Dear Editor,
It鈥檚 been over one month since the Dec. 22, Merry Christmas caribou closures.
The Berlin Wall has swiftly dropped on critical caribou habitat in JNP. The 鈥渁nnouncement鈥� that was anticipated, yet delayed, was shrouded in secrets, government spin, withheld information, and stabbed with deliberate, brutal timing, by the Ottawa鈥檚 鈥渙ut there.鈥� Now that the snow has settled, I鈥檓 troubled on a few fronts.
What is most alarming, is the disheartening, indirectly muttered comments directed at winter users; locals and visitors who now have no relatively safe, accessible ski terrain, and no backcountry huts for the majority of the winter. They come from the community, various businesses, and Parks.
Comments like: 鈥淭hese closures only affect a few,鈥� 鈥淚 don鈥檛 ski, so I don鈥檛 care,鈥� 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the problem, they can ski in March,鈥� 鈥淚t won鈥檛 affect my business,鈥� and 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not our targeted market.鈥�
These comments are worrisome, not fair and incredibly shortsighted, as every winter visitor to JNP counts.
I have a long memory, and will never forget the ominous words of Brian Young, owner of Rocky Mountain Guides. In the mid 1990s, Parks closed the Maligne River for rafting because of Harlequin duck protection and decades later, skiers are sharing a similar fate. He said, 鈥測ou鈥檙e next.鈥� I never fully understood his words until now.
His warning reminded me of a famous poem written by Martin Niemoller about political apathy in Germany in the 1940s.
It goes like this:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Trade Unionist
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me
Our community, Tourism Jasper, local businesses and JNP have to work together to keep providing and promoting a variety of opportunities to the various users who come to JNP in the winter. Backcountry skiers, or skiers seeking mountain wilderness options, who fundamentally epitomize JNP in the winter, should not be so easily dismissed by other users, or businesses, who quite easily could become the new, 鈥測ou鈥檙e next.鈥�
Do not allow opportunity or user apathy to creep in. The winter stew needs an array of ingredients to keep winter in JNP spectacular.
Loni Klettl
Jasper, Alta.
