June 25 Ski Marmot Basin held an open house in Jasper to show off the details of its long-range plan. Attendance was sparse, with Marmot representatives outnumbering curious Jasperites the whole night.
Looking around Lobstick Lodge as he filled out a questionnaire, attendee Todd Noble seemed a little bewildered at the poor turnout.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 a good thing or a bad thing that nobody showed up,鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 a bad thing Todd: a really bad thing.
Marmot representative Jason Patterson had a point when he said that the proposal feels low-impact when set next to projects like the Glacier Skywalk or overnight accommodations at Maligne Lake, and that might be why Jasperites seem less engaged.
But the proposal still contains changes, and those changes will definitely affect our park.
The parking lot and road expansion would mean cutting down close to 600 trees, and people like Jill Seaton from the Jasper Environmental Association have concerns about increased traffic to the hill further endangering the fragile species living close to the road.
Proponents point to the obvious economic benefits a more accessible and aesthetically pleasing Marmot Basin will bring to town.
Compelling arguments can be made on both sides whether the changes are good or bad, but those arguments are impossible to make without the proper information.
Marmot鈥檚 open house was the perfect place to get the right info, and the paltry attendance means our town collectively failed to capitalize on that.
Of course there were passionate and informed individuals who made the effort, but they already knew most of what was going on. For the most part, those who could benefit most from the wealth of information and easy access to top Marmot decision-makers stayed home.
There are tons of benefits to living in a national park, but that front line access comes with some responsibility.
Jasperites experience first-hand how important wildlife protection is, or the benefits a longer ski season has in town. We live our lives within the fragile balance between environmental protection and park expansion.
We are in a better position than anyone else to weigh in on these changes, and when we don鈥檛 - or do without knowing the facts - we fail everyone who enjoys our park but aren鈥檛 lucky enough to live here.
Jasperites have shown inspiring levels of engagement in the past, let鈥檚 not let fatigue or apathy quash that.
