ALTERNATIVE +
LOCAL + INDEPENDENT
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 // ISSUE 173
BLACKHORN, BROWN ANTLERS // This caribou was happy to relax in a meadow near Amethyst Lake with Blackhorn Peak framing the scene. // SIMONE HEINRICH
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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 173 // TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
EDITORIAL //
Local Vocal I was sent an old fishing guide to Jasper National Park recently and have been
marvelling at the catches from the 1970s and 80s— considered the Golden Era of Jasper angling by many old timers. Besides some funky fly patterns and a thorough list of all the fishable local lakes in JNP, this guide contains plenty of advice on baiting hooks with meat and how far from your wobbler to trail your worm—practices long since considered unsporting. Moreover, on every third page it has the requisite “stringer” photos—guys proudly holding up enough fish flesh to fill a freezer several times over. Of course these were the days when the park had a robust stocking program, so releasing one’s catch probably wasn’t as integral to maintaining healthy fish populations, but it made me wonder if the regs were a little more strict back then, would they not have better protected this amazing resource for future generations? Some say of course they would have, others suggest the lakes didn’t support spawning conditions so those fish would have died out eventually anyway. Sadly, we’ll never really know. As we see from reviewing a brief history of JNP’s aquatics philosophies—or predator control, as our story opposite demonstrates—park management is always evolving. Unfortunately, many of today’s practices are typically trying to offset errors of yesterday—as our caribou biologists know all too well. The latest Parks policy that has some locals’ waders in a knot is the shoreline cleanup initiative—a worthy proposition in principle but one that is a bit clumsy in its disregard for the wishes of Jasper boaters, for whom easy access to a watercraft on an emerald-hued, mountain-rimmed lake is one of the reasons they choose to live here. It’s not easy juggling a national park’s ecological integrity and visitor experience goals while respecting the values of folks who possess local knowledge and traditions. And it’s just as easy for park managers to lump in locals as entitled as it is for those locals to dismiss officials as high-minded and out-of-touch with actually enjoying nature. To make living in a small community tenable, we ought to resist making those generalizations and instead try to connect with the things that we share in common. For me that means not passing judgement on the old timers who tell stories of keeping 50 fish from now trout-devoid lakes, but acknowledging history is just that, and that we can all do our part to do the right thing for the future. BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com
Gadd’s warning not the first In the early to mid-90’s and 2002, geologist Dr. Richard E. Kucera published numerous reports for Parks Canada (then, Canadian Parks Service) related to the long-term stability of the Athabasca Glacier’s icecored lateral moraine. They pre-date any publications or concerns cited by Mr. Gadd by upwards of 10-20 years (Nine years ago, naturalist Ben Gadd raised public safety concerns on Athabasca
Glacier moraine: August 1 Jasper Local). I remember Dr. Kucera expressing concerns surrounding the longterm stability of the lateral moraine.
Beyond his academic publications related to moraine deformations, Dr. Kucera wrote several touristy books about the Columbia Icefield and the Athabasca Glacier. Sadly, I wouldn’t think Richard is still alive, but he perhaps deserves
some recognition for being among the first, if not the first to observe the Athabasca Glacier’s lateral moraine deformation. -Submitted anoymously Editor’s note: While we pressed this letter writer to reveal his or her identity, they were adament in staying off-the-radar. While we normally wouldn’t publish an anonymous letter, the points made checked out and we wanted to give Dr. Kucera his due
The Jasper Local //
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// LOCAL WILDLIFE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 // ISSUE 173 // The Jasper Local // PAGE A3 CPAWS CARESABOUT-YOU// The wildlife conservation organization says a recent annoucement that the Maligne caribou herd is extirpated should trigger urgent action to protect remaining JNP herds, such as the Tonquin herd, to which these two animals belong. // SIMONE HEINRICH
CPAWS urging Jasper caribou action Local wildlife officials have quietly announced that the Maligne caribou herd is considered locally extinct. The official change in status comes from an update on Parks Canada’s webpage for Woodland Caribou in Jasper National Park. “Jasper is home to three herds of Southern Mountain caribou: the Tonquin, Brazeau, and À La Pêche herds,” the webpage reads. “A fourth herd, the Maligne, was last observed in 2018 and is considered extirpated (locally extinct).” The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is calling the news a tragedy. Boreal Program Manager Gillian Chow-Fraser says the announcement should trigger urgent action for Jasper’s remaining herds. In 2017, a Multi-Species Action Plan for Jasper National Park was released outlining conservation
actions for federally-listed species at risk within the park, including mountain caribou. One of these measures includes completing a feasibility assessment of a captive breeding program in the park to artificially augment populations. In November, The Jasper Local reported on Parks Canada’s assessment of an area near the Geraldine Lakes Road as a potential caribou rearing location. Captive breeding has been used as a caribou conservation measure in other parks in Canada. The national parks provide some safety in permanently protecting caribou habitat from destruction, but the historical context for mountain caribou has resulted in dangerously low population numbers that make recovery increasingly difficult, according to CPAWS. There were also a few
management missteps by Jasper National Park in the park’s early days. In 1920, the park re-introduced elk to the landscape with the intent of increasing wildlife viewing opportunities for the public. In the same year, the park initiated a predator control program to ensure the elk successfully proliferated. Eventually, the program ended in 1959, after which wolf numbers quickly rebounded due to the buffet of elk available to the apex predators. However, the increased predation rates were unsustainable and in combination with many other cumulative factors, drove caribou population declines over decades. Of the caribou herds which remain entirely in Jasper National Park, the Brazeau herd is estimated at eight individuals and the Tonquin herd is estimated at roughly 38 caribou. Both herds are in decline. B COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com
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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 173 // TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
LOCAL RECREATION
Fisherman questioning heavy-handed shoreline cleanup plan proclamation: last year, Parks Canada instituted a shoreline cleanup initiative, a program designed to restore the natural beauty and ecological integrity of lakes in Jasper National Park. “Boats and other personal watercraft are overwhelming shoreline areas,” an August 28 update to the plan reads. “What used to be a few inconspicuous boats has proliferated to a large number that clog lake access points, cause trampling of the shoreline vegetation, and detract from the pristine beauty of our natural areas.” Dirks understands the motivation for the program, but says the heavy-handed way it’s been rolled out is unfair for local boaters who are respectful of the park. He and other Jasper anglers who have canoes or rowboats tied to docks at local lakes are frustrated that they are being cast as litterbugs who don’t enjoy the park in the right way. “Fisherman get a bad rap,” he said. “But I’m using my boats. That’s why they’re there.”
LOCAL ANGLER WENDELL DIRKS HAS COMPLIED WITH THE SHORELINE CLEANUP ORDER BUT HAS TROUBLE WITH BEING TYPECAST AS A PROBLEM BOAT OWNER// BOB COVEY
Parks Canada is asking locals to clean up the shoreline around local lakes, but at least one fisherman in Jasper National Park is asking why rule-abiding boat owners are being punished for the negligence of others?
Not everyone is getting the same use out of their watercraft as Dirks. Some of the boats at Pyramid Lake, Patricia Lake and Lake Edith, for example, are long abandoned. Dirks knows of a catamaran at Pyramid Lake that’s been there for 20 years. “It puts us in an awkward position,” he says. “I don’t understand why they’re picking on people.”
“I still get that feeling today,” the 60-year-old laughed.
In the fall of 2019, Parks Canada began tagging private and abandoned boats, requesting owners to remove their watercraft. The agency plans to send out staff to retag boats this fall, with the order to remove them by October 20. Dirks doesn’t want to cause trouble, so he obliged. The 12-foot aluminum rowboat he bought third-hand 40 years ago no longer sits on the dock at Patricia Lake. Instead, he has to lift it on and off his truck every time he wants to use it—a job that’s getting more difficult every season.
These days, fishing regulations have changed. For one thing, there’s no live bait allowed. Dirks is fine with that. He’s caught thousands of fish on lures, jigs and self-tied flies. But he’s not as relaxed about a recent
“In the past when someone chained a boat to a tree they were asked to remove it,” he said. “But over the last decade or more this offence has not been enforced and I assume that now it has
Wendell Dirks grew up fishing in Jasper National Park. He remembers keenly the excitement of catching his first trout as a six-year-old boy while rowing a boat on Lake Annette, trolling a worm.
escalated because of lack of enforcement.” Parks Canada will not ask commercial outfitters to remove their boats. “Commercial outfitters that offer watercraft rental and fishing opportunities provide a valued service to visitors of the park,” communications officer Steve Young said. “Both Parks Canada and outfitters want to ensure that commercial watercraft stored at lakes are in good repair, stowed in a safe manner, and do not compromise the area’s scenic beauty.” Dirks said that’s how all local boats—not just commercial watercraft—should be viewed. “Fishing is something I want to last my entire life,” he said. “I don’t see why only the commercial guys should have that right.” BOB COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com
Terry lost his right leg to cancer at age 18. Terry wanted to raise money to find a cure for cancer so he decided to run across Canada to ask for help. Terry called his run the Marathon of Hope because he believed that a cure could be found for all cancers.
who is
Terry started his Marathon of Hope in St. John’s, Newfoundland but had to stop in Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had returned in his lungs. Terry died in June 1981 knowing that Canadians had raised $24 million for cancer research, his goal reached.
Canadians never forgot Terry. The Terry Fox Run has been held every year since 1981, in Canada and around the world, raising more than $800 million for cancer research. Terry Fox Run. Sunday September 20. One Day. Your Way. Register and fundraise at terryfox.org
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 // ISSUE 173 // The Jasper Local // PAGE B2
LOCAL COVID-19
Marmot confident COVID won’t affect on-snow experience Adaptations to COVID-19 at Marmot Basin will mean new protocols for staff and changes to the ski hill’s facilities but the onsnow experience in 2020/21 will remain largely unchanged.
“Once you’ve got your helmet and gloves on and your skis or snowboard on your feet, the outdoor experience is going to be the same,” said Brian Rode, Vice President of Marketing at Marmot Basin. The ski resort is aiming for a mid-November opening—weather dependent, of course. Despite the reduction in anticipated international guests, and despite not having the ability to recruit seasonal staff from overseas, Rode said Marmot will not reduce its number of employees. “This winter the majority of staff will come from the local and regional market,” Rode said. “So far the uptake has been good, we’re feeling comfortable in having a full complement of staff.” Making guests comfortable will be Marmot’s main prerogative in a pandemic-altered ski resort environment, Rode said. New infrastructure in the way of heated outdoor tents; new efficiencies when it comes to equipment rentals, lesson bookings and ticket sales; and robust staff safety protocols, particularly in the food and beverage departments, will be where the most visible COVID
adaptations will take place. “We’ll be encouraging people to rent in advance, for example, so we can set up their equipment in advance,” Rode said. Reducing customer touch points will be a big focus in the lead-up to the season. Greeters will help guests get oriented at the lower and upper chalets and dining area seating capacity will be reduced. Rode said he’s confident guests will adapt to the new normal. “I think people, for the large part, will understand and be respectful,” he said. “I’m confident people will respect people’s distance.” Once on the slopes, of course, skiing and snowboarding are the perfect activities to maintain appropriate social distance—particularly mid-
“Skiers and snowboarders are driven by their passion. They want to get out, to live their lives. We want to provide the opportunity to do that.”
SMOOTH SAILING // Snowboarders like Tristan Tomkins will have plenty of room to social distance once they’re on the slopes. Marmot Basin will have COVID-19 protocols in place in “pinch points,” but the riding experience will be as freeing as ever. // BOB COVEY
“On busy days, we’re going to need every square foot for people in our chalets to dine.”
week, when the ski hill is less busy. On weekends, when Marmot Basin get more customers, Rode hopes there will be more give-and-take, particularly in the chalets.
When skiers and snowboaders aren’t sitting down with food or drinks, a mandatory face-covering policy will be in place. On the other hand, ski hill staff won’t be enforcing any chairlift-riding rules. Typically, to increase efficiencies, lift operators encourage skiers and snowboarders to fill any available chairlift seats. That won’t be the case this year.
“We aren’t going to encourage people to sit around and socialize,” he said.
The 2020/21 vibe at Marmot Basin will be a little “old school,” in a good
way, Rode suggested. With heated outdoor tents, BBQs and satellite food options and an overall push for guests to grab their food and go, Rode is optimistic skiers and snowboarders will appreciate the efforts to focus on what brought them to their sport in the first place: the thrill of sliding on snow. “Skiers and snowboarders are driven by the passion. They want to get out, they want to live their lives,” he said. “That’s what we want to provide for them—the opportunity to do that.” BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com
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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 173 // TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
FEATURE // LOCAL HISTORY // PHOTOS BY PARKS CANADA
Parks Canada restoring nati cutthroat trout to remote alpine habitat BY BOB COVEY Scientists in Banff National Park are restoring native fish to their historic homes. Before they can do that, however, they have to get rid of the fish that are currently living there. Last month, aquatics specialist Shelley Humphries and a team of biologists that included Jasper National Park staff were evicting eastern brook trout from BNP’s Helen Lake by way of a fish-specific toxicant called rotenone— step one of the repopulation process which will see the team introduce the valley’s original inhabitants: westslope cutthroat trout.
historic distribution,” Humphries said. Brook trout displace native fish in a number of ways: firstly, they don’t require much spawning habitat to reproduce—just a bit of shoal and a trickle of water is all they need to create their redds. Secondly, their eggs can overwinter—so those that don’t get fertilized in the fall can still be fecund the next year. Finally, brook trout adapt their spawning behaviour based on population density: when they start to get crowded, instead of slowing down
angling opportunitie Canada was now ope naturalist philosophy course, was that the d done in many of the the agency now wan their natural state. B particular, didn’t ge policy change was a
“[Park managers] w trying to leave space for native fish but by the time they made that decision it was
Helen Lake – this sm
located at almost 80
non-native brook tro
“Ecologically, that’s who belongs there,” said Humphries in an August 10 interview with The Jasper Local.
ration of the creek b
sible without remove
Westslope cutthroat are native to the Bow River drainage (but not to JNP’s watershed; our local trout species is the Athabasca rainbow trout). Back in the early days of the mountain parks system and up until the 1980s, Banff, Jasper and Waterton National Parks all had fish hatcheries. Park managers were very active in their efforts to stock lakes, Humphries said, with everything from lake trout to arctic grayling to Atlantic salmon.
Westslope cutthro
trout are threaten
in Alberta. In Ban
National Park, som of the main chal-
lenges for this fish competition with
native brook trout
hybridization with
non-native rainbo
trout or Yellowsto cutthroat trout.
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“They were very creative in the hatchery,” Humphries said. “I don’t think they realized the implications of what they were doing.”
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Not all species “took,” but brook trout, in particular, were adaptable to the high mountain lakes and streams found in Banff and Jasper and as a result, eventually outcompeted the native inhabitants—namely bull trout and westslope cuts in the Bow drainage. Hybridization with introduced rainbow trout and Yellowstone cutthroat has also depleted the westslope gene pool. “Westslope cutthroat are probably occupying less than 10 per cent of their
their reproduction, they simply do so at a younger age. “Often you’ll get a lake full of a lot of small brook trout,” Humphries said.
“Westslope cutthroat a
probably occupying le
than 10 per cent of the
historic distribution.”
Starting in the 1970s, aquatics specialists in Canada’s mountain parks began to look at trout habitat differently. Stocking waterbodies with non-native species would no longer be in vogue,
kind of too late for s Humphries said.
Nearly five decades on your point of vie are being righted. O
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ive
es be darned. Parks erating with a new, y. The problem, of damage had been lakes and streams nted to be left to Brook trout, in et the memo that a afoot.
were definitely e y
work party was dripping rotenone into tiny Helen Lake and its connecting stream, six kilometres east of the Icefields Parkway adjacent to Bow Lake. Rotenone, a toxicant that originates from a tropical bean plant and which indigenous people from French Guiana have traditionally used to harvest fish, doesn’t affect mammals or birds (it
000 feet and contains
out. Successful resto-
below will not be pos-
e this non-native fish.
And trial and error. At Hidden Lake in 2011, biologists first tried netting, angling and electrofishing to remove the invasive brook trout. But Once westslope cutthe lake’s deep throat trout eggs are waters made partially mature, they are returned from those techniques the hatchery to finish difficult and their development in a ultimately special incubator. unsuccessful in removing all of the fish. They eventually used the toxicant, and got immediate results.
oat
ned
nff
me
h are non-
t and
h
ow
one
“We were able to do in one day what we couldn’t do in five years,” Humphries said. Humphries can’t say if the program will continue beyond the five lakes in the current project, nor if Jasper National Park lakes with introduced fish will undergo the same treatment.
are
ess
eir
”
later, depending ew, those wrongs On August 12, a
Helen Lake isn’t the first lake in BNP to receive the rotenone treatment, nor will it be the last. Biologists have funding for a five year, five lake rehabilitation project, that began with Hidden Lake and Little Herbert Lake (near Lake Louise), and which will soon include Katherine Lake and Margaret Lake (like Helen Lake, located in the Hector sub-region). “It takes a lot of planning, moving equipment and materials to a remote site and setting up work camps,” Humphries said.
mall alpine lake is
some of them,”
“It affects their energy and respiration at a cellular level,” Humphries said.
can harm amphibians, but at 8,000 feet-elevation in Banff National Park, no amphibians are present). The brook trout, on the other hand, go belly-up.
“[But] if we’re serious about restoring these lakes, we need to increase the speed and scale of the restoration project we’re doing,” she said. BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com
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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 173 // TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
LOCAL LITERATURE
Author’s fifth book is set in Jasper, aimed at young adults Scientists don’t always get to say what they really want.
Former Jasper National Park wildlife specialist George Mercer knows that fact well enough. When Mercer was compiling wildlife movement data in the 1990s and finding links between species mortality and human use in popular areas of the park, his obligations to remain objective regularly hindered his ability to make his deeply-felt concerns heard. “I always felt we weren’t that successful in getting our points across,” Mercer said. “I remember feeling frustrated and thinking ‘why were people not getting it?’” Scientists may be limited in their messaging by incomplete data sets and bureaucratic bloviation, but as Mercer now knows, authors have no such constraints. Having recently completed his fifth novel, the Young Adult-targeted Harking, Mercer is once again positioning himself firmly on the side of conservation as the protagonist, a 17-year-old “kick ass young woman”
(as he puts it), fights to save a family of grizzly bears who are accused of injuring a mountain biker. It’s a coming-of-age story set amongst the famous mountains and infamous
heroes and heroines typically have a pastiche of attributes from folks he’s been lucky enough to get to know. “These characters are composites of people I’ve met, befriended, worked
Dyed in the Green series, but it’s not so different that that readers won’t be able to draw similarities between the four previous novels. While not exactly a whodunnit, the story dips into the mystery genre while weaving an educational narrative around nature and wildlife biology. Mercer’s recent observations of park user behaviour corroborate his internal compass, which tells him it’s never too early to become an ambassador of our national parks. “With this one I was trying to write a story that would educate people and hopefully build a level of respect for nature that these days seems like it could use a tweak,” he said.
“With this one I was trying to write a story that would educate people and hopefully build a level of respect for nature that these days seems like it could use a tweak.” politics of a small town in a national park. Jasper readers will recognize not only the local landscapes but also the defining qualities of the book’s characters—Mercer admits his novels’
with and had as antagonists,” he said. After five books, Mercer has also gotten to know the self-publishing process. And with help from another former Jasperite, manuscript editor Jody Carrow, he’s brought to life a story that’s been living inside his head for a long time. “Harking has been in my head for a while now, much like most of my writing begins,” he said. Harking is a departure from Mercer’s
His first venture into Young Adult fiction, Harking is aimed at students and in that vein, Mercer is hoping a Jasper teacher will be interested in adding the book to their curriculum. But as much as the author in him wants feedback on the novel, the conservationist in him wants to know if there is a young person who identifies with the main character’s desire to fight for wilderness. “Is there a Harking in Jasper?” he said. Find out by preordering the novel from his website, www.georgemercer. com or by looking for it in stores starting October 15. BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com
inspired by the waxwing and sparrow flocks murmuring round the house the last few days I walked a circle the creek churched so I stopped thought about faith thought about grace thought about strength I was in Ireland when Chernobyl blew up. We aren't allowed to drink milk or eat meat that might be contaminated (cows and sheep might have ingested grass that was poisoned). We were encouraged to take iodine pills against radiation sickness. I jokingly sent my parents a post card ending with, "if this glows in the dark, burn it." I was filled with a sarcasm born of being oblivious and a strange feeling of, adventure. On the radio today, someone was talking about the dangers of being hopeful. Whether you think, everything will be fine. I don’t need to worry (or) There’s no use, it’s all going to shit anyway; both abdicate responsibility. So the best I can hope for, is an adventure. Author Bio Paulette Dubé has published, taught and wandered in Jasper for over 25 years. She hopes to be at it for at least another 25.
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 // ISSUE 173 // The Jasper Local // PAGE B6
LOCAL WILDLIFE
BRACE YOURSELVES// It’s not just Jasper businesses who are preparing for a long, lonely winter. Baby sheep, moose and goats are trying to squeeze the last out of Jasper National Park’s ever-shortening days. // SIMONE HEINRICH
! s n o lati
C
tu a r g on
2019 - 2020 RETIREES
EDSON ~ Catherine Laborderie ~ Stacy McGowan ~ Patty Redman ~ Linda Sontag ~ Carl Tews ~ Lynn Walker GRANDE CACHE ~ Kelly Price
HINTON ~ Elana Fedorak ~ Christine Hancock ~ Vi Murphy ~ Mary Williams JASPER ~ Kathryn Howe ~ Joyce Melnyk
LOBSTICK ZONE ~ Linda Bruce ~ Michael Podhaniuk TRANSPORTATION ~ Verna Anderson ~ Lorraine Arndt ~ Gilda Ollenberg ~ Phyllis Tuttle
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, administration, staff and students of GYPSD, we wish each and every one of these passionate and dedicated individuals the very best in their future endeavours. Thank you for all you have done for others - now is the time to focus on you and yours.
Happy Retirement!