“Hold on!” the pilot yelled. We had been surveying arctic caribou from a Dehavilland Beaver (often referred to as the best bush plane ever built). This particular aircraft’s “tundra tires” allowed its pilot to land just about anywhere, but our makeshift landing strip would be a real test. The ridget...

A helicopter transporting Natural Resources Canada glacier surveyors had a hard landing on an icefield in Banff National Park April 14. The accident left a Bell 407 helicopter in pieces, 3,000 metres above sea level, 3 km from the Saskatchewan Glacier.  A helicopter sustained substantial damage afte...

Jasper National Park wildlife officials have destroyed a black bear after the animal attacked and killed a visitor’s dog. The animal demonstrated predatory behaviour and showed little regard for being in close proximity to humans, Parks Canada officials said—factors which led to the decision to euth...

Hopping from rock to rock, our laden backpacks jostling uncomfortably, the trail finally disappeared in a backwater channel of Jasper National Park’s Whirlpool River.  We gave up trying to keep our feet dry and simply waded in. On the Athabasca Pass Trail in Jasper National Park. // Tania Millen Sud...

Photos by Patrick Barker for The Jasper Local An elk that fell through a partly frozen lake in Jasper National Park was given a new lease on life by Parks Canada staff. An elk fell through spring ice on Lac Beauvert April 17. // Patrick Barker On April 17 at approximately 5 p.m., a bull elk fell thr...

Parks Canada is planning to close the Icefields Parkway on April 14 (Friday) at 12 p.m. Warm temperatures will precipitate higher avalanche hazards in Jasper and Banff National Parks. To mitigate danger to the travelling public, Parks Canada will conduct avalanche control work tomorrow afternoon. “A...

This story originally appeared in The Rocky Mountain Goat Indigenous groups whose territories encompass The Raush Valley near McBride, B.C., have declared the near-pristine watershed an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area.  The status comes after decades of lobbying by local conservations and re...

For ruffed grouse, winter in the Rockies can be a grind This ruffed grouse is getting some good lift off to get to those tasty rose hips. But wait, don’t they have wings for that? They do, but…a ruffed grouse’s wing feathers are designed to give them quick and powerful bursts of flight—maybe you’ve ...

“Mark, are you absolutely sure you need more photos of those grey birds sitting on grey rocks?” My wife was in the kitchen of our Jasper condo, clutching a steaming cup of coffee while watching me prep my gear for yet another day of photographing American Dippers. Advertisement inquires: andrea@rave...

The Icefields Parkway is back open after being closed intermittently for avalanche work on Wednesday, March 8. Public safety crews required four short closures over the course of the day to conduct the control work. The longest closure lasted 45 minutes, according to Parks Canada. Courtesy Parks Can...

A Jasper National Park visitor has been charged by law enforcement personnel after entering an area closed for caribou conservation.  On the afternoon of February 26, after receiving a public report, Parks Canada wardens tracked down a skier and a snowshoer who had ignored area closure signs on Jasp...

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 ...