Parks Canada unveiled the details of two new areas it plans to develop as skiing destinations to offset the delayed winter opening of large areas of the park, at a public meeting Oct. 10.
The closures are an attempt to protect the park’s dwindling caribou populations, which are threatened by wolves who are able to reach them by following packed ski trails.
Speaking to about 30 people at the Jasper Legion, Parks Canada representatives John Wilmshurst and Brad Romaniuk outlined the details surrounding the two new areas.
The first, Romaniuk said, will be located in the Decoigne area, off Highway 16 near the park’s west gate.
He explained that Parks plans to turn the area into a “ski hub,” with parking, washrooms, a warming hut and a fire pit.
Along with that infrastructure, they will also set 10–15 kilometres of cross-country ski tracks, including two loops and trails along the pipeline and the road.
Romaniuk said Parks is still in the middle of its environmental assessment of the area, but expects everything will be finished by early November. He guessed people would be skiing there by the beginning of December.
The second area Parks plans to develop is Pyramid Lake. Romaniuk explained the plan there is to “brush out” a much wider area and set tracks higher up the mountain.
Wilmshurst went over the closures that will happen this winter. Originally, Parks proposed banning the public outright from the Brazeau, A La Peche and Tonquin caribou ranges between November and February. However, after outcries from backcountry enthusiasts and extensive public consultation they relaxed their proposal and scaled back the off-limits areas.
The new plan, Wilmshurst explained, is to close only specific areas of the Brazeau and A La Peche caribou ranges from the first of November to the end of February, and the Tonquin range from Nov. 1 to Feb. 15.
This “refined decision” allows Parks to balance the need to protect caribou with residents’ desires to enjoy the park, said Wilmshurst.
Many backcountry enthusiasts, as well as some businesses in town, have opposed the closures since they were first announced last winter, and that history hung in the air during the meeting.
For most of the night, the atmosphere was one of strained politeness. Attendees mostly remained calm and asked good-natured questions, although a few couldn’t help but vent their frustrations.
Some pointed out, for example, that both of the “new” skiing areas were technically open to skiers already, but just weren’t maintained by the park.
“You haven’t given us anything,” one woman called out when Romaniuk touted the benefits of the new skiing opportunities.
A few were also upset that development of the Decoigne area meant they would no longer be able to take their dogs there.
”I would go there because I could take my dog there, but now I won’t be able to,” one woman complained.
Others, seemed resigned to the closures, while grateful to Parks for making an effort to appease them.
“I’m not thrilled about it, but at least they’re doing something,” one man said as he left the hall.
Trevor Nichols
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