Banff National Park...Fragmented?

Banff National Park holds a very special place in my heart. Not only does it represent the birthplace of the National Parks as we know them in Canada, it is has been home since 2000.

My dad works for Parks Canada and growing up we were exposed to some of the most wild and amazing eco systems across the country.  Parks Canada strives to preserve the environmental integrity of all their protected areas. Historically this hasn’t always been their goal. The inception of Banff National Park, and the other mountain parks that followed suit became a destination for recreation as declared by Parks Commissioner J.B. Harkin.

After reading Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, I realized that Banff National Park is a perfect example of how the involvement of humans can drastically fragment a landscape. 

The construction of the Banff Springs Hotel in 1887 by CP Railways was the true testament to William Cornelius Van Horne’s infamous saying “ If you build it, they will come”. Visitors from all over the world ventured to the wild reaches of the Rocky Mountains to discover opportunities to express their art, to hike, to soak in the hot springs, and to discover first nations culture.

A town was born; museums, a zoo and curio exhibits erected, Indian Days commenced, and roads were paved linking visitors to destinations like Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and Jasper. Banff became a world-renowned tourist destination.

How did this affect the landscape? The roads segmented wildlife corridors, tourists began feeding wildlife and habituating them to cars and humans, lakes were doused in DEET to kill the mosquito population and an airstrip was built to increase accessibility.

Banff now is home to around 7000 permanent residents, with a seasonal population influx of around 3000 additional residents. The Trans-Canada highway, the 93 North, and the Bow Valley Parkway intersect the park. Visitors drive massive RVs, gas guzzling SUVs and pack the highways.

Not all change that comes to the Park is negative. With time, Parks Canada has adapted their mandate and is dedicated to the protection and the preservation of the collection of eco systems that make up the National Parks. In Banff, the highways include a series of wildlife under and over passes that allow safe crossings with proven success rates. Education is delivered to decrease the habituation of the animals that call the park home. Expansion of the Banff townsite has reached capacity and there is a limit to how high buildings can be. Certain trails in the park are closed at certain times of the year to allow the bears a chance to maximize their fitness.

A Wild Year-Wildlife Camera Magic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MiVWM3SZAY 

Learning from mistakes has allowed Parks Canada to best represent the areas they strive to protect. In the future I hope that the evolution of Parks Canada continues to reflect positive change.

View from Deception Pass enroute to Skoki Lodge

Flying the Friendly Skies

Perhaps the trickiest part, socially, of attending a university program with a blatant emphasis on the environment is the fact that I work part time for an airline. The potential repercussions of telling my classmates that I am, in fact, a flight attendant kept me from truly being open about my life.

Stemming from the discussions we shared at residency, the mindsets of many members of my cohort, and my personal insecurities have limited the level of comfort I have about divulging this information.

This being said, I don’t necessarily love being a flight attendant...but I don't hate it either. 

My hours are long, my work goes unnoticed, and I am just an employee number among thousands of others. On the other hand, the benefits of working for the airline are uncontested: stock option, RRSPs, Health and Dental, and of course the coveted next to nothing price tag to travel.

I have voiced my opinion regarding our environmental impact to my company at an assortment of levels. The company’s environmental strategy is closely linked to budget. “Will this benefit the company financially?” is the predecessor to “Is this an environmentally responsible or sustainable option?”

We have made adjustments to our aircraft to improve efficiency which cuts down on the fuel we require, we use some post consumer recycled paper products and we recycle newspapers and beverage containers at maybe 75% of our destinations. Our head office in Calgary is certified LEED. Could we be doing better? Yes. Way better. Is there anyone seeking environmentally responsible answers? No. Not really. We are pursuing answers for technology, for social media, to improve on time performance, and of course the comfort and safety of guests.

Oil and gas companies in Canada have staffed environmental advisors. I wonder why the same hasn’t been done for the airline I work for.

My time with the airline has almost come to an end. It will be hard to leave the benefits of the company. With my official letter of resignation will be a letter of suggestion, voicing once again, my request to the company to rise to the occasion and consider the environmental in their decision-making.

Perhaps take a page from Delta…

http://www.delta.com/about_delta/global_good/environment/index.jsp

Tennis Anyone?

While reading Kuhn's paper, my mind traveled to work...and back. The City of Calgary has launched a Food and Yard Waste pilot program in four communities which runs for the next year. The goal is to decrease dependency on landfills and create a valuable product-compost-out of the organic material diverted through the program.

It's clear the "Green Cart" has been a controversial issue thus far in Calgary. Based on surveys conducted through a third party in the communities selected in the pilot program, 64% of those surveyed believed that organics broke down in the landfill. This is not the case. At least not at a rapid rate. The anaerobic conditions in a landfill cell lack the environment organics require to decompose.

I pulled the phrase "nature's failure to conform entirely to expectation" (Kuhn, 1962) out of the reading to remind myself that there is misinformation or a lack of education regarding organics in the landfill available to the general public in Calgary, and beyond. We expect nature to look after materials like grass, leaves, and food. Instead we are the failure in our waste management past. How can we encourage change?

(The photo is from a cell from the 1970s which has been excavated. We found green grass, newspapers, pine cones, cans, bottles, clothing, and all sorts of treasures from yesteryears).

Back at it.

Wednesday evening. Finally have "le blog" up and running so hope you enjoy!
I trust we all are looking forward to seeing each other in what they call "real life",  so I hope this provides somewhat of a personal touch to the last course before residence.
Interested to see how this pans out, and can't wait to visit each of you on your blog.


Thanks for checking it out.