Parks Canada believes that it is important to connect the hearts and minds of Canadians with our natural and cultural heritage. When visitors come to Jasper National Park, visitors are inspired by the mountain peaks, challenged by our hikes and made to feel at home by Parks Canada and Jasper residents alike.
For many Canadians who live in Canada鈥檚 major urban centres, reaching a national park can be a challenge. 聽As Canadians become increasingly busy and urbanized, they may have less time for nature-based experiences. As a result, Parks Canada places a priority on meeting and interacting with Canadians where they live in order to provide them with a glimpse into what national parks and national historic sites have to offer.
In Western Canada, this is done through outreach and engagement events at venues in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
Jasper National Park has been active in reaching out to Edmontonians, at a variety of locations, including the John Janzen Nature Centre, the Art Gallery of Alberta, the University of Alberta campus and the Telus World of Science. We also strive to attend winter events and festivals where large numbers of visitors will be, such as Snowfest and most recently the Deep Freeze Festival.
Outreach events provide education opportunities for individuals to learn about a wide variety of topics including species at risk, and winter wildlife through hands-on presentations and interactions with Parks Canada staff. 聽Information about Jasper National Park is also shared on a one-on-one format to potential park visitors to help them with their travel plans. 聽This year, Parks Canada鈥檚 mobile exhibit entitled 鈥淲hat鈥檚 The Connection?鈥� which features caribou, fire and Whitebark Pine themes, has been at Telus World of Science since the beginning of November.
With Elk Island National Park also right on Edmonton鈥檚 doorstep, it鈥檚 only natural that most of our outreach events are coordinated by both parks. Staff work together on programming and sharing ideas. A team of eight Parks Canada volunteers from Edmonton also assist the agency by engaging with Canadians in the area. These volunteers are trained at the beginning of each winter and help provide community connections and insight that is invaluable to our programming success.
Through each of these outreach elements, Parks Canada continues to encourage Canadians to visit their national parks and historical places, and by providing them with the information and means to enjoy them, the agency allows more Canadians to experience the outdoors and learn about our heritage.
For those that are interested, here are the upcoming outreach events:
Jan. 26-30 at Ice on Whyte with staff from Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site.
Feb. 4 at Telus World of Science鈥檚 鈥淎rctic Day.鈥�
Feb. 18-20 at Hawrelak Park for the 27th annual Silver Skate Festival.
Parks Canada Special to the 51暗网
