Residents in the community of Field are struggling to cope with the news that federal budget cuts will be causing some very significant changes with Parks Canada. Not only has Parks decided to stop grooming 36 kilometres of ski trails in Yoho National Park, but they have changed the hours at the Field visitor information centre, which will now be closed over the winter and shoulder seasons.

There are 134 residents in Field, and they rely on the tourism industry to keep the community going. These decisions by Parks Canada place a greater priority with the summer tourists, which they say account for roughly 87 per cent of the visitors to Yoho National Park. Residents in Field worry that turning their backs on the winter tourists, most notably the cross country skiers who flock to the area for the 60 km of groomed trails including the Natural Bridge trail, Emerald Lake loop, Field to Emerald Lake trail and Takkakaw Falls Road, will have a negative ripple throughout the town.

Golden residents often make the trip to Field to enjoy the nordic trails at Emerald Lake. The Kicking Horse Ski Club used to share the grooming responsibility with Yoho National Park. But two years ago the park took over completely, as the club, with an aging base, was having difficulty maintaining the reponsibility.The news that parks would cease to continue grooming was a shock. Grooming of the cross country trails in Lake Louise and Banff National Park will not be cut.

“Everyone has invested in this being a year-round park and it will be devastating,” Chair of the Field Community Council to the CBC. “You will see business closures, you’ll see loss of revenue [and] you’ll see loss of population, … investment.”

Member of Parliament David Wilks will be in Field at the Field Community Centre on Monday May 21 from 2 to 3 p.m. to discuss the cuts with the community. Locals have already begun a letter-writing campaign to lobby Environment Minister Peter Kent.

These changes are the result of major cutbacks in parks across the country from the 2012 budget. Across Canada, 605 Parks Canada employees were given lay-off notices and 1, 072 will see their hours reduced.

The Harper government’s budget, which was tabled on March 29, aims to eliminate 19,000 jobs across the various federal government departments and agencies in a bid to save $5.2 billion.

Jasper National Park is cutting back on its services as a result of reductions in federal funding.

The positions of 41 of the park’s 340 employees will be affected by $6 million worth of cutbacks from the 2012 federal budget. Eighteen jobs within the park are being eliminated, and following notification of the cuts, nine of these employees have already announced plans to leave. The other half of the surplus workers are waiting to see what Parks Canada has to offer them.

“They have rights and privileges under our collective agreement,” said Jasper National Park’s superintendent Greg Fenton. “They have some options to make in terms of what kind of termination package they might want to take, or to become priority reinstatement for other positions – either in Jasper or in positions across the country.”

The remaining 23 employees affected by Parks Canada’s cutbacks can continue working in Jasper, but in a lesser capacity.

“Many of them have received or will be receiving offers of employment, in most cases it is shortened seasons,” Fenton said.

The drop in financial support for Canada’s national parks this year is the beginning of $29 million worth of cost saving measures Ottawa has planned for the next three years. Monica Andreeff, executive director of the Association of Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment, believes that the staffing cuts are just the tip of the iceberg.

“The field unit superintendents have had some tough choices to make,” she said. “It’s extremely concerning. If this is just the first round of cuts, what are we going to see by the time we’ve achieved that $29 million?”

Kelly Sloan of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s northern Alberta chapter sees the funding reductions as being part of a larger trend in how the federal government views national parks to be important. She believes that more emphasis is being put on developing money making “visitor experience” projects like the upcoming Glacier Discovery Walk that will overlook the Columbia Icefield, taking attention away from preserving parks’ natural environment.

“The national parks legislation clearly says that the minister’s priority in making decisions about parks must be ecological integrity,” said Sloan. “We’ve seen a number of decisions lately about development in parks that run counter to that national legislation.”

Societal shift

Jasper National Park experiences approximately two million visits annually, but the park’s superintendent has seen the use of trails decrease significantly in recent years. The majority of tourists flock to popular attractions like the Columbia Icefield, Marmot Basin and Miette Hot Springs, while only about 15,000 of the park’s visitors venture into the wilderness away from facilities and roads.

“More than 20 years or 30 years ago there was much more than 15,000,” Fenton said, who finds the drop in hikers to reflect a societal shift. “Maybe the skills to use the backcountry or wilderness areas that might have existed with people in the past aren’t there.”

Andreeff agrees that a change has taken place over the past generation, and finds that younger Canadians tend to be intimidated by venturing into the wilderness.

“Back in the 60s and 70s our families – moms and dads and our grandparents – took us camping, taught us skills, took us hiking,” she said. “The young Canadians – that’s the electronic, YouTube generation – they might not have the skills to go into the backcountry.”

Reductions in trail maintenance

In response to this drop in backcountry tourism, the park is undertaking another cost saving measure. While Jasper’s attention to footpaths near major roads and popular hiking attractions like the Tonkin Valley will remain unchanged, time spent clearing fallen trees and repairing bridges on the lesser-used routes will drop significantly.

“What we are doing is adjusting the trail maintenance standards for those areas that are receiving far fewer visitors,” Fenton said. “A majority of the north boundary would receive much less time by Parks Canada staff.”

Andreeff would like to see Parks Canada reach out to community groups to help shoulder the trail maintenance work.

“There’s an opportunity to partner maybe with boy scouts, with girl scouts, hiking organizations, or even corporate organizations that want to give back to the environment,” she said. “They can’t just let the trails deteriorate into a state of disrepair, because in the high alpine in the backcountry you need a defined trail to walk on. If there’s not one you’re damaging very sensitive flora and fauna.”

Funding cuts are also set to affect hours of operation in the park’s facilities and service centres. Besides the busy summer months, the tourism information centre in the Jasper townsite will be open less.

“We do have quieter times during the fall and in the spring, so we will likely reduce hours of operation,” Fenton said. “There might be some days where it’s closed or there might be alternate locations.”

National cost-saving measures

Jasper’s reductions in service are part of Canada-wide cost savings measures affecting National Parks and historic sites. Service centres are located across Canada to offer specialized assistance for national parks in areas such as parks planning, archaeology, curatorial services and financial organization. Fenton expects that such expertise will take longer to obtain in the future as these service centres become fewer.

“The intent is to streamline and consolidate the services to become more affordable and efficient,” he said. “They will all become one organization – with fewer positions at less cost.”

But this streamlining brings concern to Sloan for the protection of national parks.

“It looks like most of the cuts and reductions happening in the service centres are related to the science, ecological integrity and monitoring side – fewer cuts are happening on the visitor experience side,” she said. “That tells us that there’s going to be less monitoring, less focus on the ecological integrity of the park and keeping the parks wild and natural.”

What’s New in the Park prepared by: Tracey LeBlanc, Partnering and Engagement Officer, Banff National Park of Canada | Ph: 403-760-1342 Government of Canada.

Banff National Park Visitation (Independent Travellers Only)

For the period of April 2011 to March 2012, attendance for Banff National Park increased by 2.79% from 2,902,350 to 2,983,459. April, May, June and October saw slight visitation decreases while all other months experienced increases averaging from .82% to 12.08%.  Our strongest months were January 12.08% increase and February with an 11.28% increase. Events such as the SnowDays Festival and better than normal ski conditions, could be contributing factors to increased visitation to the destination. Visitation numbers are collected every two months by Parks Canada contractors and are based on the inbound traffic volumes of six traffic counters at the entrance of Banff, Jasper and Kootenay.

Banff Legacy Trail Spring Clean Up and Opening

The Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance will be conducting a spring clean-up of the Banff Legacy Trail on May 12th in preparation for its annual May long weekend opening. (Note: with cooperative weather, the trail may open sooner). This trail was in high demand last year and we expect its popularity to continue.

Get Your Copies of Parks Canada’s Hiking and Biking Publications

The 2012 copies of Hiking the Banff Area and Biking in the Banff Area are now available for retail and hotel businesses who wish to provide them to their customers. Please contact Lori Bayne at 403.760.1350 to order your supply.

Campground Alcohol Ban

Commencing with the May long weekend, an alcohol ban on summer long weekends (May, July, August, and September) will be in effect at campgrounds in Banff National Park as part of a strategy to improve the visitor experience.Parks Canada Explores Options for Commercial Diving Operations in Lake Minnewanka

Parks Canada is exploring options for the licensing of commercial dive operations in the Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack areas of Banff National Park commencing in 2013.

Notice of this intent was published in the Banff Crag and Canyon, Rocky Mountain Outlook, Edmonton Journal, and the Calgary Herald, as well as to the Alberta Underwater Council membership.   For further information, contact Pat Wilson at 403-762-1564 / pat.wilson@pc.gc.ca or Indra Jasinsky at 403-762-1530 / indra.jasinsky@pc.gc.ca.

Early Human Ancestor Found in Yoho National Park

On March 15, 2012, researchers from the University of Cambridge, the University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum published a paper that links what may be the oldest human ancestor to fossils from the Burgess Shale in British Columbia’s Yoho National Park. The creature, Pikaia, is now believed to be planet’s most primitive chordate – the same group of animals that today includes fish, birds, snakes, frogs and, incredibly, humans.  Link to Globe and Mail article:  http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/our-first-ancestor-hails-from-western-canada/article2358482/?service=mobile

Elizabeth Parker Named a Person of National Historic Significance

Every year, the Government of Canada designates sites, people and events of national historic significance that have had an impact on Canada’s history. This year, 16 new designations were made to recognize the leadership, expertise, and creativity of women who have, individually and collectively, helped create the Canada of today. As part of this recognition, Elizabeth Parker (1856-1944) was named a person of national historic significance in early March for her contributions as a Co-founder of the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC), which played a prominent role in promoting and preserving the mountain parks in the 20th century; and as a promoter of the Canadian Rocky Mountains through her many newspaper articles. The ACC’s first ever camp was held in the back country of Yoho National Park in the summer of 1906. Link to the Crag and Canyon article:  http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3501194

What’s New in the Park prepared by: Tracey LeBlanc, Partnering and Engagement Officer, Banff National Park of Canada | Ph: 403-760-1342 Government of Canada.

Christine Cusanelli was so sure she wouldn’t get a cabinet post, she planned a family vacation this week. But instead the Calgary-Currie MLA designate was named minister of tourism, parks and recreation in absentia on Tuesday.

“I had a conversation with her last night. She was quite surprised to hear she was in cabinet,” Premier Alison Redford said in Edmonton.

The premier said Cusanelli’s assumption is one of the reasons she will make a good cabinet minister.

“I think she’s terribly humble,” Redford added.

The premier’s endorsement aside, Cusanelli’s appointment over MLAs with thicker political resumes was one of the big surprises of cabinet day.

The rookie MLA and principal of St. Michael School takes on a small but sometimes unwieldy portfolio. Two years ago, then-minister Cindy Ady was forced to back down from controversial legislation after environmental groups said it gave cabinet too much latitude in determining the fate of Alberta’s provincial parks.

But Cusanelli, 39, showed pluck during the election by winning back Calgary-Currie for the Tories, a riding previously held by Liberal turned Alberta party member Dave Taylor.

Before politics, the mother of one teenage daughter first became a school principal at age 32. She speaks French, and passable Spanish and Italian. She has an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s degree in psychology.

“I’m thrilled, and I think it’s a great fit for this constituency and for me,” Cusanelli said late Tuesday from a vacation spot in Mexico.

During the campaign, she added, “there was a lot of people I met at the doors who had a lot to say about off-roading, ATVs and fishing.”

Anne-Marie Syslak, executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society in southern Alberta, said she wants to see preserving the ecological integrity of Alberta’s parks – and expanding the number of protected areas – a priority for the new minister.

“We’re looking forward to her bringing a unique perspective with her educational background, to connecting youth and people with wilderness values,” Syslak added

Story by Ed Struzik, Edmonton Journal, May 7, 2012 

(This article also appeared in the Ottawa Citizen and the Calgary Herald)

EDMONTON – More than one in eight of Jasper National Park’s 340 employees will lose their jobs or be invited to apply for other positions in the coming months to deal with massive cutbacks at Parks Canada.

There will be fewer horses in Jasper’s fabled stables and fewer patrols of trails such as the North Boundary.

In some cases, nature may be allowed to take over some trails that are no longer well used. Hours at information centres and museums will be cut back and management of the hotsprings in Jasper, Banff and Radium will be turned over to the private sector.

“This is a big concern because it is going to have an impact on tourism,” said Monica Andreeff, executive director of The Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment, which represents businesses, skiers, cyclists and other interests in the national parks.

“Parks Canada set a goal a few years ago to increase tourism in parks. Cutting back on services in the mountain parks is not the way to do it.”

Jasper superintendent Greg Fenton concedes he and his senior management colleagues will face a big challenge maintaining habitat and trails in the backcountry, dealing with the interests and safety of tourists, maintaining infrastructure and managing wildlife and an environment that is increasingly threatened by invasive species, climate change, human activity and development along the park’s border.

“It will mean change in almost all areas of our operation,” Fenton said one day after informing 41 of his employees that they are now “surplus.”

“It’s challenging because the expectations and demands of the public are high. But having said that, the average visitor is not likely going to see any changes. There will be changes in hours of operation, for example, but that shouldn’t significantly impact how they get information.”

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society denounced the cuts Tuesday, saying they could have a serious impact on grizzly bears, caribou and many endangered species.

The union representing Parks Canada employees was just as displeased.

“When you shorten the season for visitors in our national parks and historic sites, you shorten the tourism season for Main Street in towns across rural Canada,” said Doug Marshall, president of the Union of National Employees (UNE), which represents around 3,000 Parks Canada workers.

With a little over two million people visiting Jasper each year, the mountain park has a huge impact on the economy of Alberta and what conservation means in Canada.

Many national parks in Canada haven’t recovered completely from the downturn in visitation that began in the 1980s.

Fenton said Jasper, better than most parks, has been able to hold its own attracting people, but he has seen a dramatic shift from hiking and climbing in the backcountry to more leisurely front country use.

Having been a backcountry warden who once patrolled the North Boundary Trail, Fenton said he has no choice but to shift his resources to trails and services favoured by the public.

That means popular trails such as the Skyline, the Tonquin and parts of the South Boundary will continue to be serviced at current levels. Other trails will no longer be patrolled as often as they have been in the past. Some may be abandoned altogether.

estruzik@edmontonjournal.com

Parks Canada was one of the hardest hit agencies in the federal government’s latest round of job cuts – and the mountain national parks have not been spared, including flagship Banff.

The federal agency issued 1,689 notices to employees across the country on Monday (April 30), with 638 positions to be cut agency-wide. In Banff, 34 notices were sent out, which includes elimination of 12 positions.

In addition, Banff Park Museum will close for much of the quieter winter months, while the information centre on Banff Avenue will see a reduction in hours at times when there’s not as many tourists.

As well, the Cave and Basin National Historic Site – the birth place of the Canadian national park system – may close a day or two a week in the off-season.

Senior officials with Parks Canada say they understand the changes on the ground affect the public, but in tourism hotspots like Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, “they won’t be that significant.”

“In taking these reductions, we’ve considered our staff, visitation patterns and our mandated priorities, and we are not wavering from protection of resources,” said Banff superintendent Pam Veinotte.

“Even though Banff National Park is a year-round park, and obviously that’s been respected in the changes we’ve made, there are seasonal fluctuations in visitation that we looked at,” she added.

“It’s caused us to look at when are visitors coming. When do we need staff? When do we need peak numbers of staff? And match that to the peak visitation.”

The Harper government’s budget, which was tabled on March 29, aims to eliminate 19,000 jobs across the various federal government departments and agencies in a bid to save $5.2 billion.

Public servants who received ‘affected’ notices won’t necessarily lose their jobs, but in most cases their seasons and hours of work will be shortened, while ‘surplus’ means their jobs are definitely being eliminated.

In Banff, 34 notices were sent to employees, including 22 affected and 12 surplus, of which 10 were voluntary following a call for voluntary departures the day after the budget was handed down.

As for Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay, there were 11 affected positions and 13 surplus, of which 11 were voluntary. In Jasper, there were 30 affected employees and 16 surplus, of which six are voluntary layoffs.

Union officials with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) say the positions across the country include scientists, engineers, reality officers, technicians, mechanics, carpenters and program managers.

PSAC officials says the cuts have been quick and merciless, putting people out of work and cutting services that Canadians rely on.

“I think what’s outrageous is the speed the government continues to announce these cuts. It’s an unprovoked attack on the public service,” said Kevin King, PSAC’s regional vice-president.

“It appears there’s nothing sacred, that these cuts are all over the map and across all occupational groups. Yes it’s true that some volunteered, but if they hadn’t volunteered, they would have been surplused anyway.”

In Banff, Parks Canada plans to shorten the hours of the Banff information centre by one or two hours a day at a certain times – but will work with Banff Lake Louise Tourism on what will work best.

Banff Park Museum will be closed for most of the tourist off-season, which is the day after Thanksgiving in October to the day before the Victoria Day weekend in May.

Veinotte said the museum will remain open in the peak season as well as the shoulder season, which is the Victoria Day weekend to the end of June and Labour Day week in September to Thanksgiving.

“We are going to close the museum through some of the off-season winter months, but we will be taking into consideration when people are here,” said Veinotte.

“For example, Snow Days is in the middle of January to the middle of February, so we will open Friday, Saturday and Sunday then in support of the collaborative event with the Town and Banff Lake Louise Tourism.”

Parks Canada will move to self-guided visitor activities at select national historic sites while maintaining guided activities at key national historic sites.

As for the Banff Cave and Basin – which is due to reopen in December or January following the $13 million redevelopment project – it will continue to be open year-round, with full interpretation.

However, Veinotte said Parks Canada may consider closing the facility on Mondays and possibly Tuesdays through the shoulder and winter seasons.

“Around the world, places like museums are often closed Mondays and Tuesdays,” she said.

Starting in 2013, Johnston Canyon campground will also open three weeks later than it has historically to align with the June 25 seasonal mandatory travel restriction along a stretch of the Bow Valley Parkway.

Veinotte said there have been no changes made to staffing levels in the visitor safety branch, which includes the search and rescue team, dispatch, trail crews or law enforcement for the Banff field unit.

She said other than what had previously been done through the “renewal program” over the past year or so, there were also no major changes to resource conservation. That said, she added there were slight changes in tenure for two part-time positions in the horse program, and a decision to combine the Ecological Integrity monitoring position between Banff field unit and Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay.

“There are no changes to the number of positions, but we decided we would have one senior person heading the EI group and that would allow us to deploy the resources over the three parks,” she said.

The Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment (AMPPE) – a business and park user lobby group – wants to make sure visitor experiences not affected by the job losses.

“It’s good to find efficiencies as long as they can deliver the same level of high visitor experience,” said Monica Andreeff, the group’s president. “It goes back to continued reinvestment in the mountain national parks.”

Local conservationists are hoping budget cuts and job losses don’t spell doom and gloom for protection of the parks, including maintaining or improving ecological integrity.

Jim Pissot, executive director of WildCanada Conservation Alliance, said it’s not surprising to see such a disproportionate number of job cuts in Parks Canada, given the Harper government’s ongoing disregard for the environment.

“In recent years we’ve seen a downgrading of science in the park and we’re seeing an increased emphasis on commercial gadgets like via ferrata and glass sidewalks,” he said.

Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen, who puts a heavy focus on tourism and visitor experiences in the park, said she not been given any official information on what the cuts mean.

“I have confidence that they will do what they need to do to maintain the level of service for visitors, which is the economic driver for our residents,” she said.

As part of the cuts, Parks Canada will also limit public opinion/social science research to mandated requirements and otherwise make use of existing external market research done by other organizations.

Parks Canada’s administers 42 national parks, 167 department-administered national historic sites and four national marine conservation areas in the country.

Parks Canada plans to privatize the operations of its famed hot springs in the mountain national parks, including the Upper Hot Springs in Banff National Park.

The federal agency will invite private sector proposals to take over operation of the Canadian Rockies Hot Springs, which includes the hot pools in Banff, Jasper and Radium. Parks will still own the facilities, but privatize the operations.

Forty-two people have been told their full-time jobs are ‘affected’, meaning those positions are in jeopardy – 15 in Banff, 20 in Radium and seven in Jasper. Another 42 term and casual positions are also on the line.

Positions range from lifeguards and cashiers, to finance, marketing and site managers.

Tracy Thiessen, executive director of the mountain national parks, said Parks Canada will put out a request for proposals and have a competitive tendering process in the coming months.

She said following the selection process and lease negotiations, a hand-over of hot springs operations is expected to be completed as early as May 2013.

Thiessen said this move will allow Parks Canada to improve efficiency of its operations and focus on continuing to deliver on its core mandate to protect Canada’s treasured protected places.

“The private sector has a greater capacity to respond to the demands of the tourism market and is in the best position to enhance the quality of hot springs facilities, operations and marketing,” she said.

“The operations of the hot pools will continue as normal until contracting positions roll out, with all current employees reporting to work every day for an extended period of time while we execute the request for proposals.”

The Upper Hot Springs in Banff, Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay National Park and Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park currently form an enterprise unit within Parks Canada.

Union officials are outraged by the move to privatize.

“It appears there’s nothing sacred with this government,” said Kevin King, regional vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

“The irony is the discovery of the hot springs on Sulphur Mountain was linked to the original creation of the national park system.”

Thiessen said having a private operator run the hot springs could end up creating jobs and stimulate increased visitation. Banff is mandated to increase visitation by two per cent a year.

She said the three hot spring operations combined, which draw about 750,000 visitors a year, currently bring in approximately $5 million in revenue annually.

“It has been a break-even operation for Parks Canada and visitation has been decreasing over the past decade, remaining somewhat stable in the last few years in challenging times in tourism,” she said.

“We feel the private sector is in a better position to enhance the facilities and take a more innovative approach to marketing, building the offer and increasing visitation.”

And while there are also legislated caps on commercial development and accommodation in the mountain national parks, it also appears there is room for redevelopment opportunities of these facilities.

Thiessen said Parks Canada would ensure that any redevelopment reflects their location in a national park and does not compromise ecological integrity or cultural resources.

She said she was not in a position to provide more information.

“We will be developing site guidelines to ensure development is consistent with the underlying principles of national parks,” she said.

What possible redevelopment opportunities at the hot springs actually means scares Bow Valley conservationist Jim Pissot, executive director of WildCanada Conservation Alliance.

“Across the country, people are appalled at via ferrata, dragon boat races and glass sidewalks, all of which Parks Canada thinks is consistent with park values,” he said.

“Given the escalating deterioration of Parks Canada’s vision for Banff, I am horrified to think of what commercial redevelopment might look like at the Banff hot springs.”

The Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment (AMPPE) – a business and park user lobby group – say the hot pools have long needed reinvestment.

“The Banff hot springs is a place where people go and bathe and think of the birthplace of the national park system, but let’s be honest, it’s an important icon that has needed reinvestment for probably 20 years,” said Monica Andreeff, the group’s executive director.

“If the private sector can operate it more efficiently, then I think this will be a good thing, but they have to be very, very careful it remains just as accessible to the average visitor.”

It is also unclear what the decision means for the current concessionaires that operate at the three hot spring facilities, which include spas, gift shops and cafés.

“We’re in discussions with the concessionaries,” said Thiessen. “We will be working with them going forward.”

Banff Upper Hot Springs, which is a recognized heritage building, is one of Banff’s most famous attractions; discovered in 1884, the hot springs were included in Banff National Park, the first national park in Canada.

With 350,000 visitors a year and open daily and year-round, Banff is the most visited of all three hot springs and offers lifeguard service, change rooms, café, gift shop and a full service spa.

Visitation at Radium Hot Springs averages 270,000 visitors a year, while Miette, located 60 kilometres east of the town of Jasper, sees 130,000 visitors each season. Miette, open April to mid-October, are the hottest of the springs.

Click Here: BNP-Fire-and-Veg-Spring-2012-Newsletter-ENG

Alberta and British Columbia need to stop killing wolves and protect one of the last functioning predator-prey ecosystems in the world, according to wolf advocate Sadie Parr.            

“The strength of the wolf is in the pack. Wildlife conservation is beyond numbers or minimal viable populations,” Parr said.

Parr addressed an audience at the Peter Dettling Gallery and Wildlife Centre on Saturday, April. 21 as part of a weekend-long Earth Day celebration. The wolf advocate is one of the founders of the Canadian Wolf Coalition and is a volunteer tracker in Yoho National Park. She works with the Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre in Golden, B.C., where she advocates for greater protection for wolves and wolf habitat.

“This is one of the last strongholds for wolves in the world. The decisions we make will decide if wolves have a future in our nation,” Parr said.

Placing buffer areas around protected areas would help protect wolves from hunting and trapping, while reducing habitat destruction is integral to maintaining a healthy population, Parr said. A similar program was put in place around Algonquin Park in Ontario, and increased the survival rates of the park’s population. The 2002 Central Rockies Wolf Project indicated that nine wolf packs need protection beyond the national park boundaries.

“We have a unique and vital opportunity in Canada: a healthy wild wolf population, varying genetics and intact habitat to support functioning ecosystems. If they can’t live in Canada, where can they live?” Parr said.

Wolves used to live all over the Western Hemisphere, however, their populations have dwindled in much of North America. The animals were eradicated from Yellowstone National Park, but were recently reintroduced and found to thrive. Their reintroduction was part of a massive ecosystems restoration.

According to Sustainable Resources Development biologist Nate Webb, there were 7,000 wolves in Alberta last fall. As part of the Caribou Recovery Plan, he states that wolves are the primary cause of caribou death and need to be killed in order to protect the ungulate population. Wolves have become efficient caribou killers as they gain more access to their traditional habitat. The province allows bounties and poison to control populations and British Columbia has attempted a sterilization program. It’s a position Parr opposes strongly.

“It’s horrific we have to fight our own government to save the environment,” Parr said.

Parr said wolves are blamed for deaths, while overdevelopment of logging and tar sands projects, which build roads into caribou habitat, is the real problem.

“Mountain caribou need help, but wolves are the scapegoat,” Parr said. “Their biggest threat is habitat loss and fragmentation.”

She argues more land should be set aside for wildlife, and less for tar sands development.

“Because of development, caribou end up in small, isolated islands, most of which are too small for self-sustaining caribou populations. I ask then, who’s really killing the caribou?”

Wolves have been demonized for centuries, and this is just another chapter in their battle.

“Wolves are not protected in Canada. We have predator control programs, bounties. Only three per cent of the country is adequately protected for wolves,” Parr said.

Concerned with habitat fragmentation, she also described the wildlife fence in Banff National Park as a ‘necessary evil.’ While it’s helped cut ungulate mortality rates by more than 90 per cent, it also cuts the ecosystem in half.

“Something had to be done. There’s some good, but there are other problems. It fragments the landscape,” said Parr, who would like to see the overpasses and underpasses enlarged.

Most wolves in Banff and Jasper National Parks are killed on roads, Parr said, while only five per cent die of natural causes.

Parr is encouraging the public to lobby their governments to stop wolf culls in the province. For more information, visit www.canadianwolfcoalition.com