The Jasper Local November 1, 2017

a lt e r n at i v e +

LOCAL + independent

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thejasperlocal.com

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wednesday, november 1, 2017 // ISSUE 108

EARLY EXPLORERS // ANDREW LAUGHLIN AND DAN ANSELMO GOT THE GOODS AFTER A MID-OCTOBER SNOWFALL BLANKETED THE BALD HILLS. THE AREA IS NOW CLOSED FOR CARIBOU CONSERVATION. // NICOLE COVEY

Parks to develop two apartment units Parks Canada is proposing to redevelop two lots on Patricia Street into apartment buildings which will house five families each.

Some time this winter, the structures at 910 and 918 Patricia Street will be torn down and replaced with two storey apartment buildings, according to Communications Officer Steve Young.

The project recently went to tender on the federal government’s public works and services procurement site.

The tender closed on October 26 but Parks Canada has not yet announced a winning bidder.

“The project has been in planning and development stages for approximately two years,” Young said.

The 1970s era, three-bedroom bungalows will be replaced with two, five-unit multiplex housing units. The winning bidder will be expected to complete all work by May 1, 2018, according to the document.

“Timing of the construction was chosen to take place during the winter in order to be ready in time for the operational season,” Young said. “Parks Canada has been actively working on tangible solutions to increase the supply of available housing within Jasper National Park.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 108 // wednesday, november 1, 2017

editorial //

Local Vocal I’ve never really been good at Halloween.

When I was in elementary school, I remember freaking out when my friends came to the door and I still didn’t have my costume ready.

I usually ended up putting on my hockey equipment while my buddies rolled their eyes.

For at least three years in a row I went as a “punk,” not because I had a really good look but because I just couldn’t come up with anything better.

I finally came up with a decent costume in college when I went as Braveheart. I was very proud of my (plagiarized) creation and yelled “Freedom!” a lot, which I think had more to do with my escape from years of Halloween failure rather than getting into character. Predictably, when I trotted out the same outfit the following October, I was (rightfully) scorned.

The next year I was out of ideas again and an hour before the bar opened made a mad dash to my Nana’s house to raid her tickle trunk.

Unfortunately she didn’t really have a tickle truck, so I just wore one of her old blouses, some fake pearls and a flapper hat. That’s correct, I went as my Nana for Halloween.

Since then, my costumes have been equally as sad. I was a carrot once, and another time while living in Victoria I snipped two eyes holes in a sock, cut it in half lengthwise and kind of draped it over my face. Sock face, I called myself.

But as lame, sad and pathetic as all of my costumes have been over the years, as bad as I’ve been at Halloween, my poor attempts don’t hold a jack-o-lantern’s candle to the jerks who ruined the holiday for a bunch of grade schoolers this past October 31. There are some pranks to be expected, but when parents are having to explain to their six and eight-year-olds that someone smashed the pumpkins they worked so hard on, stole all their candy and generally put a damper on one of the most anticipated days of the year, my hackles get raised. I wonder how I’ll explain it to my daughter if, in a few years, something similar happens to us?

Even more worrisome is if in a few years after that, my kid, or my friends’ kids, are the culprits, rather than the victims.

Hopefully, I won’t flail like 95 per cent of my Halloween costumes past. Hopefully, I’ll channel my inner Braveheart.

“I know you can be violent,” I’ll say. “But it’s our wits that make us men.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

A scribe in wolf's clothing

Dear skiers,

Alfie here (the Leader of the Pack).

Hey, thanks for the October up-track in the Maligne Lake area, but I gotta be real with you: me and my gang were kinda chewed off: there was nary a caribou to be found in them there Bald Hills. Are you sure you were skinning in the right direction?

Don’t get me wrong, we haven’t heard of many reindeer up that way since my great grandwolf was short in the tooth, but with all the hoopla in the past few years about protecting one of Canada’s most idiotic...I mean iconic species, we figured there must be good reason to close such a

massive part of the park to skiers. Oh hey, funny story: when those closetalkers in green sweater vests put up their closure signs last year, they erected a cardboard cutout of one of the little prancers. One of our omegas tried to eat it! What a poodle.

Anyhowl, just wanted to see if you had as much fun as your swooshing, swooping turns indicated. Now that it’s November, I guess we won’t be seeing you ‘round here for a few months. Don’t worry, I’m sure the snow won’t be totally pooched in March. In the meantime, keep your schnauzers on a leash!

-Alfie, Signal Pack, JNP

The Jasper Local //

Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e 1e0

Published on the 1st and 15th of each month Editor / Publisher

Bob Covey.................................................................................... bob@thejasperlocal.com Art Director

Nicole Gaboury.................................................................. nicole@thejasperlocal.com Advertising + sales

..............................................................................................................ads@thejasperlocal.com cartoonist

Deke.................................................................................................deke@thejasperlocal.com

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// Local tourism

wednesday, november 1, 2017 // issue 108 // the jasper local// page A3

OUT ON THE TOWN // JASPER’S CONTINGENT AT THE 2017 TRAVEL ALBERTA ALTO AWARDS WAS ALL SMILES ON OCTOBER 23. TWO MARKETING CAMPAIGNS WERE RECOGNIZED FOR HAVING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON LOCAL TOURISM. // SUPPLIED

Jasper takes home Altos hardware Tourism Jasper’s stats show that most visitors come from Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie, with significant representation from B.C. and the U.S. Far from simply targeting space and science geeks, Dark Skies aims its marketing at a broad range of visitors.

Tourism Jasper’s Marketing Manager “Eighty five per cent of North Americans Myriam Bolduc accepted the award for Best can’t see the stars from where they Tourism Event or Festival. live,” she said. “We’re talking to a huge audience who are curious about the night “We were really happy to bring this award skies.” home for the entire team,” Bolduc said.

Marmot Basin’s popular Escape Card was In seven years, Jasper’s Dark Sky also recognized by Travel Alberta for Festival has evolved from a small event excellence in marketing. The promotion which brought several dozen passionate astronomers to town, to what it is today: two was voted as best in the over-$50,000 category. full weekends of activities, presentations and promotions which brings in an Marmot Basin’s VP of Sales Brian Rode estimated 15,000 people over the course of said the Escape Card’s concept’s beauty the festival, according to Bolduc. is in its simplicity. The card’s additional benefits, such as discounts on hotels “That has a huge impact on the economy,” in Jasper and half price lift tickets at she said.

Edmonton ski areas, helped show the Alto Although 2017 numbers aren’t in yet, Bolduc said occupancy rates in local hotels judging panel that the promotion was born of collaboration, Rode said. averaged 88 per cent and 98 per cent of The Altos, which were held in Banff event tickets were sold to folks coming this year, recognize individuals and from outside of Jasper.

“Partners were adding events because they organizations working to enrich Alberta’s tourism industry. can’t keep up with demand,” she said.

Jasper’s Dark Sky Festival and Marmot Basin’s Escape Card were hailed as top of their respective classes at the 2017 Travel Alberta Alto Awards.

bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page B1 // the jasper local // issue 108 // wednesday, november 1, 2017

Local public safety //

LEFT OUT IN THE COLD

needs chains but didn’t come with any . . .

At 5:00pm, wednesday October 18, a scheduled Brewster bus from Banff got stuck in snow coming up the Big Bend hill to the Columbia Icefield.

Several times I walk up the hill to check on people. I shine my light. Windows whir down. “Everything OK? Warm enough? Got enough gas?

Water?”

I see disbelief on the faces: why has nobody come? There’s stoicism in the people, but behind the eyes I see the tension, the fear. In one van four people sitting bolt upright, like startled animals caught in the headlights.

There’s seven on the bus including Andy the driver.

Nothing is making it up the hill. It’s that wet Vancouvertype snow, not deep but slick as a skating rink.

The snow is getting deep.

Andy revs and revs the engine but the bus just slides with the camber of the road towards the ditch. Andy gets out for a look and immediately falls flat on his back. It’s that slippery.

There are cars stuck ahead and behind the bus.

No one is moving.

Andy gets on the radio and raises the Brewster staff compound. The Icefield Centre has closed but there’s a skeleton crew shutting everything down. By next week everyone will be gone.

Andy gets chains on a rear wheel and tries to get the bus going. The wheel spins. There are sparks as the chains bite into the asphalt before eventually busting to bits. There’s a smell of burning rubber. It’s getting dark.

an elderly couple, a blue handicap sticker in the window. The man has a kidney disorder.

There’s a 90-year-old lady; there are poorly dressed tourists who have never driven in snow; there’s a big RV from Florida pulling a car and bikes. There are two young hitchhikers, one in shorts.

The two Seans take the school children to the staff compound. They go around kicking snow away from exhausts in case of deadly fumes building up. And bring gas for those running low.

I joke with the hitchhikers: we might be here forever. Surprisingly a Mini Cooper makes it up the hill. We cheer.

I don’t sleep. I squint out the window expecting the flashing orange light of the plow . . .

Back to the bus to warm up. The two Seans arrive with bananas, bottles of water, and a box of granola bars. Andy—a heavy-set man and a smoker—is still trying to get the bus moving.

He won’t give up. I’m worried he’ll have a heart attack.

A big pick-up goes down the hill, the driver, Two Seans from the staff compound arrive in in an empty cab, refusing to give the hitchheavy-duty pick-up trucks. They try winching hikers a ride. Another pick-up comes by and the bus. The winch breaks. They shovel gravel side swipes the bus. The truck doesn’t stop. from the side of the road There are several cars in under the rear wheels, but it the ditch; there are cars doesn’t help. They try a 911 bumping into one another in “In one van four people call but no one is picking the middle of the road. When up. sitting bolt upright, like you touch the brakes you just It’s snowing heavily now.

startled animals caught in the headlights.”

There are at least 50 vehicles stuck on the road or in the two pullouts farther up the hill. I walk up the road. Maybe a hundred people sitting in vehicles with engines running. There’s a group of 12 Grade seven students from Calgary on their way to the Palisades Centre; there’s

slide and slide and slide.

The snow keeps coming. It isn’t a joke any more. People come to the bus to warm up, to use the toilet, to get water.

Throughout the night we hear rumours: the plow is coming, it’s just 50 minutes away; the plow

A sleeping bus. The driver slumped over the steering wheel.

I’m thinking this is some horrible dream.

No one’s coming. For 24 years I’ve been self-reliant, summer and winter, camping in snow and everything else, depending on no one but myself. But here I am on a stuck bus with not even a box of matches. I feel bad for the people who always rely on “they’ll be here soon” to get them out of a jam.

A hundred people left out in the cold.

It’s getting light. It’s stopped snowing for now.

People are out of vehicles. Moving around.

Visiting. Walking down to the bus to use the toilet. They all have we-can’t-believe-no-onehas-come faces.

At 10:20 Thursday morning, a Parks Canada plow comes around the bend (a front-end loader had come an hour earlier and made one pass down the hill)—seventeen and a half hours after we first got stuck. david harrap // info@thejasperlocal.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: Parks Canada responded to The Jasper Local’s inquiry via email. Communications Specialist Steve Young said “Parks Canada staff were present on Highway 93 North at or near the site where traffic was stopped through the night to provide assistance and ensure the safety of visitors.

Highway Operations and Visitor Safety staff were dispatched at daylight the following morning to begin the process of clearing the road... The

Parks Canada Highway Operations Unit follows comprehensive guidelines that prescribes response times and maintenance requirements based on the classification of the road. To ensure safety following this significant early season snowfall, Parks Canada closed the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Saskatchewan Crossing on Wednesday evening.

This was a very unusual circumstance given the amount of snowfall in a very short period.” - BC

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wednesday, november 1, 2017 // issue 108 // the jasper local// page B2

Local community//

New officials getting their feet wet Newly elected officials in Jasper are gaining an understanding of their new positions as local administrators put councillors and school trustees through their paces.

Municipal councillors have been in training mode, learning the insand-outs of municipal governance and getting a crash course in their roles and responsibilities when it comes to the town’s assets and infrastructure.

“There’s a lot of information to get current on,” said councillor Scott Wilson. “It’s been eye opening.”

Councillor Paul Butler estimated between asset management studies, facility reviews, community plans and various other documents related to zoning, housing and planning, councillors have about 1,000 pages of reading material to get through. What’s stood out, besides the work load, has been the preparation that town administrators have put into the training packages.

“It reflects on how important administration overall sees the role of council,” Butler said.

Jenna McGrath was employed by the municipality as a Community Outreach Worker several years ago and has a thorough understanding of the Community and Family Services department. However, part of council’s orientation was visiting

GETTING A DOSE OF VITAMIN “N” // PART OF NEWLY ACCLAIMED SCHOOL TRUSTEE DALE KARPLUK’S JOB ORIENTATION HAS BEEN GETTING TO KNOW THE STUDENTS IN HER DISTRICT. KARPLUK’S MAIN JOB IS TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF THE STUDENTS IN GRANDE YELLOWHEAD. KARPLUK VISITED WHISTLERS CAMPGROUND ON OCTOBER 24 WITH LINDA MORGAN’S GRADE 1 CLASS. // SUPPLIED

all of the town’s assets, including places like the aquatic centre, library and the transfer station (technically still a Parks Canada asset; the two agencies collaborate on its operation). McGrath was impressed by the town’s facilities, she said, in particular the wastewater treatment plant.

“There’s a broad learning curve, but I felt comfortable in the group,” she said.

McGrath was appointed to three boards or committees: The Jasper Community Team, the Library board and the Communities in Bloom committee (all board appointments can be found on the

municipality’s website).

“I’m excited to further myself,” McGrath said.

Meanwhile, over at the Grande Yellowhead Public School Division, acclaimed Jasper trustee Dale Karpluk was also getting a whirlwind tour of her new position.

The former elementary school teacher and high school principal (Karpluk spent 20 of her 41 years in education at the helm of Jasper Jr./Sr. High) said her predecessor, Betsy Declercq, didn’t sugar-coat the amount of work and travelling involved.

“The first week was busy,” Karpluk said. “Grande Yellowhead is huge. Distance and diversity is what we’re about.”

Karpluk joins two other new trustees and four incumbents on the GYPSD board. Trustees are advocates for students and act as the eyes and ears for their division, Karpluk said.

“A school board is more NEW COUNCILLORS SCOTT WILSON, PAUL BUTLER AND JENNA MCGRATH HAVE BEEN IN TRAINING.

noses in, hands out,” she said. “The running of the schools is sitebased, the board looks at the bigger picture.”

Back on the municipal council orientation beat, Wilson was considering the big picture when it came to the town’s infrastructure.

He was looking forward to getting down to work and helping strategize a replacement plan.

“It’s exciting to be playing a new role in my community,” he said.

Councillors don’t have much time to get briefed on the municipality’s operations before their annual budgeting process begins in December. Butler said he is cognizant that time is of the essence when it comes to digesting the huge amount of information councillors have in front of them.

“The reality is you’re elected, get the training then you’re tossed straight into budgeting,” he said.

Bert Journault, the other newly elected member of council, is still away. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

DAWG-GONE // THE BANKS OF THE ATHABASCA RIVER IN LATE FALL ARE A GOOD PLACE TO FIND SOLITUDE IN JASPER NATIONAL PARK. SOON A HULL OF ICE WILL FORM OVER THE FLOWING WATERS AND THESE TWO FISHING BUDDIES WILL BE MAKING PAW PRINTS IN THE SNOW. // BOB COVEY

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page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 108 // wednesday, november 1, 2017

FEATURE // STORY BY BOB COVEY // PHOTOS BY JOHN PRICE

S I N G LE Y E S

REFLE X

JOHN PRICE’S TRANSITION FROM POINT AND SHOOT

AMATEUR TO PRO ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHER HINGED ON BEING ABLE TO MAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY COUNT

As fall falls away and winter slowly sputters into gear, many of us looking at the leafless trees and the ever-shortening days could use a bit of a pick-me-up.

When espresso and ginseng aren’t doing the trick, it can often help to live vicariously from someone who is feeling the stoke. Cue Canmore based photographer John Price, whose exploits with a camera will leave you dreaming of your next adventure.

In 2015, John Price was a man caught between two worlds: that of a nine-to-fiver, and that of a weekend warrior with a penchant

for photography. While he wanted to break into the imagingmaking biz full time, his daytime commitments were holding him back. He knew he had to devote himself to his passion if he wanted to pursue photography as a career, however, as long as he had somewhere other than the mountains to be, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make the transition. It took the encouragement of a friend and fellow Bow Valley shooter, Paul Zizka, for Price to finally take the leap.

“Paul told me that one of the biggest steps of doing this as a career was having the ability to say yes to every opportunity,” Price said.

RAF ADRONOWSKI CLIMBING HARD GLACIAL ICE IN A CAVE ON THE TOE OF THE ATHABASCA GLACIER.

SARAH HUENIKEN & WILL GADD APPROACH THE ICE GARDENS ON ZAO MOUNTAIN IN JAPAN.

Of course, when it cam to anything that cost money, his answer had to be no. Gone were the craft beer nights and

“It took the encouragement a friend and fellow Bow Valle shooter, Paul Zizka, for Pric to finally take the leap.”

That summer, Price started saying yes.

When friends gave him a day’s notice to go climbing, he said yes. When the light on local peaks went from flat to magical, he said yes.

When multi-day PILLOW DROPS IN THE AMISKWI LODGE AREA, GOLDEN, B.C.

trips were being dream unequivocal answer wa end of 2015, he had 120 in his computer’s catalo

spontaneous lunch date Gone was the new gear kitty; his old stuff woul have to do. But soon enough, his sacrifices were paying off. His portfolio was rapidly expanding. His skills were rapidly developin

“I wanted to speed thos quickly as possible,” he

In fact, his transition fr amateur to pro shooter his de a clim moved 2012 w alpine the Au a reta flexibl and sp hour a store c plann trip. H rope m times same summ

KRIS IRWIN TESTING THE FROZEN WATERS ON DAMACLES ON THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY

“I gue impat comes he jok

That n

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ng dreamed up, Price’s answer was yes. At the he had 120,000 images ter’s catalog.

immediate feedback was the subject matter for a 2016 documentary on Price’s work. Tommy Day’s “At What Price” explores the dynamics

And of course he’s still finding the stoke. Before the latest snow flurries thrilled Canadian Rockies winterphiles, Price and a buddy were

hen it came hat cost nswer had e were the hts and

agement of Bow Valley a, for Price he leap.”

lunch dates. new gear stuff would ut soon acrifices off. His rapidly is skills developing.

HE CHUAN & JO PANG CLIMB THE ‘REAL BIG DRIP’ IN THE GHOST RIVER VALLEY.

peed those things up as ssible,” he said.

ansition from interested o shooter was similar to his development as a climber. Having moved to Canada in 2012 with very little alpine experience, the Aussie landed a retail job with a flexible schedule and spent every hour away from the store climbing or planning his next trip. He got out on a rope more than 60 times that winter; same thing in the summer.

“I guess I’m kind of impatient when it comes to learning,” he joked.

That need for

of social media when it comes to showcasing one’s ideal self to friends and followers. In the film, Price is shown as a talented content creator who is conflicted with his desire to share what he experiences and his responsibility to do so truthfully.

“It’s not a perfect life full of positivity,” he says. “But that’s what our images often show. On the flip, you have to put out your best work.

“It’s a balancing act.”

Price’s balancing act these days has to do with continuing to engage audiences, teach workshops and shoot commercially, while at the same time, staying active in his family’s life. He rarely leaves the camera at home, but when he does, he tries to stay present.

“I was walking my stepdaughter to school this morning when the mountains just started exploding,” he said. “I didn’t have my camera but it was just good to be there, in the moment.”

PRICE’S SHOT OF LARRY SHIU ON CASCADE MOUNTAIN WAS CHOSEN AS THE BANFF FILM FESTIVAL’S SIGNATURE IMAGE FOR 2017.

scoping a new drytool route in the Lake Louise area. He wouldn’t dare reveal the exact location.

“My friend would kill me,” he laughed.

Transition complete. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page B5 // the jasper local // issue 108 // wednesday, november 1, 2017

Local story telling //

Tall tales and session ales: NIGHT OF LIES COMES TO JASPER Night of Lies—an evening featuring tales of struggles, near misses and debauchery while working and playing in the Rockies—is coming to Jasper.

The event originated in Calgary 17 years ago before finding a permanent home in the Bow Valley. Now, thanks to Rockaboo Mountain Adventures, Night of Lies is travelling north to Jasper, where event organizer Lisa

“It’s like a TED Talk with pint-swilling, heckling climbers.”

Darrah believes the format will be a hit with locals.

“Prepare for a theatrical energy and lots of laughs,” Darrah said.

Canmore’s Wade Graham started the tradition in 2000. What began as a BS-session in his basement suite apartment has evolved into a standing roomonly, highly-anticipated

annual event with appearances from a range of mountain personalities.

“It’s like a TED Talk with pint-swilling, heckling climbers,” Graham said.

Darrah remembers going to her first Night of Lies 12 years ago when she lived in Banff.

“It was edgy, it was fun, I laughed so hard,” she said. “People are encouraged to embellish a little.”

That includes audience members.

Darrah said it’s an informal gathering: the floor will open at the HELL YES! // RYAN TITCHENER IS ONE OF THE FEATURE SPEAKERS FOR NOVEMBER 10TH’S NIGHT OF LIES. THE EVENT, end of the scheduled ACCORDING TO ITS JASPER HOST, IS WELL KNOW FOR BEING EDGY, RAW AND REAL. // JASPER LOCAL FILE PHOTO speakers.

“Keep a tale in your of the Jasper/Banff border, “I call it Hard Times,” he the fire, in the hut. It’s raw pocket just in case,” she said. was the beneficiary of winked. and real.”

Ryan Titchener is one of the last Night of Lies in Graham says that sense of Night of Lies takes place the evening’s featured Canmore. While his story irreverence is what the event November 10 at Four Peaks speakers. Titchener, who of perseverance has been is all about. Besides being a Nightclub. Doors open broke his back in a climbing well documented, Titchener fundraiser for a good cause, at 7 p.m. Find out how to accident in 2016 and whose plans to bring a less-known, Night of Lies keeps the oral get early bird tickets on remarkable recovery R-rated episode of his tradition alive, he said.

Facebook for $15. has inspired the Rockies recovery on November 10. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com “It’s in the spirit of around communities on both side

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Local literature //

Intimate story telling, colourful characters, unique landscape BOOK REVIEW: YA HA TINDA: A HOME PLACE Straddling the line between a coffee-table book and a historical text, the book offers a rich historical narrative augmented with more than 70 colour and black-andwhite photographs. The photos themselves offer a window into a fascinating time and place in Canadian history and leave no doubt as to the magnificent beauty of the book’s titular subject.

Calvert’s unique perspective and engaging prose, on the other hand, bring the reader deep inside the personal struggles and political battles that have swirled around the idyllic plateau over the past 100 years.

In her opening chapter, Calvert sets scene geographically, geologically and ecologically. But the true KATHY CALVERT’S BOOK FRAMES THE LANDSCAPES WHICH FORM AT THE MEETING OF beginning of the story she THE PRAIRIES AND THE MOUNTAINS. // sets out to tell is to be found in her account of the Ya Ha This is a sentiment that frames Tinda’s occupation by indigenous the discussion in Kathy Calvert’s peoples and of those peoples’ deeply recently-published book Ya Ha tragic encounter with European Tinda: A Home Place. The book colonization. traces the history of that spectacular “Ya Ha Tinda”, according to the mountain prairie, the people who author, is a Stony Cree name have occupied it and the political meaning “Mountain Prairie.” battles to control it for more than That is what Jim Brewster took 100 years.

There is a unique beauty about the landscapes formed at the meeting of prairies and Rocky Mountains and in very few places does it shine brighter than at Ya Ha Tinda.

to calling the place after having been guided there by a Stony man named William Twin. The Brewster family established the first ranch at Ya Ha Tinda in 1907, but soon found themselves at odds with a rapidly expanding Parks Service that was still determining where its boundaries lay and what was, or was not, permitted within them.

That developmental process eventually pressed up against jurisdictional disputes peculiar to Canadian federalism. Those disputes constitute a core theme throughout the book’s six chapters, but it is the colourful cast of characters—ranchers, wives, children, poachers, wranglers and wardens—who animate the pages. Many of their stories are of toughness and resolve, but there are humous and touching anecdotes as well.

A former national park warden, Calvert has firsthand experience working on the ranch and she makes no pretense at detached objectivity. Particularly in the later chapters, her personal connection to the place and, even more so, to the people, practically emanate from the page. This lends an intimacy to the story-telling, even when it results in a few drawn-out asides.

Similarly, the author’s unique perspective as a former warden also informs her account of the later years of the warden service.

Like many whose careers with the service spanned part of its golden years in the 1970s and 80s, Calvert seems to have been (justifiably) embittered by the dramatic “rationalization” of “the outfit.”

This personal experience certainly colours the last chapters of the book, but not so much as to distract from the story.

Though at first glance Ya Ha Tinda: A Home Place might appear to be a book about a place, it is, at heart, a story about people. The place, it turns out, is both the setting of that story and the object of its protagonists’ struggles. Those struggles make for interesting and sometimes fascinating story-telling.

The photographs of that incredible “mountain prairie,” however, will keep the book on your coffee table long after you’ve finished reading.

Ya Ha Tinda: A Home Place: Celebrating 110 Years of the Canadian Government’s Only Working Horse Ranch. By Kathy Calvert. 2017. Rocky Mountain Books. Hardcover. 190pp. $30.00. doug olthof // doug@thejasperlocal.com

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wednesday, november 1, 2017 // issue 108 // the jasper local// page B6

local nutrition //

Fall in Love with Fermentation: How often have you been told that fresh food is the most nutritious? Well, I hate to break it to you but this is yet another black-and-white nutrition rule that does not hold true.

For centuries, cultures all over the world have been including fermented foods in their diets and benefiting greatly from breaking the ‘fresh-is-best’ rule. Not only do fermented foods add intricacy to your palate, but they also have some unparalleled nutrition properties and allow you to enjoy the bounty of the harvest all year long.

If we get down to the basics, fermentation is the process of converting carbohydrates (or sugars) into organic acids and alcohols, using microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast. Even though it sounds quite scientific, I also like to think about fermentation as an art – a way to be creative and expressive in the kitchen!

UNPARALLELED NUTRITION OF FERMENTED FOODS DIGESTION: Fermented foods can be easier to digest because the process of fermentation breaks down ‘anti-nutrients’ (such as oxalates and phytic acids) and frees up more actual nutrients to be absorbed by your digestive tract.

VITAMINS: Bacteria and yeast can produce vitamins as they ferment foods - most commonly B-vitamins and vitamin K. So, essentially you could think of the fermented food as an enriched version of the fresh one.

PROBIOTICS: The bacteria found in fermented foods colonize your gut and improve your

KIRSTEN’S HOMEMADE KOMBUCHA // KIRSTEN OILUND

wellbeing. Not only do they promote digestive health, but they also affect your body’s immune system, mental health, sleep patterns, inflammation and metabolism.

MY FERMENTED PICKS OF THE MONTH KOMBUCHA is a fermented sweet tea (typically black or green) that is often flavoured with herbs or fruit. To make kombucha you need a SCOBY (also known as a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast), which you can either acquire from a fellow kombucha-brewer or grow yourself with some kombucha and a bit of time. This lightly carbonated drink tastes quite tangy, but can be sweetened by shortening the fermentation time. I like to enjoy it cold after a satisfying meal.

KEFIR is a fermented dairy product, distinct from yogourt and buttermilk. It is made from fresh milk by adding “kefir grains” (little gelatinous granules of dairy colonized by bacteria and yeast) and letting the mixture sit at room temperature for about 24 hours. When the lactose in milk is fermented, it creates a slightly sour flavour and thickens the milk to a consistency like thin yogourt. I prefer plain kefir, but you can also sweeten it a bit and add some vanilla or cocoa powder. Try kefir in a smoothie or drizzle it on granola.

SOURDOUGH BREAD is made entirely using wild yeast. The only two ingredients you will need

LACTO-FERMENTED CARROTS // ASHLEY KENNEDY

besides water are flour and salt. The whole process starts by making a sourdough starter, which is simply a mixture of flour and water left at room SOURDOUGH STARTER // K. OILUND temperature to culture the yeast naturally present in the flour and the local air. (Don’t worry, I was skeptical at first too…) To strengthen your starter it needs to be fed with fresh flour and water over a few days until it gets bubbly and smells somewhat sour. You can then use it to bake a loaf of bread – I enjoy my sourdough toasted with butter or slathered with pesto!

LACTO-FERMENTED VEGETABLES are made by submerging any vegetable in salt water, adding your choice of seasonings (I am a big fan of peppercorns and whole garlic cloves), sealing the jar, and letting it sit for 2 (ish) weeks or until you achieve your desired tang and texture. The trick is to completely submerge your veggies in the brine to remove all the oxygen! The lactic acid bacteria that create these fermented treats work best in an anaerobic environment. Now who can honestly say that vegetables are boring? You’ll be eating them right out of the jar.

Kirsten Oilund is a registered dietitian and the owner of Jasper Nutrition Counselling. She is an avid runner, boot-camper and adventurer. She has been known to plan an elaborate campfire spread. Email her at kirsten@jasper-nutrition.com

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