Fire managers take advantage of weather for burning
With little snow east of the Jasper townsite, the fire management team is preparing for this spring鈥檚 prescribed burns.
For the past few weeks, the team has been working at the Moberly Flats prescribed fire site. Located just over 20 km north of Jasper along the Snaring Road and near the site of the Ewan Moberly Homestead, this prescribed burn will emulate the cultural burning that took place here in the early 1900s.
Local M茅tis families played a key role in the fire history of this area. Reintroducing fire here will help restore grassland vegetation in the valley bottom鈥攁n area that historically saw frequent wildfire. This will help rejuvenate favourable wildlife habitat, increasing its quality for grazing animals and numerous bird species. This prescribed fire will also reduce landscape fuel continuity, which in turn reduces the likelihood of catastrophic fire spread in the Athabasca Valley.
Burning in the 30 hectare Moberly Flats site will take place this spring if conditions are right. In preparation, fire managers have been burning with hand torches, in areas that are not covered by snow, to create a downwind guard. If good burning conditions persist in the coming weeks, the team will continue to expand the fireguard using a Terra Torch. The 30 hectare unit will be broken down into five subunits to be burned at separate times. Jasper鈥檚 fire team hopes to complete burning in one seven-hectare subunit this year.
Parks Canada鈥檚 film wins second international award
Jasper National Park鈥檚 new short film, Through Ice and Time, which documents the spectacular beauty of the Columbia Icefields, was recently awarded Best Canadian Film at the 2014 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival!
Here is how one member of the film festival jury described it: 鈥渢his film embodies the Canadian natural landscape in its grandest form. Gob-smackingly beautiful, yet poetic in its intent, it shows off our mountains and rivers and glaciers and meadows. A mystical time-travel element, including adventurous children, a haunting harmonica and a treasured rock, draws viewers in.鈥�
Directed by Alar Kivilo, this is the film鈥檚 second international award鈥攖he first being for Best Photography at the Matsalu International Nature Film Festival (Estonia). The movie will play permanently in Jasper鈥檚 soon-to-be newly-renovated Icefield Centre Gallery starting in spring 2015.
Brazeau and A La Peche caribou ranges open for winter recreational use
On Saturday March 1st, the Brazeau (South Jasper) and A La Peche (North Jasper) caribou ranges will be open for winter recreational use. Thank you for respecting these seasonal closures in support of woodland caribou conservation. For more information, visit the 鈥淲hat鈥檚 New鈥� section of the Jasper National Park website at www.pc.gc.ca/Jasper.
