Photo Copyright: Stephen A. Nelson
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
A Bridge Too Far: Athabasca Glacier from the Morraines
The Athabasca (Athabaska) Glacier is part of the Columbia Icefield that sits atop the Great Divide and spans Jasper and Banff National Parks.
It's vanishing and shrinking at an ever-increasing rate.
But don't worry, there's no such thing as Global Warming.
Photo copyright: Stephen A. Nelson
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Rocky Mountain High - The Facebook Fotos
Go here to see the album
I've been to the Mountain Top
All photos copyright Stephen A. Nelson
Monday, September 12, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Athabasca Glacier and Sunwapta Lake at Dusk
Columbia Icefield, Jasper
Photo by Stephen A. Nelson
There's no such thing as man-made global warming.
And if you believe that, I've got a vanishing glacier to sell you.
This is the most-visited glacier in North America. But maybe not for long.
It's already receded several hundred metres in the last 25 years - and the recession is accelerating.
This is the most-visited glacier in North America. But maybe not for long.
It's already receded several hundred metres in the last 25 years - and the recession is accelerating.
Geologists predict that within 100 years, the Athabasca glacier will become an alpine meadow.
See my story on visiting the Icefields Parkway:
http://brandonsunnews.blogspot.com/2009/10/highway-to-heaven-travelling-canadian.html
See David Suzuki's Geological Journey program on the Columbia Icefield which comprises the Athabasca glacier and others.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Jasper National Park's Tangle Ridge tempest: different points of view about different viewpoint
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| Ad in local newspaper inviting public to meeting. |
By Stephen A. Nelson
Supporters say Brewster Travels' proposed Glacier Discovery Walk at Jasper's Tangle Ridge will "enable visitors to engage with this dramatic landscape in a way that was not previously accessible to the majority of Jasper Park visitors."
Brewster president Michael Hannan says, "You'll have stunning views of the Athabasca Glacier, you'll be looking over the Sunwapta Canyon and looking north, you'll have stunning views of Tangle Falls and below the platform, you'll hear the roar of the falls."
Critics and detractors, such as Jasper resident Jill Seaton, say installing a glass-floored viewing platform here would be a travesty on the level of "putting in a water slide at the Vatican."
About 100 people - residents, students, business owners and tourism promoters - were at the public meeting at the Jasper Yellowhead Museum Monday night to learn about the controversial project. Many of them - but not all - were there to learn how to stop it.
Conspicuous by their absence were local politcians: MLA Robin Campbell (PC); MP Rob Merrifield Cons.), Mayor Richard Ireland, and all but one of Jasper Town Councillors.
There was no visible means of support from Parks Canada - the government agency responsible for managing Canada's national park. Not the Park Superintendent. No one from "Visitor Experience."
But that didn't prevent discussion and criticism of the way Parks Canada has handled its guardianship of Jasper National Park in general - and this proposal in particular.
A highlight of the show was Forest Stump: A Parks Canada Metaphor - a smart parody of Forest Gump.
"This video was made by Jasper high school students to critique the most recent edition of the parks management plan. All students involved agreed that the most major concern was the single-minded emphasis placed on "visitor experience." - From Facebook Glacier Discover Walk Discussion Board
Its message: Dear Parks Canada; Stupid is as stupid does. The current approach is stupid. If you really want to improve the "visitor experience" focus on quality, not quantity. Eco-tourism is the way to go, not mass exploitation and roadside attractions.
Even before the meeting, the whole issue had caught the attention of national and regional news outlets, including The National Post, The Edmonton Journal.
The stories are balanced and perhaps fair - with "pros" from Brewster Travel and Tourism Jasper, as well as "cons" from the Jasper Environmental Association. But both stories failed to capture the intense reactions from the people who live here - many of whom are hostile to the whole idea of any more roadside attractions in a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And although Brewster has been operating in the Rockies for generations, it doesn't help that Brewster Travel's parent company is an American multinational - Viad.
But on Monday, local businessman Marc LeBlanc and student Theresa Westhaver were interviewed by CBC Radio One in Edmonton. The interview shed light on why this has become such a hot-button issue for people who live in Jasper and consider themselves stewards of the creation:
More later...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
'Disneyfication' Jasper? Park lovers cold
toward Brewster's Icefieds Parkway plans
By Stephen A. Nelson
People in Jasper used to say that the last thing that wanted was to be like Banff - now they've got something they want even less and fear more
When it comes to exploring the Canadian Rockies, Ben Gadd wrote the book. Literally.
The naturalist and independent master guide has published nine books helping trekkers to go into the wild, including the award-winning Handbook of the Canadian Rockies and The Canadian Hiker's and Backpacker's Handbook.
So when Gadd says that a new tourist attraction in the middle of a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a really bad idea – in the order of turning Jasper National Park into Disneyland – people listen.
That's why scores of people in Jasper – business owners, residents, students alike – packed a meeting room on Monday night to listen to Gadd. Many of them added their fears and objections to the chorus of opposition, while one or two supporters took turns at singing a solo counterpoint.
That's why scores of people in Jasper – business owners, residents, students alike – packed a meeting room on Monday night to listen to Gadd. Many of them added their fears and objections to the chorus of opposition, while one or two supporters took turns at singing a solo counterpoint.
The tourist attraction in question is Brewster Travel's proposed Glacier Discovery Walk, a 400-metre-long interpretative trail — bolted to the side of the mountain — and ending with an glass-floored observation deck that extends about 30 metres over the Sunwapta Valley and the river below.
Brewster says it will draw urbanized, armchair explorers to discover their heritage and give them an enhanced visitor experience. “It’s about connecting Canadians back to their national parks," says Brewster president, Mike Hannan. “We think it will appeal to a broad cross-section of Canadians, young people, the elderly, immigrants."
 |
| Ben Gadd |
"Cutting through the high-sounding talk about... better interpretation at the site, we are left with a ho-hum commercial amusement," that disturbs the wildlife Gadd says. And, he fears, "it might be a commercial amusement with a hidden agenda."
More later...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park,
a Different Point of View
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| China Plate Blue |
Photo by Stephen A. Nelson
An accidental crop of Maligne Lake Boathouse at dusk.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park,
the Lawren Harris Group of Seven Way?
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| When Evening Falls |
Photo By Stephen A. Nelson
A view of Maligne Lake, in Jasper National Park, at dusk.
No special effects, FX, PhotoShop or CGI here.
I took this photo while leading a Japanese television crew on a tour of the Maligne Valley.
We followed up with dinner at the Kimchi House in Jasper - best Korean food this side of Seoul.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Jasper in January, Winter in the Canadian Rockies:
Those who love it, love it a lot
photo from Tourism Jasper
Stephen A. Nelson
For The Edmonton Journal
JASPER - Those who love it, love it a lot.
And for those who love winter in the Great Outdoors – there's a lot to love at Jasper in January, Alberta's own unique answer to Quebec's Winter Carnival and Winnipeg's Festival du Voyageur.
The festival is a two-week showcase for everything that's great about the Rockies in Winter.
This is where the adventure of Great Outdoors meets the arts and culture of the Great Indoors – a party in the park that's become “Western Canada's premiere winter festival.”
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