Beware the ‘Fawn of the Dead’: a herd of skeletal, pock-marked deer limp menacingly towards their target, moaning, intent on a gory brain feast…grraaahhh !!! OK, not really; there are no zombie deer eating anyone’s brains. So why is the disease known as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) also known as zo...

Seven caribou calves born in first year of breeding program The Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre has begun achieving tangible results with the birth of seven healthy calves in its first year of operation. Jean-Francois Bisaillon, program manager of the Jasper Caribou Recovery Program for Jasper ...

Two new reports shed light on how the 2024 Jasper wildfire spread so quickly. The reports, which were commissioned by Parks Canada, also reaffirm the importance of FireSmart principles. The Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) report focuses on the fire’s behaviour outside the townsite and its rapid gro...

Festival will feature astronomy experts, space-themed experiences and signature events that highlight Jasper's exceptional stargazing opportunities Jasper’s dark sky will soon be back in the spotlight. The 15th iteration of the Jasper Dark Sky Festival is set to illuminate the national park October ...

Visitors to the Columbia Icefields have a new way to step into the world of glaciers. An interactive art installation featuring landscape photography, exhibiting at the Discovery Centre’s Glacier Gallery , raises awareness about climate change and helps inspires individuals into personal action. "Tu...

Mark Hall’s reaction to my article on the newly legalized practice of hunting bears with dogs started with the statement that it ‘relies on emotional rhetoric, selective science, and mischaracterizations that deserve clarification’. I would like to address each of his criticisms in turn. Mark Hall: ...

In July, Todd Loewen, the Minister for Alberta’s Forestry and Parks, quietly updated provincial regulations to allow the use of dogs while hunting black bears. His rationale? To help protect endangered woodland caribou populations, because black bears prey on newborn caribou calves. Hunter gatherer ...

Part 3: Seeing the forest floor through the trees In  Part 1 of our Walking Through Fire series , we discussed how post-fire vegetation bounces back. In Part 2 we looked at animals' attraction to fire . But what did the fire uncover about the landscape itself? The Jasper 2024 fire exposed an epic st...

Part 2: Home is where the hearth is In Part 1 of our Walking Through Fire series , we discussed how post-fire vegetation bounces back. But what about animals' attraction to fire? There is a small stampede of wild things drawn to fire’s heat and the blackened forests it leaves behind. Some pyro-lovin...

Part 1: Pioneer species on a fire-affected landscape Driving into the park a month after the 2024 Jasper Wildfire, we braced ourselves for a charred-earth landscape. Emotions of loss, devastation, and trepidation followed us in. So when we passed vibrant patches of green grasses springing from newly...

For 40 years, the province has put industry ahead of endangered species Is the Alberta government hell-bent on eliminating what remains of the two caribou herds that live in the mountains just north of Jasper National Park? Looking at the province’s recently released draft management plan for the Up...

“One thing that has been clear is human behaviour hasn't changed. We tend to think that the last fire was an anomaly, think of it as unfortunate, and don’t plan for the next one.”- Alan MacEachern One of Canada’s most eminent environmental historians is coming to Jasper to share lessons of wildfires...

Upheaval and change One of the most successful TV shows of the past several years has been Succession, a darkly funny drama about an exceptionally dysfunctional family of rich “one percenters” and their competition to succeed the ailing father as CEO of a huge corporation. In ecology, the word succe...

While some animals will die in a fire, most do not. To varying degrees, species have adapted to fires. Biologist and Jasper Local contributor Mark Bradley explains. The Power of the Burn I can’t help but get emotional when I see social media posts about Jasperites who have lost their homes, the hero...

Brian and I glanced at each other nervously, then raised our binoculars back to our eyes and continued scanning the horizon. Nothing. We had been dropped off in the middle of a vast black spruce bog in Wood Buffalo National Park. We were to have lunch while our helicopter pilot flew back to the fuel...

Jasper National Park confirmed at least 34 caribou in the Tonquin Valley but did not spot any members of the Brazeau herd during aerial surveys in the fall.  Biologists collecting caribou scat // Parks Canada Biologists did, however, find tracks and scat of the Brazeau animals; remote wildlife camer...

I was driving on a snowy Maligne Road a number of years ago—one of those crisp winter days that make you glad you live in Jasper—when I spied a set of wolf tracks crossing the road. I stopped for a better look, and I had just crouched down to look at the tracks when I heard howling nearby. In my min...

They say good things come in threes, which explains the trio of jam-packed, star-studded, can’t-miss-it festival weekends that make up this year’s Jasper Dark Sky Festival. The celestial celebration runs from October 13 to 29, spanning three weekends. If you're a fan of all things astro or simply lo...

For those of you who enjoy wishing on a star, October is a double-header for meteor showers, which means twice as much fun for meteorite lovers in Jasper Dark Sky Preserve this Fall. While you can see a few solid streaks of light in the skies above Jasper throughout the year, the prime wish-making e...

The Dark Sky Festival is 13 years old in 2023—young in astronomical terms, sure, but as far as science festivals go, that’s light years of hard work. Jasper’s Niki Wilson has been with the event since it was just a nebula. As the Dark Sky Festival’s science content advisor and festival host, she hel...