Last month’s Wildlife Festival was a great success, according to event organizers from Parks Canada and Jasper Tourism and Commerce. The weekend-long celebration took visitors and locals alike “Behind the Scenery” with a series of presentations, free demonstrations and field trips and a information fair on the front lawn of the Information Centre.

“We were very pleased with the turnout,” said Parks Canada spokesperson Gloria Keyes-Brady. “At the specific events...we had over one thousand people participate. There was a good mix of locals and visitors.”

The event organizers hadn’t determined an overall attendance target but the numbers were up to their expectations in general, she added.

With good turnout and positive feedback from participants and community partners alike, plans are already in motion to do it all again next year. The 2006 edition of the festival is scheduled to run from October 13 to 15,  the weekend following Thanksgiving.

“With the added lead time we should be able to make a bigger impact next year,” said Keyes-Brady.

Participant feedback, collected through comment forms, was very positive. One participant praised the festival as a “brilliant idea, informative in all aspects.”

The “Science with a Twist” evening was one part of the weekend singled out for particular praise, according to Keyes-Brady. 120 people attended the research presentations made by fish biologist Mike Sullivan and grizzly bear researcher Gordon Stenhouse. 

“(People) loved the presentation of world class research,” said Keyes-Brady. Planners have yet to determine who they’d like to invite for next year, but expect something in a similar vein. “We will want to get scientists of the same calibre,” she said.

That the whole festival focused on learning and education about wildlife pleased Keyes-Brady.

“It’s so on track with Parks Canada’s national approach,” she said.

The business community was also pleased with the way the weekend turned out.

“For the first time, it went really well,” said Helen Kelleher-Empey, acting general manager of Jasper Tourism and Commerce. “It was a good pilot program.”

Promotion for the event hadn’t had a long time in the public eye, so its unlikely that many people made a trip to Jasper specifically for the festival. It was a great experience for visitors already in town, according to Kelleher-Empey.

“We’ve had some really good feedback, and all the calls we’ve had into the office about were good,” she said.

Tourism and Commerce will be actively promoting next year’s event in the international market.

“We’re really looking forward to it,” Kelleher-Empey said. “We think it will be much bigger and better next year.”