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FAQ
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Canada's Jewel of the Rockies Jasper National Park protects a large swathe of Alberta's Rocky Mountain territory. It is a land of glaciers, of wolves, of caribou - and of reminders of the need to tread softly in the wilderness. Crossroads of Time
The Canadian Rockies, and the plains at their feet, encompass ancient history - from the dinosaur bones entombed in the badlands to the marine fossils found in Yoho's Burgess Shale. All the land speaks of the power of ice: u-shaped valleys, peaks crafted into fine spires, and pale green river water containing rock ground to powder by the glaciers hanging from the slopes.
Tiers of Wildlife It is the wolves that bring me to Jasper - but the wider ecosystem in the mountains is fascinating, with distinct tiers of habitat ranging from the vulnerable montane in the lowest valleys to the rugged alpine. Each area has its own distinctive community of life.
In 2004 I went to Jasper as part of my university degree. I wanted to see how respectful tourists were of park regulations advising them how to watch wildlife without getting either themselves or the animals into trouble. Unfortunately, the majority of people I saw were not behaving very well around the wildlife. Many - particularly photographers, sadly - went far too close. This is a bad thing for many reasons. When I wrote my dissertation I recommended to Parks Canada that they establish a system of friendly volunteers to man known trouble spots, helping to advise visitors and protect the vulnerable mountain wildlife. To date this hasn't happened.
I've seen the worst that can happen to wildlife when people enter wilderness without thinking through their actions. To us it's a holiday; to the animal it can be life or death. Every year, throughout the national park network in the US and Canada, wild mammals die needlessly because visitors don't take adequate care - whether when driving, stowing garbage, or just while watching a nervous or protective roadside creature. If the animal lashes out in desperation, it will almost certainly be the one to pay the penalty. Wildlife that is considered dangerous is often relocated or shot. Wildlife watching is a fantastic hobby - obviously, it takes up a good part of my life - but it carries immense responsibilities. And Jasper is a jewel amongst Canada's parks. It is worth treading gently to preserve this wonderful place.
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The
Canadian government has gazetted about 20,000 square kilometres of the
forests, lakes and mountains as national park, a land where wilderness is to
be protected against human incursions such as hunting, logging and high
levels of development. There are five separate parks, four of which are
contiguous. (The fifth, Waterton Lakes, lies adjacent to Glacier National
Park on the Montana border.) Jasper, where I have spent most of my Rockies'
time, is the largest and most northerly of the group.
The
region is famous for general wildlife watching and, not surprisingly, seeing
large mammals is high on most tourists' list of priorities. Watching
wilderness wildlife is indeed an exhilarating experience - but there is a
catch.
