There’s the governance of the park, split between the federal government and the municipality.
Then there are the opportunities to talk about geology. The way the mountains were thrust up into the sky and how the glaciers carved out valleys and left behind massive moraines. And there’s the discussion of climate change and how it is affecting those glaciers.
There’s wildlife and conservation issues to discuss, how to protect the caribou and grizzly bears. And how to live in close proximity to wildlife, without interfering with its natural business, like calving and rutting.
Jasper is full of stories, and through the teaching of those stories—especially to youth—lifelong bonds are formed, making those youth into ambassadors for Canada’s protected sites.
That’s why, when Laurie Cassie found John McLay’s On Mountaintop Rock, she knew she had to teach it and top off that learning with a trip to Jasper, where her Grade 6 and 7 students could live within the pages of that book.
While here last week, the 58 David Livingstone Elementary School students were not only given the opportunity to see the sights from the book, they were also given an opportunity to learn about the park.
During their visit, the students went on a historical walk through the town with McLay as their tour guide, pointing out places in his novel, which is based on his childhood in Jasper.
They also went to the museum, the Anglican Church and the Chaba Theatre, and at each location they were met by a Jasperite who shared tales of days long passed.
They were also taught to appreciate nature—something foreign in their urban neighbourhoods—through a visit to Maligne Canyon, a canoe trip on Lake Edith, a hike at Pyramid Island and a trip to the Miette Hotsprings.
It was through all of these educational opportunities that the next generation of park ambassadors was born. After, what their teacher described as “a trip of lifetime,” these youth went home to Vancouver to share with their friends and family a week’s worth of exciting adventures and experiences that they will surely cherish forever.
It’s those memories that will inspire these youth to value and fight for Canada’s protected sites in the years to come.
That’s the power of a visit to a national park.
