The Jasper Local October 1, 2019

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thejasperlocal.com

LOCAL + independent

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tuesday, october 1, 2019 // ISSUE 154

SLURPS UP// TOURISTS GOT AN UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL LICK...ER, LOOK...AT A MALGINE MOOSE RECENTLY. // SIMONE HEINRICH PHOTOGRAPHY

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 154 // tuesday, october 1, 2019

editorial //

Local Vocal There’s a cute book in the Jasper Museum called Bears in the Alley.

It’s a compilation of stories, mostly by Jasper old timers, who regale readers with recollections of life living with black bears. Back in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, not only were there plenty of bears in Jasper’s alleys, but there were bears all over town. Bears got into people’s yards, their baking and their root cellars. Bears got into cars, restaurants and banks.

According to the late Jasper chronicler, Nora Findlay, it was rare to not encounter a bear while walking from one’s home to the downtown area.

Of course the reason the bears were always around was because of the easy access to food. Back then, Jasper’s waste removal system was just like that of any other Canadian town not surrounded by 10,000 sq km of wilderness: residents and businesses brought their trash to a can in the back alley for a collector to pick up. It wasn’t too long after Jasper was established as a community that bears learned there was a chance for a free meal at the back of every building. For decades, generations of bears kept up this behaviour. It wasn’t until the mid 1980s, when the bear-proof bins that are still in use today were introduced, that the wildlife conflict issues surrounding bears and garbage were adequately dealt with.

These days, we’ve got a different problem. Black bears have become habituated to feeding on the fruit which blossoms on trees planted in residents’ yards. Wildlife officials are spending a lot of time dealing with these bears, who appear to be displaying increasingly aggressive behaviour.

We all know by now a fed bear is a dead bear.

More troublesome yet, the specialists in the field predict that grizzly bears could soon take up a similar pattern.

Like the waste management issue of decades past, this is an entirely preventable issue, should we choose to tackle it head on. The fruit on which the wildlife are feeding grow on nonnative trees. Like it or not, there is no reason for a choke cherry, crab apple or mountain ash tree to be in Jasper National Park. While I understand they’re beautiful—not to mention aromatic—when the facts are laid bare, aesthetics are hardly justification for keeping a tree that is contributing to bear mortality and causing human safety concerns.

Bears in the Alley is a cute book—and one day Bears in the Fruit Trees may also be an endearing read. But the time has come to show some leadership and give these bears the chance they deserve. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

More info during hwy closures needed Dear Editor Recently I decided on an impromptu visit to my mom in Valemount. On Friday the 13th, I decided to go to Calgary via the Icefields Parkway. I left Valemount around 11 a.m. and left town thinking it was a reasonable time to be able to get to Jasper for lunch before heading south. The drive was smooth until just inside the west park gate. At 1:27 p.m. (AB time) I came to a complete stop at the back of a 2 km

line of cars which was stopped for the scaling work, which seems to be an eternal project. For the next full hour, the traffic never budged— other than the lines getting longer. Once the road was opened it was another 20 minutes of alternating traffic before getting past the obstruction. On the other side, I estimated there was up to 10km of stopped traffic.

During the 1.5 hour delay I couldn’t help but think how poorly managed this is. The

unannounced delay makes our country look ridiculous to tourists and risks messing up their planned activities; it undoubtedly affects truckers who are losing money by the minute and it inconveniences commuter traffic. While stewing on the side on the highway, hungry and thirsty, it dawned on me what a massive missed opportunity these delays are to local businesses of Jasper and Valemount.

Ten kilometres of traffic is ...Cont. on A3

The Jasper Local //

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// local wildlife

tuesday, october 1, 2019 // issue 154 // the jasper local// page A3

Fruit trees posing threat to bears A rash of late night backyard banditry has officials concerned not only for the victims of the looting, but for the bandits as well.

Every fall in Jasper, cherry, crab apple and mountain ash trees come into full bloom.

These non-native trees look great in full blossom, but as the fruit ripens alongside the flowers, it poses a big problem for wildlife safety.

“It’s like a food pantry for these animals,” says Parks Canada’s human-wildlife conflict specialist, Steve Malcolm.

Lately, black bears have been finding the pantry shelves stocked. Malcolm estimates Jasper has approximately 1,000 trees that can tempt bears out of their natural feeding patterns and into risky behaviour. When they discover the bounty of easy calories, Malcolm says, black bears can get into trouble.

“There’s a line,” he said.

“And unfortunately it’s being crossed.”

So far this year, two bears have had to be destroyed after it was determined their behaviour posed a threat to human safety. One, a 300-pound male, broke into a garage on Colin Crescent.

“It takes a bear four to five years to get that confident,” Malcolm said.

Some residents think that reporting a bear in their backyard means Malcolm and his team will destroy it, so they stay quiet. Unfortunately, this

ORNAMENTAL FRUIT TREES (NOT SHOWN HERE) ARE NONNATURAL FOOD SOURCES WHICH BEARS HAVE BEEN PURSUING AGGRESSIVELY, POSING A HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT RISK. // SH

just allows the bear to grow more habituated.

“If we can get to a bear early and convince him that his behaviour is not a good thing, there’s a good chance we’re going to get a natural bear again,” he said.

But as long as Jasper residents have a proliferation of ripe fruit in their trees—not to mention pet food on their back porches or bird seed in their feeders— Malcolm will be fighting a losing battle. To that end, he’s urging residents to manage their wildlife attractants by either harvesting the fruit or removing the trees altogether.

“Every tree removed is one less 16 hour day I have to deal with,” he said.

Parks Canada is trying to lead by example. So far, 30 non-native trees have been removed from yards owned by the federal agency, including one at Superintendent Alan Fehr’s residence.

Jasperite Bonnie Ireland has recently been convinced of the management strategy.

She found a black bear in her

yard and, after Parks Canada officials hazed the animal into the forest, elected to remove the tree in which it was feasting.

“We decided it would be best to cut it down, as well as the crab apple tree in the back alley that had been there for many years,” she said.

Malcolm knows it’s hard for people to think of cutting down their ornamentals, particularly when they’ve been in the family for decades. But he’s urging residents to think of the future: in his estimate, without proper management, the habituated bear problem is only going to get worse. He’s afraid that grizzly bears could start mimicking the black bears’ behaviour.

“I wonder how people are going to feel about having a 600 pound grizzly ripping their yard apart,” he said.

To get help managing your fruit trees, contact JNP Dispatch at 780-852-6155.

Bob Covey //

bob@thejasperlocal.com

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approximately 500 cars (20m per car). If even one quarter of these cars were alerted to the necessary closure they would fill every restaurant for lunch in the Robson Valley and in Jasper. A few simple electronic sign boards on the highway to alert motorists to road conditions could

provide significant revenue to local businesses for planned and unplanned closures.

Communicated road closures give others the opportunity to plan around the closure. I am not suggesting that it is up to the individual businesses to know the road conditions but the town leadership

needs do more to disseminate information. If there was no information available or plans made then it is time local communities demand more from the entities which directly affect them.

Byron Birkbeck, Edmonton, AB

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page B1 // the jasper local // issue 154 // tuesday, october 1, 2019

local community //

RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD // RIDERS TOOK PART IN JASPER MOTORCYCLE TOURS’ ANNUAL POKER RUN SEPTEMBER 28, BRAVING THE CRISP FALL AIR FOR A CRUISE DOWN THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY. THE EVENT RAISED MONEY FOR THE JASPER SKATEPARK COMMITTEE. // BOB COVEY

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SEPTEMBER 7 - OCTOBER 26, 2019

VENTURE CLOSER TO THE STARS Ascend one km closer to the stars and experience the darkest skies in the Rockies.

Join astronomy experts from the Jasper Planetarium. Star Sessions include a flight, On 5:30pm - 8pm flights, three-course dinner and star gazing until Sept 3rd. Advance experience atop the Jasper SkyTram. online bookings only Saturdays in September, Fridays and Saturdays in October.

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SATURDAY SYMPHONY UNDER THE STARS

OCTOBER 19

Let us set the stage for your evening with a delectable 3-course plated dinner. Then, join the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Strings outdoors on the shores of Lac Beauvert for a starlit musical performance. $199 | Dinner & Concert | Dinner at 5:00 PM $119 | Concert Only | Doors at 7:00 PM

Tickets available online at bit.ly/JasperESO LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE, BOOK ONLINE TODAY

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Prices do not include taxes and fees. Tickets are non-refundable. The Saturday night concert takes place outside. Please dress accordingly. Blankets are recommended.

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tuesday, october 1, 2019 // issue 154 // the jasper local// page B2

Local history //

Anita Mountjoy, widow of Erik Mountjoy, cuts the ribbon to the new geological garden at the Jasper Museum. // Bob Covey

ex-Jasperite Ben Gadd helped select the rock samples and created the interpretive panels for the new exhibit. // Bob Covey

New museum exhibit digs into Jasper’s geology The geology of Jasper National Park has been thrust into the spotlight.

An outdoor garden that pays tribute to the work of a prominent geologist while simultaneously showcasing what lies beneath our feet was unveiled just a stone’s throw away from the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives September 9.

“For most of us, geology is a very difficult subject to comprehend,” said Warren Waxer, president of the Jasper Yellowhead Historical Society. “With this exhibit it’s possible for the average person to be able to get some kind of grasp on it.”

Four years in the making, the museum’s new geological garden is a comprehensive display of Jasper National Park’s most prominent

rock units. There’s quartzite, gritstone, reef rock and limestone.

There’s breccia, dolomite and travertine. Arranged along a looping pathway, the rock samples are accompanied by interpretive panels which will undoubtedly allow visitors to better understand the mineral materials which they likely hadn’t considered as they hiked, scrambled and climbed while enjoying Jasper’s mountains.

“People might have used these rocks, tripped over them, or admired the jagged peaks and canyons, but they didn’t really know about them,” Waxer said, evoking a laugh. “Today is when that trend stops!”

The geological garden was made possible thanks to a bequest from the family of Eric Mountjoy, a passionate and dedicated geologist who in the late 1950s prepared

a geological map of the Miette area, in the eastern part of Jasper National Park. To make their field observations and collect rock specimens, Mountjoy was guided by legendary outfitters Jack Hargreaves and later, Tom McCready and his son Todd. Faye McCready, Tom’s widow, was present at the ceremony.

“Todd said Eric was a real mountain goat,” Faye recalled.

He was also a brilliant mind. Once back at the University of Toronto, Mountjoy figured out which rock formations were which, how old they were, where they outcropped and how they had been folded and faulted. He produced a geo-map of the Miette area and earned his Ph.D. “He worked out how the thrust-faults happened,” said geologist, naturalist and author, Ben Gadd. “By taking the angle and orientation of the

beds he worked out what happened two kilometres down.”

Gadd was also on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The former Jasperite had been involved for much of the project. His expertise was enlisted by Waxer early on, to identify and locate the different rock samples needed for the display.

Specimens were collected from well-known locales such as Old Fort Point, the Columbia Icefields Area, the Miette Hotsprings and along the Maligne Lake Road. Waxer hopes that by giving these minerals a new home in the geological garden, visitors to the museum will be inspired to learn more about Jasper’s rich natural history, but also about the survey work that helped to explain it.

“Ignorance is no excuse anymore,” he said.

Bob Covey //bob@thejasperlocal.com

Creative spaces // The Jasper Habitat for the Arts was celebrating 10 years of Culture Days September 27 with activities, stories and journaling. Culture Days takes place across the province for three days at the end of September // Bob Covey

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page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 154 // tuesday. october 1, 2019

FEATURE // story by bob covey // photos courtesy of the Jasper yellowhead Museum and archives

IN 1938, EDITORS OF THE NORTHERN ALBERTA SKI MAGAZINE CALLED JASPER NATIONAL PARK “THE SKIER’S PAR ADISE.”

potential for downhill in the late 1920s that interest was piqued to the point that a ski club was founded.

When it was established, club members staked out a steep slope

On September 8, Byers was one of several hosts who led a tour to the recently decommissioned Whistlers Hostel, which, before it became a veritable favela for backpackers,

And who could argue with that?

With ample snowfall, kilometres of generous, rolling terrain and a dedicated group of early adopters who were outfitting the backcountry with ski cabins, excitement for this new winter activity was snowballing.

But not everyone had the gumption for long distance ski touring. While skiing was being established in Jasper National Park’s backcountry, there was also an appetite for something closer to town.

Twenty eight years earlier, in 1910, wild fires had raged through the Miette River valley bottom, turning, over the course of a summer, densely forested mountain slopes into skiable glades. The only problem, at that time, was that skiing in Jasper Park had yet to be introduced. Pioneer outfitters and mountaineers ambled around on snowshoes but it wasn’t until some of this area’s earliest “ski runners,” including Joe Weiss, the Jeffrey Brothers, Frank Burstrom and Pete Withers, began discovering the

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on Whistlers Mountain for their inaugural activities and after clearing and brushing a sizeable run on the lower part of the mountain, they would access the slope via a rough road along the Miette River. Soon enough, the club was staging competitions.

“They got organized and they got busy,” said Karen Byers, who works for the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives.

“In 1961 a season’s pass was $20. A ski lesson from Willi Pfisterer was $2 for adults, $1 for kids.” served as a chalet for the ski community of seasons’ past.

Ski stories were dished out as alpine appetizers leading up to a feast of terrific testimonies featuring the historic (and hectic) Hostelling International building.

Jasperite Jack Pugh, who turned 91 this year, was raised in a home with his brothers and sisters at the confluence of the Miette and Athabasca Rivers.

Pugh remembered not

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FROM SKIER’S PARADISE TO HIPPY HOSTEL REMEMBERING THE WHISTLERS CHALET

only skiing from his doorstep to the slopes of Jasper’s only ski hill but also helping build the foundation for the chalet. That was in 1955.

“We put a lot of rebar in there,” Jack laughed. “I don’t know how the hell they’re going to get it all out when they finally knock the building down.”

No word from Parks Canada when that day might come, but when it does, more than a few tears will be shed for the building’s massive fireplace,

built by John Forabosco Sr., who was also in attendance at the museum outing. Forabosco noted the plumbing was put in by the late John Koebel.

The facilities added to countless Jasperites’ ski experience on Whistlers Mountain. In 1961 a season’s pass—signed off by club president Bob Baxter—was $20. A ski lesson from alpine legend-in-the-

making, Willi Pfisterer, was $2 for an adult, $1 for a child.

“The beauty of Whistlers was it was so accessible,” Byers said. “With their kids in school, moms could go up for a couple of runs.”

There was more to the club than simply skiing of course. In the December, 1962 edition of “The Ptarmigan,” the Jasper Ski Club newsletter, club president Jack Pugh extolled the virtues of the ski community.

“The club welds together the skiing fraternity, organizes competition, sponsors social events like dances, children’s parties, tours and the many happy features which stem from the skiing world,” he wrote.

At that time, the club had just added a 850 foot extension to the

Pomolift (the hill already had a rope tow), but next to Pugh’s glowing announcement in The Ptarmigan, an advertisement foreshadowed the future of skiing in Jasper National Park.

“Ski in Marmot Basin, weekend trips 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Write or phone Toby Rayner of Basin Transport,” it read.

“Marmot Basin was starting to eclipse the scene at Whistlers,” Byers said.

By 1964 Marmot Basin was operational, but there was still a large portion of the ski community who wanted Whistlers to remain. The local paper at the time ran a headline: “Whistlers shutdown gets angry protests.”

“People’s hearts and souls were in this hill, with the runs cut by volunteers,” Byers said.

Progress, however, schussed on.

As skiers gravitated towards Marmot Basin, eventually, Whistlers mountain shut down.

In 1969, the lease with Parks Canada was not renewed. Soon, the structures and lifts were sold and, after the chalet was renovated, the YMCA stepped in to operate the building as a hostel.

The year was 1971.

“The business community in town called it the Hippy Hostel,” said Sheila Couture, who also presented at the September 8 tour.

Sherril Meropoulis can attest to that. She and her partner Doug Clement ran the place for Hostelling International, which took on operations in 1979. Back then, a bed was $3 per night. As caretakers, they made $200 a month, hardly enough for groceries.

“After guests left we’d run to the refrigerator to see what was left,” Meropoulis said.

After the strictly-enforced checkout, the couple cleaned like mad and went skiing all day. Jasper was still a skier’s paradise.

Twenty years later, that sort of detachment wasn’t possible. When Scott Crabbe and Janeen Keelan ran the joint, Whistlers Hostel was also the point of contact for HI’s central reservation system.

“The phone rang off the hook all day,” Crabbe recalled.

Life at the Whistlers Hostel had its share of challenges—perpetual staffing issues, packrats in the walls, vagabonds being dropped off by RCMP staff, to name a few.

But what shines through, those who visited the hostel one last time agreed, are the stories of the potluck dinners, the singalongs and one of the most special things a hostel can provide: lifelong friendships.

Which isn’t all that different from life at the Whistlers ski chalet.

Bob Covey //

bob@thejasperlocal.com Representatives from the museum would like to thank Michel Tremblay of Hostelling International for hosting the outing at Whistlers Hostel.

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Local charity work //

page B5 // the jasper local //issue 154 // tuesday, october 1, 2019

No rest for the committed: Jasper-based education org celebrating 20 years of working in Africa facility that is now the pride of the country.

But not all children from Kigali can afford tuition fees at a private academy, and after 10 years with Jill as headmistress, in 2009, the Fentons knew they wanted to make an impact for a much larger socio-economic demographic A Hawaiian getaway perhaps? of students. To that end they Sojourn to Mexico? Costa Rica established Tools for Schools, a vacay? registered charity specializing in Not for Jasperite Jill Fenton. teacher training and community Although Fenton is among those building. The organization, now planning to ship off for the winitself a decade in the making, utiter, she’s not making a bee-line for the beach. Instead, once again, lizes local teachers, local labour and local community members to Fenton is heading back to the improve educational opportunimountains of Rwanda where she ties to Rwandan students. will continue her two-decades And the students, Fenton says, long undertaking to improve the are eager to sucEast African counceed. try’s education “People want system.

“People want education because “It’s always hard education because they see that’s to leave Jasper,” they see that’s the the way to their futhe 75-year-old way to their future.” ture,” Fenton said. said two days Most of Rwanda’s before boarding 12.3 million peoa bus to Calgary, ple live in the countryside, makwhere she’ll fly, via Amsterdam, ing a living though subsistence to Kigali, Rwanda’s largest city. farming. Classrooms are typically “But it’s exciting to get there. poorly equipped and overcrowdWe’ve got work to do.” ed, with student-teacher ratios That work began 20 years ago, often exceeding 60-1. And materiwhen Jill and her husband, Neil, who had just retired as the princi- als are scarce; when the Fentons pals of Jasper Elementary School started their organization, Jill said there wasn’t enough source and Jasper Jr./Sr. High School, materials for teachers, let alone respectively, were searching for learning resources for students. an opportunity to volunteer in “Teachers were functioning with Africa.

Xeroxed pamphlets,” she recalled.

“We took a leap of faith and we Thanks to Tools For Schools, the went,” she said. situation has become significantTheir leap of faith took them to the Green Hills Academy, a small, ly less dire for educators in the Kilgali region. As Rwanda makes private, primary school that, great strides in its development, under their tenure, went from Tools For Schools is making great a 200-pupil lower elementary leaps in education. To date, along school to a 1,500-student K-12

As October snows threaten, some locals are packing their suitcases with visions of warmer climates dancing through their heads.

Jill Fenton is heading back to Rwanda for the 20th time to help improve education there. // Dave Regehr

with building 11 nursery school classrooms, nine library facilities and installing more than 600 solar lights in areas with little to no electricity, Tools For Schools has invested in 21 teacher workshops, training more than 1,470 educators across the country.

“You’re leaving them not just a facility but the skills the teachers have learned, skills they can take with them to their school and their communities,” Fenton said.

To help build that legacy, the Fentons have relied, in many ways, on their own community.

Through the Rotary Club of Jasper and local, private donations, Tools For Schools has raised thousands of dollars towards improving education in Rwanda.

Alberta’s Community Initiatives Program has also played a role in augmenting a budget that stretches every dollar.

“We’re very hands on,” Fenton says. “That’s how you make sure things are done.”

Tools For Schools has become a family affair. Jill and Neil’s children—former JNP superin-

tendent Greg and his wife, Libby Weir, are currently stationed in Rwanda working with the Rotary Club’s International Committee.

Daughter Tobi handles the organization’s banking and attends to other administrative affairs; son Neil Jr. maintains the website; and Saskatoon-based Tracey, along with her husband Marlow, helps with transportation and supplies. Neil Sr., in recent years, has been stricken with cognitive decline and as a result has taken a step back from the work.

“It’s hard to go on without Neil,” Jill admits.

But the work must go on. The 10-hour days, the innumerable challenges of working in a developing country, the knowledge that for every person Tools For School helps, there are two more in need…it’s all time well spent, Fenton insists.

“When it’s your passion, it’s not work,” she says.

Beaches be darned.

Bob Covey //bob@thejasperlocal.com

Neil Fenton established Tools for Schools 10 years ago, building facilities and training teachers. // supplied