Caribou Protection in Jasper National Park: A Tale of Two Ski Areas

Wild Lands Advocate article, April/May 2013, by Sean Nichols. On February 12, the reconfiguration of the leasehold boundary of the Marmot Ski Basin Area in Jasper National Park was quietly announced within the background summary of Bill S-15, a document primarily focused on the establishment of the Sable Island National Park Reserve off the coast of Nova Scotia. The subtle push to expand development in Jasper National Park raises concerns not only about the Government of Canada to apparently conceal plans within a larger announcement, but also the ecological integrity of the sensitive Whistler Creek drainage area that is utilized by woodland caribou.

“The boundary amendment is itself a distraction from the real issue at stake: the encroachment of the Marmot Basin ski area onto the vital caribou migration corridor that runs along its north edge.”