will be increasingly shouldered by commercial ratepayers. In an effort to make the provision of waste services more equitable, Jasper Municipal Council recently adjusted the fees for recycling that commercial users pay. “This is an attempt at equity...

Jasper will be one of four national parks to benefit from a $71 million investment by the Government of Canada. Parks Canada is announcing critical infrastructure upgrades to Jasper National Park, among other mountain parks. // File photo Announced on January 23, the investment will focus on critica...

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 ...