Canada’s many national parks have been a symbol of our country for many years, providing tourism and profits but also a vast land of mountains, forests, and prairies to explore. Though this, without a doubt, will not be the truth in the future for Banff. Banff National Park, the first official park of Canada and according to conservationists and studies, is in danger of losing its ecological integrity and reputation as a national park. Conservation of Canadian park’s fauna and flora should be prioritized over any means of development because the parks own ecological integrity is at risk, the developments are unnecessary, and it will affect wildlife and those who come into contact with it in many negative ways. Many new developments are being …show more content…
The Lake Louise expansion (approved), tent cabins near Maligne Lake (planned), the completed glacier skywalk in Jasper National Park and most recently a 66 million dollar bike path through known endangered grizzly bear and caribou habitat in Jasper (planned). The fact is, although they might be fun, convenient or even exciting, these developments are completely unnecessary. Parks Canada’s reasoning for the attractions is that they want the park to remain ‘relevant’ in modern day, implying that Banff has lost it’s popularity among travelers which could not be any further from the truth. In recent years visits to Banff National park have been at an all time high, during the point when many of these developments were still being thought out. Banff has actually seen the biggest spike in fifteen years as of April 2014 to March 2015 when almost 3.6 million visitors passed through the gates which was 10% more from the previous year. The park is clearly not in need of the expansions and projects that Parks Canada has planned for …show more content…
The Montane ecoregion is a small but important part of the park. Taking up only 3% of the parks total area it seems rather reasonable to overlook but in actuality, it contains unique ecological features while compared to the other two ecoregions of the park. It is also the source of vital migration paths for many, including large carnivores, ungulates and birds, although many mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles are there to stay due to the rich diversity in vegetation. Currently 33% of the Montane ecoregion is developed and inhabited. Recently a Bike path has been announced to adjacent with the Jasper-Banff highway for 107km. It is said that it will cost around $66 million and will need to be paved. Environmentalists are looking at the news with cautioned optimism while some believe that the funds used for this trail should have been used for other means such as the improvement of already existing (and nearby) trails or to greater priorities such as endangered caribou, ecological monitoring and public reporting. This trail will be taking up more of the valley that the Jasper-Banff highway already runs through many animal’s habitats such as the Brazeau caribou herd. With Banff already bringing in so many visitors and many more to come for the aforementioned developments, it is certain that there will be an increase with conflicts with the wildlife of
The ecozone's forests are composed of 12.8% mixedwood, 2.1% deciduous, and 0.2% coniferous trees. The forest cover spans from 3 to 16%, and 40% of Ontario's rare plants are exclusive to the Carolinian forests. The Wood Poppy, Small-whorled Pogonia, Prickly Pear Cactus, and Cucumber Tree are species listed as Endangered. Wild Raspberry, Black-eyed Susans, Clover, Goldenrod, and Trilliums are widespread in forest ecosystems. Thickets and abandoned fields are h...
Wood, Paul M., and Laurie Flahr. "Taking Endangered Species Seriously? British Columbia's Species-At-Risk Policies." Canadian Public Policy 30.4 (2004): 381-399. Business Source Complete.
Committee on Senate Energy and National Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. 3 June 2003: ESBCO. Mission Viejo Library., Mission Viejo, CA. 31 July 2005. http://web31.epnet.com/citation.
The Deep Creek Conservation Park was full of wildlife and plants. Many people in the group saw lots of kangaroos and bird species that live in the area (See figure 8). We saw a few animal tracks on the camp as well which shows that the area is full of wildlife. While there the group also noticed some human impacts such as paths, long drops or other sustainable practices that humans have made to make the environment more sustainable in the long run. Although these practices were effective many small improvements could be made such as teaching people who use the park correct usage such as not feeding the animals. Other improvements that could be made could be things such as putting lights in the toilets so people can see or making paths easier to walk on.
Imagine a scenic, wild landscape with animals that roam freely, cascading waterfalls, and mountains that seem to scrape the pale blue sky. This is what one thinks when first hearing the name Yosemite National Park. Unfortunately, the reality is completely opposite. Yosemite is now under a federally regulated Class 1 area under the Clean Air Act, which is equivalent to the pollution of Los Angeles (“National Parks Service”). It is a sad comparison to the past John Muir, who first documented Yosemite Valley, to today’s reality. The condition of Yosemite National Park should be introduced to the American public in order to protect its historic beauty and significance, eliminate current pollution, and prevent future repercussions.
Yochim, Michael. “The Development of Snowmobile Policy in Yellowstone National Park.” N.P. Web. 4 March 2014.
...National Park which 3875 km2 in area. It's a region of aspen parkland and boreal forest. It was established as a national park in 1927. Being a preserved and protected area, the park is very rich in wildlife including elk, caribou, moose, deer, lynx, otter, and plains bison. It also features the only protected White Pelican colony in Canada.
Glacier Bay is located in the United States of America. More specifically, it’s in the southeastern region of Alaska, next to the Pacific Ocean. This 3.3 million acre National Park is one of the biggest features Alaska has.
Algonquin Provincial Park, a park that located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, was established in 1893 and it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. The Park is also a functioning wildlife reserve. In the Park, 7% area is pure wilderness, and 23% area is wilderness and recreation. In those areas, there are at least 34 kinds of trees, over 40 mammals, over 30 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, 54 different species of fish, and more than 130 breeding birds. First of all, of all the living things that inhabit Algonquin Park, none are more important than plants.
Since its creation in 1916, the National Park Service (NPS) has had to balance between its two goals, which are to preserve wilderness and nature and to provide the public with access to these wonders in a monitored environment. These two goals tend to create a conflict for the NPS because as soon as one goal is given more priority than the other, the administration of national parks is harshly criticized by the public. The accusation that by allowing people to experience the wilderness, the NPS is corrupting the natural environment is very common, as well, as the criticism towards the lack of government funding to preserve nature and history. However, regardless of arguable criticism and a certain need for improvement, after one hundred years,
Somewhere in Nova Scotia, there exist a beautiful park with fascinating scenery. It is in an island that’s surrounded by bodies of water that sparkles like crystals as the sun shine on it. This park must be a creation of aphrodite and it is also known as Cape Breton Highlands Park. It is located at Cheticamp and Ingonish, Cape Breton island, Nova Scotia. It has an area of
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
The controversy over logging, and more specifically clearcutting, is not a new issue in America. Ever since the 1920's and 1930's, when this nation started to become conscious of conservation, citizens have weighed the consequences of logging. Critics have questioned whether the increase in jobs, tax dollars, and economic growth was worth the destruction of forest lands. Regardless of what they believe today, the logging industry had become so efficient that by the late 1980's nearly 100,000 acres of federal land had been clearcut since the industry began. Logging technology has advanced rapidly in terms of speed, to meet the increasing demands for lumber, paper, and other products derived from trees. This in turn has greatly impacted the environment by severely degrading watersheds, leading to increased soil erosion, the diminution in the quality of drinking water, and the decline of fish stocks, among many other consequences. In this essay I will examine the progression of logging equipment throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and discuss how these changes in technology have not only changed the relationship of those who work in the industry, but also haw this has changed the wider relationship of society and nature.
“It’s just coke, your friend to came with said you don’t drink alcohol.” He stretches out his hand with the drink and smile at you. Without thinking about it you take the drink and take a sip.
There were some trails nearby that we were able to take. These trails are both manmade and at the same time formed by nature. The trails were manmade in the sense that over time, the bikes have worn away the grass and plants to make just a dirt trail. These trails were mostly formed by nature though, the way the land tilts, where the trees are, rivers, valleys, hills anything out in a forest can and will determine where these trails go. As we ride through these trails, not only is it amazing to see how everything has formed, but you can also observe wildlife as you go through. At one point we are heading down a slight hill, and then two deer run across the trail not 25 feet ahead of us. This leads to us stopping for a couple minutes as we watch those deer run off into the unknown of the forest. When we finish up with the biking, it is nice to know that there are still some areas that are mostly untouched by man, and allowed to take the course that nature would have