Spring is sprung, the grass is risen, and at the Outlook we’re contemplating what the main seasonal story is.
Bears are now out and about, which always sparks calls for people to carry bearspray (along with a new manner of doing so on page 25), know how to use it properly and begin thinking back to last summer and fall when bruins were an ongoing storyline.
Then there is Wednesday’s (May 9) grassfire on the Stoney lands. In this case, the fire started along the railway tracks, but it could have just as easily been sparked by a cigarette butt tossed from a car window. It doesn’t take many warm, dry days to create burning conditions and people need to be aware.
Every year, it seems, and there have been several grassfires along the Trans-Canada already, careless smokers cause grassfires, resulting in a waste of firefighting resources that respond to a situation caused by the unthinking.
After last summer’s smoke filled skies, wildfires shouldn’t be far from top of mind for those travelling in the Bow Valley.
Then again, thinking of wild things such as wildlife and wildfire, we’re pleased to see that Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna has re-affirmed ecological integrity is the top priority in managing parks.
At times in recent years, one wondered whether ecological integrity was taking a back seat to special events touted as big tourism draws.
After all, according to Parks Canada’s own website – Canada’s national parks provide a home for many plants and animals – from lilies to majestic forests, and from insects to grizzly bears. An important challenge for Parks Canada is to know what plants and animals occur in a given park, what ecosystems they use, and how these species and ecosystems are changing over time.
Park inventories tell us what kind of plants and animals we have, and for some species, about how many we have. In the same way that animals and plants can be classified into species, park ecosystems can be classified into ecosystem types. For example, wetlands, forests, grasslands, and arctic tundra are examples of park ecosystem types that we can identify and inventory by mapping.
In addition to knowing how many kinds of plants, animals, and ecosystems we have, we also need to know how the number or health of park species or ecosystems are changing over time - this is the job of monitoring.
It is interesting that this re-affirmation of ecological integrity comes at a time when Lake Louise is being eyed by some as a possible location for a 2026 Winter Olympics alpine ski site.
Whether this was on purpose or not, as those against Olympic events being held in Lake Louise cite likely threats to the ecology of the area, is unclear. This is not a new argument, as the same situation arose for the 1988 Olympics; hence alpine events being held at Mount Allan in Kananaskis Country.
Still, grizzly bears are ranked as endangered in Banff National Park, along with Banff Springs Snails, and caribou numbers had dwindled to the point where a single avalanche wiped out the last few. National parks are certainly not the site where wildlife of any kind should fade from existence.
Whether or not McKenna’s announcement is in response to a push to host the Winter Olympics once again, ensuring ecological integrity is a top priority within the national park system remains a worthy goal.
Over the decades, Parks Canada has been known for its science and research programs and these must remain a priority, along with tourism, across the country.
Again, the minister affirmed there will be a reinvestment in science capacity and reinforced that science will guide decision-making, though there is no confirmation on how much funding. Research will be conducted into how climate change impacts protected spaces.
