Its Canada Day in the Pass!

Wild Things and things that are wild. Canadians are notorious for being mild and less than enthusiastic when it comes to Nationalism - EXCEPT for one day of the year. Canada Day in the Pass is an opportunity to celebrate all that makes us Canadian.

And in Jasper National Park that means celebrating all that makes a Canadian Icon. The Parade was full of wild life and wild things.

It has been a while since bears wandered the streets of Jasper. Around 30 years actually. Older Jasper residents remember when meeting wildlife in the alleys was a common occurence. The sound of barking dogs and rolling garbage cans was the sound of evening coming to the mountains.
One Jasper resident has even written a book from the perspective of a child growing up in Jasper during the 50's, On Mountaintop Rock. While it is written as fiction it does have some basis on truths, like the rolling garbage cans at night.

Its fun to imagine a time when wildlife was abundant enough to be 'in the backyard'. Unfortunately even in these protected places that is not necessarily the truth anymore. Sometimes even the best intentions can lead to less than the best results.

Jasper National Park celebrates 100 years of protected status next Canada Day. What was intended to be a place 'preserved for generations to come' is not without changes. Some good and some bad.

So get enthusiastic Canada!
Celebrate our wildplaces.