November 6, 2009 | Parks Canada | Management Plan Review Update
Jasper National
Park Management
Plan Review
Contents
Minister’s Message 1
Superintendent’s Message 1
A New Format 2
Vision 2
Key Strategies 3
Area Concepts 6
Zoning 9
Timelines 9
How Can I Participate? 9
1
Superintendent’s Message
I am pleased to share with Canadians our progress to update the
management plan for Jasper National Park. The current management
plan, approved in 2000, has served us well. Now, we are building on its
strengths and developing a more strategic, integrated focus. The updated
plan will carry over core direction for ecological and commemorative
integrity, maintain limits to development, and incorporate new
approaches to visitor experience and learning opportunities. It will reflect
current policies and national priorities for Parks Canada.
I want to acknowledge the work of our many partners and collaborators
who helped us implement the current plan, and to welcome your
continuing involvement as we move forward. The updated plan sets the
stage for working with Canadians to ensure that the park continues to
welcome a broad range of visitors, remains relevant to all Canadians and
protects this place of natural wonder and human inspiration for all time.
Your input will help ensure that we are on the right track. This newsletter
highlights key directions and proposals for the updated plan and invites
your comments and ideas.
Sincerely,
Greg Fenton
Superintendent, Jasper National Park
Minister’s Message
Jasper National Park was established in 1907, expanding on Canada’s early
commitment to heritage protection and presentation, and building on the
foundations of our system of national parks, national historic sites, and
national marine conservation areas that give Canada a global reputation
for leadership in conservation and tourism. Developing a management
plan for so special a place is an important responsibility... one that Parks
Canada invites every Canadian to share in. I look forward to the results of
this important park management plan review, as we chart the course into
Jasper National Park’s second century.
Hon. Jim Prentice
Minister of Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
Vision for Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is an enduring symbol of the best Canada offers
to the world – spectacular scenery, a pristine environment, diverse
sightseeing and recreational opportunities, welcoming hosts, vibrant
Aboriginal and local culture, abundant wildlife, and large wilderness.
Its best-known places are icons of the Canadian Rocky Mountains: the
Athabasca Glacier, the sheer rock face of Mount Edith Cavell, tranquil
Maligne Lake and Spirit Island, and the thundering Athabasca and
Sunwapta waterfalls. The Icefields Parkway showcases glaciers that
are sentinels of past ice ages, sources of vital headwaters, and
poignant indicators of climate change. Warm montane valley
bottoms shelter grasslands, wetlands and wildlife. The Athabasca
Canadian Heritage River corridor bears evidence of 9,000 years of
human experience. Four national historic sites tell vivid stories that
help to define what it means to be Canadian.
Jasper is the gentle giant of the mountain national parks, accessible
yet unspoiled, a place for discovery and spiritual renewal. New and
returning visitors, young and old, enjoy Jasper’s most-loved places. Its
wilder and remoter regions beckon and satisfy generation after
generation of self-reliant travelers and adventurers, in the spirit of
David Thompson, John Henry Moberly, Mary Schaeffer, and their
Aboriginal guides.
Aboriginal people from both sides of the continental divide have
reconnected with the park; their perspectives, culture and traditions
inform park management and enrich visitor experience. For all
Canadians, Jasper National Park is a place to connect with mountains
and headwaters, and is renowned as a place to learn – to experience a
living, vital landscape and its people, to grow in knowledge and
respect, and to share in decisions and actions that ensure the health
of this place for all time.
Jasper National Park is worthy of its designation as a world heritage
site. Canadians, guests from around the globe, and local communities
understand and appreciate the ecological and cultural importance of
this place to the region, the country and the world. The health of the
park and surrounding ecosystem is paramount. Close cooperation
and stewardship across borders ensures clean water, healthy forests
and grasslands, and security for grizzly bears and caribou. All who
share an interest in Jasper National Park of Canada embrace
responsibility and leadership in showing how people can live in
harmony with their environment.
A New Format
The updated plan strengthens
integrated delivery of the three facets
of Parks Canada’s mandate –
ecological integrity, visitor experience
and outreach to Canadians.
A vision for Jasper National Park
showcases what is unique about the
park and reflects the aspirations of
visitors, residents, Aboriginal people,
and other Canadians for its future.
Key strategies and area concepts are
at the heart of the plan. The key
strategies are broad policy statements
that apply to the whole park. Area
concepts for distinctive areas in the
park provide more detailed objectives
and actions for these areas.
2
Mountains of Opportunity - Visitor
Experience
Vibrant scenery, abundant wildlife, and healthy ecosystems are at the
heart of visitors’ 102 year-old love affair with Jasper National Park, and
are the foundation for sustainable tourism. Nearly 2 million people
choose to visit JNP every year. The park offers a wide variety of quality
visitor services, facilities and programs year round, with July through
September being peak months for visitation. Our aim is to connect
visitors to experiences that are unique, inspiring and aligned with their
interests.
Over the spring and summer, we held stakeholder workshops and
worked with a consultant to identify ways to enhance visitor
experience. We also reviewed social science research, considered
input from previous planning processes, and talked to tourism experts,
visitors and knowledgeable Parks Canada staff.
Directions for visitor experience:
Conduct targeted social science research to understand visitor
motivations, anticipate needs and respond to interests.
Continue to provide a range of opportunities for people to connect
with the park; focus on improving opportunities for visitors who
want a view from the edge of the pavement
Maintain or increase* visitation to the park, to ensure that a
broad cross-section of Canadians connects with the park through
firsthand experiences.
Consider new proposals for recreational activities, special events
and commercial services where they clearly support all aspects of
the national park mandate: protection of natural and cultural
heritage, visitor experience and meaningful learning
opportunities.
Pilot programs to attract priority groups to the park, such as new
Canadians, youth and less experienced park visitors.
Improve the ability of visitors to plan their trips before they leave
home and en-route through new technology and partners.
Continue to implement the Guidelines for River Use Management
in Jasper National Park.
Work collaboratively with others (e.g. tourism operators, non-
profit groups, Aboriginal communities) to develop new products
and promote the park.
Provide more ways for visitors to become directly involved in
caring for the park – through volunteerism, citizen science and
hands-on stewardship projects.
Promote leadership in environmental and cultural stewardship,
and market Jasper as a green destination.
3
Key Strategies
Seven key strategies provide
park-wide direction for the
next 10 to 15 years. Many of
these strategies build on the
foundation provided by the
2000 plan. Others reflect
new thinking. Visitor
experience is strengthened
throughout the plan and key
strategies.
* A New Visitation Target
The Parks Canada Agency has set
targets to increase visitation to
Canada’s national parks, national
historic sites and marine conservation
areas. The target for Jasper National
Park is to increase visitation by 2% per
year for the next 3 years, over the
2008/09 baseline of 1.87 million
visitors.
Parks Canada has also established
targets to strengthen Canadians’
personal connection with the park and
demonstrate improvement to overall
ecological integrity by March 2014.
4
Ecological Integrity
Parks Canada’s mandated
obligation to ensure that
parks remain unimpaired for
future generations is
integrated throughout the
plan, and reflects the high
value that Canadians attach
to the ecological well-being
of Jasper National Park.
Healthy Ecosystems
Important progress has been made in restoring disturbed land and
aquatic ecosystems, improving forest health through fire and
mountain pine beetle management and improving our
understanding of the interactions between wildlife and people.
Future work will build on these successes.
Directions for healthy ecosystems:
Develop and implement a conservation strategy for woodland
caribou with the involvement of stakeholders and Aboriginal
groups.
Address high numbers of elk in the montane ecoregion.
Reduce wildlife mortality on park roadways and the railway.
Restore fire regimes through prescribed burning.
Ensure the long-term survival of grizzly bears.
Improve aquatic connectivity.
Reduce non-native plants and other alien species.
Managing Growth and Development
Development in the park is guided by policy and legislation developed through extensive analysis and public
involvement. The following limits to development will be maintained:
Declared Wilderness Areas: The majority of Jasper’s land base (approximately 97%) is wilderness under
Canadian law. Development and use inconsistent with wilderness character will not occur.
Community of Jasper: The existing Town of Jasper boundary will be maintained. Commercial development
will be limited to an increase of 8.5% from the 2001 base.
Outlying Commercial Accommodations: Development outside the Town of Jasper is subject to Guidelines
for Outlying Commercial Accommodations.
Marmot Basin Ski Area: Capacity limits, potential boundary adjustments, and future development
potential for long range planning have been established in the Site Guidelines for Marmot Basin.
5
A Special Relationship
Parks Canada has been
working more closely with
Aboriginal communities with
historic ties to the park over
the past five years. The
updated plan will reflect this
work in a key strategy:
Strengthening Aboriginal
Relationships.
Strengthening Aboriginal Relationships
The perspectives, cultural ties, and stories of Aboriginal people are
an important part of the historic fabric and the future of Jasper
National Park.
Parks Canada is working with over twenty different Aboriginal
communities from Alberta and British Columbia with historic ties
to the park - First Nations, Non-Treaty, and Métis peoples - to re-
establish broken connections in ways that support shared
interests.
Aboriginal groups that share an interest in Jasper National Park
have been participating in the Jasper Aboriginal Forum since 2006
and the Council of the Elders of Descendents of Jasper since 2004.
Over the summer, Parks Canada visited five communities to talk to
community members about the management plan review.
There are six main areas where Aboriginal people have expressed
an interest in being involved and working with Parks Canada
through:
gathering and incorporating traditional knowledge about
park ecosystems, landscapes and cultural resources into
planning and decision-making processes
identifying opportunities and means for Aboriginal people to
present their culture, history and perspectives to park visitors
supporting aboriginal access to the park for spiritual and
ceremonial purposes
including Aboriginal people in the planning and
implementation of ecosystem management initiatives
strengthening the economic and employment opportunities
for Aboriginal people
formalizing the working relationship between Parks Canada
and Aboriginal communities
Celebrating History, Culture and the World Heritage Site
The people and cultures of this landscape
contribute to defining Jasper National
Park; their stories are the product of
Aboriginal traditions, European
exploration and fur trade, railway and
nation-building, conservation
movements, and the continuing
evolution of recreation and tourism. Key
priorities include:
Enrich visitor experiences through connecting with cultural
resources and stories, in ways that that respect and
protect their authenticity, and promote relevance to
modern life.
Strengthen the involvement of Aboriginal people in
documenting and presenting their cultures.
Celebrate and raise awareness of the World Heritage Site,
National Historic Sites, the Athabasca Heritage River and
Jasper’s Heritage Railway Station.
6
Area Concepts
Area concepts describe six different areas within Jasper National Park. Each area has a distinct
identity defined by its landscape, ecological characteristics and the experiences of people – past and
present. Key actions have been identified for each area that will take us from the current situation
to a better future.
Highway 16
Town of Jasper
Icefields Parkway
7
Area Concepts
Three Valley Confluence
Edith Cavell & Highway 93A
Three Valley Confluence
Maligne Valley
Lower Athabasca
Icefields Parkway
Backcountry
Three Valley Confluence
The Three Valley Confluence is a natural meeting place. Since
the time of the earliest travelers, people on journeys have
stopped and rested, drawing strength and inspiration from the
setting. Today’s visitors and residents feel a kindred spirit with
fellow travelers…
Sample Actions
Work with the Municipality of Jasper in the implementation
of the Jasper Community Sustainability Plan.
Redevelop the Lake Edith and Annette day use areas.
Implement the Jasper Trails Project plan.
Improve the provision of visitor information by Parks
Canada and partners.
Re-list the Jasper grass airstrip for emergency and
diversionary landings and recreational use by private
aircraft.
Icefields Parkway
Canadians and visitors from around the world who come to the
Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park find themselves
immersed in a dramatic landscape of ice-draped ridges, jagged
peaks, turbulent headwater streams, sweeping vistas of forest-
carpeted valleys and alpine meadows bright with wildflowers…
Sample Actions
Refurbish the parkway as a safe, slow-paced scenic drive.
Modernize facilities (e.g. viewpoints, day use areas) – give
priority to the most popular locations used by large
numbers of visitors.
Continue to provide a variety of camping opportunities.
Redesign some facilities to reflect changes in visitor
markets.
Update interpretation and learning opportunities in
partnership with others.
Work with Brewster Transportation and Tours to update
strategies for the Icefields Centre area to enhance visitor
experiences at the Athabasca Glacier and other locations,
improve environmental practices, and update area
interpretation.
Nearing Completion:
A New Community
Sustainability plan.
Parks Canada and the Municipality of
Jasper, supported by a working group
and strong public participation, are
jointly preparing a Community
Sustainability plan. The plan will
replace the 2000 Community of Jasper
Land Use Plan. Related management
plan direction for the community is
contained in the Three Valley
Confluence Area Strategy.
Maligne Valley
The Maligne Valley’s continuing popularity is a
testament to the excellent opportunities it offers to see
wildlife and enjoy unspoiled wilderness scenery and
pristine waters. Maligne Lake and Spirit Island are
enduring and inspiring symbols recognised all over the
world as the best of Canada…
Sample Actions
Update interpretation and day-use infrastructure
at three visitor nodes: Maligne Canyon, Medicine
Lake and Maligne Lake.
Enhance opportunities for visitors to connect with
the area while maintaining or improving space
and security for wildlife.
Work with partners to develop an integrated
approach to communication and learning.
Consider science-supported proposals for use of
the mid-Maligne River that are based on
harlequin duck ecology and enjoy broad-based
public support. In the interim, continue to
implement the closure of the mid-Maligne River
to in-stream use to protect Harlequin ducks
before and during the breeding season.
Edith Cavell & Highway 93A
Prominent among peaks in the upper Athabasca
Valley, snow-capped Mount Edith Cavell is a
beacon to travelers. Edith Cavell is one of few
places in the Canadian Rockies where visitors step
from a parking lot directly into a glacial basin…
Sample Actions
Improve trails and day use facilities.
Update interpretation and increase
opportunities for learning.
Protect rare plant communities and woodland
caribou.
Accommodate slower-paced sight seeing along
Highway 93A.
Lower Athabasca
From the earliest times, the familiar landmarks of
Jasper Lake and Roche Miette have welcomed
travellers entering or leaving the mountains along
the Athabasca River. The valley here is open and
inviting, dotted with hillside meadows and sparkling
wetlands...
Sample Actions
Strengthen the sense of arrival at the East
Gate. Improve traffic flow and reduce or
eliminate entry-waiting times.
Explore potential locations and partnerships
for welcoming and orientation functions at the
east end of the park (e.g. Pocahontas area,
east of the park gate).
Explore options to enhance visitor
opportunities and ecological integrity along the
Celestine Lake Road.
Profile the stories of the Métis families that
homesteaded in the area at the Ewan Moberly
site and through other venues.
Explore the feasibility of increasing the length
of the Miette Hot Springs operating season.
Backcountry
Wild, beautiful, untouched: the backcountry visitor’s
physical efforts are rewarded with stunning vistas and
the knowledge that they are in an area of the park that
is less traveled and more dynamic. Whether they are
on foot, horse or bicycle, they can imagine what it was
like to be an Aboriginal person, fur trader, outfitter,
tourist or district warden in days gone by…
Sample Actions
Evaluate the backcountry offer and set priorities to
meet changing visitor needs and fiscal realities.
Promote signature backcountry hikes and
strengthen awareness.
Continue to work with commercial operators in the
Tonquin Valley to reduce horse-related impacts
and improve visitor experience.
Maintain or improve habitat security for grizzlies
and caribou.
8
Jasper National Park of
Canada
Box 10, Jasper Alberta T0E 1E0
780.852.6147
[email protected]
Find us on the Web:
www.pc.gc.ca/jasper
9
Zoning and Declared Wilderness Areas
Park Canada’s zoning system classifies areas according to their
need for protection and suitability for visitor activities.
Since the 2000 plan was approved, large areas of Jasper
National Park have been designated Designated Wilderness
Areas (DWA) to better protect their wilderness character.
These areas generally align with Zone II (Wilderness), which
makes up 97% of the park.
Zone II will be adjusted slightly in the updated plan so that its
boundaries more closely match the DWA boundaries. Several
existing gravel pits will be rezoned to reflect highway
operations and future extraction requirements.
Jasper National Park will entertain proposals for new
communications and alternative energy infrastructure that will
improve visitor safety, facilitate new visitor opportunities and
yield environmental benefits (e.g. reduced greenhouse gases
production). Where a project that meets these criteria is
proposed within a DWA, Parks Canada may consider
undertaking minor adjustments to existing DWA boundaries.
How Can I Participate?
Background information on the plan review (look for the “Help Shape Your Heritage” link on the right hand side of
the main page) is available on-line at: www.pc.gc.ca/jasper
Attend our Annual Planning Forum in Jasper on November 24 at the Jasper Activity Centre.
Attend our Planning Forum this year in Edmonton on November 26 at the Delta Edmonton South Hotel and
Conference Centre.
Obtain a copy of the draft updated park management plan, by contacting Amber Stewart, Land Use Planner for
Jasper National Park, at amber.ste[email protected] or (780) 852-6147.
Phone or send us your comments in writing at any time during the public review period.
Egalement offert en français.
Timelines
The public review period for the
draft plan will run from
November 16 to January 8, 2010.
Following the public review
period we will revise the plan.
The plan will be submitted to the
Minister for approval early in
2010.