Dear Editor,
We would like to add our voices to those who have expressed concern over the proposed building of a resort at Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park.
My wife and I have been going to Jasper National Park for 43 years, ever since our honeymoon in April 1971. We have made use of bed and breakfasts, hotels and cabins. We have eaten at many of the restaurants, used the vehicle repair facilities in the business section, as well as visited the recreation facilities, the museum and other interesting places. We don鈥檛 ski, but have enjoyed the beauty of that area also.
But what we do the most is camp and hike. The province of Alberta is blessed with many beautiful national parks. These areas were set aside to preserve what is so quickly disappearing in our profit-driven society. And these areas need to stay as pristine and natural as they always were.
Maligne Lake has always been on my wife and my 鈥渢o do鈥� list each and every time we鈥檙e in Jasper. That is usually three or four times a year, beginning in April. We were there again just two days ago (April 10). Yes, the snow is deep and slogging through isn鈥檛 always that easy for seniors, but the view is worth the effort. We looked over that vast expanse of uninterrupted shoreline and forest and just continued to marvel at the beauty of creation.
We have hiked the trails of the area, as well as most of the other trails in the park. It is our sincere hope that this beauty is never destroyed by adding buildings which will ultimately affect the scenery and the wildlife that own that forest. Many years ago we took the boat ride to Spirit Island and during that trip we were berated by an American tourist who couldn鈥檛 say enough about the stupidity of Canadians for not cashing in by selling the property around the lake. I fear that even opening the door a little bit will eventually cause the ruin of a national park.
The Maligne Road runs through the area of some of our most endangered wildlife. Adding more businesses to this area will substantially increase the risk of injuring or killing these animals. Then there is a strong possibility that the resort owners will be looking for Parks Canada to relax the rules on power boats in the lake. It is now possible to canoe and row around the lake and hear every sound made by lapping water, birds, animals and weather. Extra noise will destroy this peaceful habitat.
We have never gone camping in Banff National Park because it has become much, much too commercial. To allow this to happen to Jasper would destroy the very premise behind national parks. We have seen the damage done by thousands of feet going off the beaten path in so many areas. To add even more feet to an area where growth is already slow and stunted because of a colder climate is, by our thinking, not very wise.
We would like to urge Parks to not ever consider turning the national parks throughout Canada into hubs of commercialism. They were not set aside for that purpose. We realize that there is a delicate balance between supplying services for the many people wanting to enjoy these areas and preserving the integrity of the parks. If this means limiting the amount of people in the parks at any given time, so be it. But please consider preserving the flora and fauna to be the most important part of the national parks.
Cor and Agnes Van Den Boogaard
Edmonton, Alta.
