Editor: In the run up to long-range plans for the national parks ski areas the Canadian public is being wooed by proponents with some new buzzwords – “football fields.”
Parks Canada and the Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment (AMPPE) want to make quite sure the public understands how much the ski hills are “giving up” in order to gain what they want. To do this they have moved away from the highfalutin’ language of environmental assessments and into the world of football fans.
According to AMPPE the Lake Louise Ski area will be surrendering an area the size of “800 football fields” and here in Jasper, Superintendent Fenton says that Marmot Basin will be giving up “150 football fields.” Both AMPPE and Mr. Fenton stress these are Canadian-sized football fields. (That is only appropriate – after all, these are Canadian national parks.)
But we too can play that game. Let’s look at the flip side of this picture.
In return for giving up 800 football fields of marginal wildlife habitat, Lake Louise Ski is getting approximately 280 new football fields in a licence-of-occupation – a large part of it in sensitive wildlife habitat. In addition, the amount of developed terrain will increase by more than 350 football fields to include new ski lifts, almost double the number of skiers and parking spaces and expanded summer use with a new summer lodge. Plus, more than 400 football fields of the surrendered area in Purple/Wolverine Bowl will still be available to “slackcountry skiers,” those who use lifts to access backcountry areas.
In Jasper, Marmot Basin is surrendering 150 football fields in Whistlers Creek Valley that have been protected by Parks Canada since 1981 due to their importance as caribou and mountain goat habitat. In exchange, under the Site Guidelines, Marmot can ask for 75 football fields on its east boundary for a Nordic area, 92 football fields to extend the Knob Chair to the summit of Marmot Peak and, if the endangered woodland caribou will allow it, another 146 football fields with two new ski lifts directly adjacent to the surrendered caribou and goat habitat in Whistlers Creek Valley. So while it may be giving up 150 football fields it could end up with 167, or even 243 new football fields. Not a bad deal, eh?
It seems we have plenty of football fields and players. The only thing missing is a good referee.
Jill Seaton,
Jasper Environmental Association
