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...