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...