Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
89 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsThis podcast explores the natural and human history of the Canadian Rockies as well as its attractions and culture. We'll look at the ecology and wildlife as well as the unique plants and birds that make the Canadian Rockies home. Looking back through our history we will share the stories behind the scenery. This is the place for all things Rockies.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
039 The bear bites back and Hells Bells Rogers
August 10, 2017 05:23 - 27 minutes - 12.6 MBThe Bears Bite Back I hate it when the inevitable happens! We've been talking for weeks about people entering closed areas during the most critical time of the year for black and grizzly bears to put on fat for the winter months. I've witnessed numerous people violating the closures and have called for a wildlife ambassador program for Canmore, similar in some ways to the Wildlife Guardians program that has been pioneered by Banff National Park. If you might be interested in getting involved...
038 Farewell to Grizzly 148, Walter Moberly's Surveys, Solar Eclipses and Bird-eating Deer
August 03, 2017 03:24 - 28 minutes - 13.5 MBOde to Grizzly 148 This has been a heartbreaking week as bear 148, the beloved daughter of Banff's most famous bear 66, was translocated far away from her home territory of Banff and Canmore all the way north to Kakwa Provincial Park, located to the west of Grand Cache. It was a difficult decision for officials with Alberta Environment and Parks, but 148 was getting increasingly closer to people and in the end they felt that the risk of an escalation in behaviour left them with few options o...
037 Buffaloberry Primer, ancient archaeological site, a national dream begins, golden eagle migrations, and B.C. decides to privatize wildlife management
July 29, 2017 00:28 - 32 minutes - 15.4 MBAncient archaeological Site found on the Coast For as long as I can remember, archaeologists have been talking about the ice free corridor that ran from Alaska, across the Bering Strait to Russia and all the way past Calgary. We were told that this was the route that the ancestors of all the first nations on the continent would have taken as they migrated from Asia to the new world. Back in episode 6 (www.mountainnaturepodcast.com/ep006 I talked about some chinks in the armour of that tried ...
036 Expanding Forest Fires, Bear 148 Gets One More Chance and No National Bird for Canada
July 19, 2017 07:00 - 20 minutes - 10.1 MBForest Fires Spreading across British Columbia and now threaten parts of Alberta When I wrote last week's fire focused episode, little did I know that my own community of Canmore would be smelly and smoky this week as fires continue to spread and the number of evacuees in British Columbia climbs. The hot dry weather is showing no signs of abating and over the past week, the number of people forced out of their homes and communities in British Columbia has swelled from 14,000 to more than 45,...
035 Flames across the border
July 12, 2017 13:32 - 18 minutes - 8.99 MBForest Fires in B.C. Recent forest fires in British Columbia have once again raised the horror of forest fires to the top of the news feeds. The hot dry weather that has been a constant companion for the past few weeks has allowed the number of fires to escalate in the interior of British Columbia and has sky watchers in Alberta thankful for the good soaking we finally received after some record hot temps. B.C. has issued a state of Emergency due to the hundreds of forest fires and thousands...
034 Bear Spray containers, Wildlife overpasses, Bear 148 in trouble, new bear research methods and Waterton Park's namesake
July 09, 2017 06:27 - 37 minutes - 17.7 MBLast week I spoke with Lyndsay Kearns about a canister of bear spray that exploded in her car. It was a horrible situation and the damage to her car was significant. If you'd like to hear her interview, check out www.mountainnaturepodcast.com/ep033. During the podcast I mentioned bear spray safety containers sold by Kodiak Wildlife Products. I've since received one and decided to give it a test. Yesterday I placed it in a car parked in the hot sun with a thermometer inside the canister. I al...
033 Bulletproof elk, exploding bear spray and drones in the high country
June 29, 2017 00:31 - 34 minutes - 16.3 MBStory 1 - Bulletproof Elk A recent study published in the journal PLOS One has brought some amazing insights into the behaviour of female elk in the Rocky Mountains. The study took place in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia. It looked at the behaviour of female elk when confronted by hunters and how they are able to learn to effectively avoid the hunters completely over time…and when I say avoid…They become virtually bulletproof by the age of 9 or 10. In any animal popul...
032 Microburst Mayhem and Climate Science in Mountain Landscapes
June 22, 2017 03:19 - 41 minutes - 19.3 MBMicroburst Mayhem On the evening of June 8, I was getting ready to head out to the climate change presentation that I'll play during the second portion of this episode, and wouldn't you know it, minutes before I left the house, an extremely severe storm hit Canmore. It postponed the presentation slightly as traffic slowed to a halt and audience members were delayed. Little did I know that a little further west, along the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park, a massive microburst was...
031 Changing western climates and the importance of science in the post-truth Trumpocene
June 15, 2017 01:06 - 38 minutes - 21.7 MBStory 1 - What will 2050 be like in western Canada Recently the CBC website posted an article by Tara Carman about the potential changes that will take place in British Columbia in the next 30 years with just a 2.5C increase in temperature. The story paints a troubling picture for Canada's westernmost province. It's no secret that our weather has been changing. Here in the Rockies, we are getting more overall moisture during the summer months, but it is coming in fewer, more extreme weather ...
030 Grizzlies Meet Bison and new Dino Discoveries
June 09, 2017 22:03 - 20 minutes - 9.8 MBStory 1 - Grizzlies Meet Bison This is one of the most amazing stories to hit the parks in decades, and the first large-scale reintroduction of a large hoofed animal in this area. In February of 2017, 10 pregnant females and 6 young bulls were reintroduced to a remote area of Banff National Park. Just yesterday, on June 7, 2017, Parks announced that the 10th calve had been born. That makes it 10 for 10 which is a great success for bison reintroduction Well it seems like someone else has also...
029 Stampede foods, draining lakes, lost historic sites and summer crowds
May 28, 2017 07:23 - 20 minutes - 10 MBStory 1 - New Stampede Foods Every year, the Calgary Stampede introduces new menu items for the midway…and this year is no different. As usual, some are tasty, and others nasty. Last week they announced 40 new foods to their usual fare of corn dogs, French fries and pizza. Wait…did someone say pizza? How about the world's hottest pizza…yup you heard that right, this year the Stampede offers pizza infused with ghost peppers. If that doesn't make you want to head on down to the grounds, how ab...
028 Franklin Artifacts, Bear 148's Wanderings and B.C.'s Interior Rainforest
May 20, 2017 21:49 - 27 minutes - 12.8 MBStory 1 - Banff Officials Launch New Campaign This summer, Parks Canada is launching a new public education campaign to try to educate visitors about the dangers of feeding animals in the park. Large images of a wolf with a plastic bottle in its mouth with the caption 'human food kills wildlife' are beginning to appear in and around Banff. The other key message that will appear on posters is 'Give Wildlife Space'. Fines for feeding or harassing wildlife can be as high as $25,000 but the ...
027 Bison babies, conservation wins and new transportation options for the mountains
May 06, 2017 05:46 - 23 minutes - 11.2 MBStory 1 - First Bison Born in Banff Well, today, I'm able to share several good news stories that makes all the work worth it. While we are constantly being bombarded with bad news, it's always exciting when the hard work of thousands of people has a tangible impact on decisions taking place in the places we love. So let's take a look at the great announcements filling the newswires this week. First on the list has to do with the cutest thing on earth – baby animals. Spring is the time of ne...
026 Parks Canada Takes its Lumps
April 24, 2017 04:58 - 22 minutes - 10.7 MBIf you're a follower of this podcast, you'll know I'm a great champion of the job that Parks Canada staff undergo on a daily basis. Every day, they're on the front lines trying to keep our wildlife both wild and safe, keeping resources protected and plucking injured wilderness wanderers off of mountain tops by helicopter. Without these champions of our wilderness Canada's National Park system would not be the world class system of protected areas that it is today. On the other hand, over the...
025 Icefields Chalet upgrades, Mount Edith Cavell permits and going Batty
April 19, 2017 06:10 - 27 minutes - 13 MBThis week we're looking at some important changes to the tourism infrastructure in Jasper National Park as well as some insights into the life of bats in the mountain west http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep025_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3 Story 1 - The Tourism Files As the summer season approaches, there are a number of new announcements taking place within Banff and Jasper National Parks that are definitely worth taking note of this year. If you work in the guiding i...
024 Bow Valley Wildlife Corridors vs Developers
April 11, 2017 19:35 - 26 minutes - 12.8 MBThis episode takes an in-depth look at the developments currently threatening to close off the last wildlife corridors moving through the Bow River Valley at Canmore. These developments include the Three Sisters and Smith Creek Developments, as well as the proposed development and gondola at Silvertip. http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep024_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3 Story 1 - Development Chokes off Wildlife Corridors Well, it's here - the moment that most Canmore lo...
023 Wolves and Ravens, The Boss Awakens, Icefields Bike Trail, and Winter Olympics 2026
March 29, 2017 04:33 - 24 minutes - 23 MBStory 1 - Why do wolves hunt in packs? Have you ever wondered why wolves hunt in packs? After all, a single wolf is capable of taking down a 300 kg (1000 lb) moose all on its own. Theoretically, if a wolf hunted alone or in a group of one or two, they would just get more of the meat to themselves. New research from Isle Royale National Park in Michigan has focussed on another reason - ravens. Biologists John Vucetich and Rolf Peterson of Michigan Tech and Thomas Waite of Ohio State Univ...
022 Grizzly Reintroduction to the North Cascades, North America's earliest bison, the Rocky Mountain Pledge and people using wildlife corridors
March 20, 2017 01:56 - 19 minutes - 20.9 MBThis week we'll look at efforts to reintroduce grizzly bears to the north Cascades of Washington State. The plan may include some Canadian bears to help repopulate an area that has excellent habitat for bears. We'll also look way back into the earliest history of bison on the North American landscapes. With this summer looking to be the busiest ever, I'm promoting a new Rocky Mountain Pledge to help visitors enjoy the mountain landscapes in a safe and sensitive way. Finally, we'll look at th...
021 Bison Homecoming
March 08, 2017 06:26 - 45 minutes - 32.3 MBI was really pleased to record the presentations at the Buffalo Homecoming celebrations held on March 2, 2017 at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. The Eleanor Luxton Foundation and Bison Belong co-sponsored the event which was a gala evening with first nations blessings, dancing and drums - and some amazing stories. The return of plains bison to Banff National Park has been a long time coming - more than 130 years. Bison are not only a keystone species in the mountain national par...
020 Castle Park Announcement, Whirling Disease Updates, Shocking Grizzly Stories and Frigid Pine Beetles
February 23, 2017 05:09 - 28 minutes - 24.7 MBStory 1 - Castle Parks are Expanding Whenever we hear about new parks being established, it's great news - and this January, we got a double whammy as the Alberta Government finalized the boundaries of Castle Wildland and announced the creation of Castle Provincial Park on January 20, 2017. These two parks protect more than 1000 square kilometres or almost 400 square miles of the southern Alberta Rockies known as the crown of the continent. They provide a critical habitat that encompasses ...
019 Keeping Wolves Safe, Returning Bison, and new research into Grizzlies
February 11, 2017 00:08 - 37 minutes - 37.2 MBStory 1 - Bow Valley Wolf Pack This has been a difficult year for wolves in Banff. The dramatic increase in visitation over the past few years has put wolves living in the Bow River Valley, right into direct conflict with tourists. While other Banff packs have managed to avoid the brunt of human disturbance, the Bow Valley pack finds itself right in the thick of things. Every year, visitation grows as parks focusses on bringing more and more visitors into the park gates. It seems that Pa...
018 Summer Reservations, Radium Expansion, Formation of the Rockies and Canadian Towns worth Visiting
January 24, 2017 09:19 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBStory 1 - Summer Camping Reservations Filling Up Fast In Episode 17, I suggested that anybody thinking of camping in the mountain national parks this summer make a point of booking their sites as soon as the summer reservation system opened on January 11. As it turned out, the reservations went far quicker than anyone had anticipated. According to a story on the CBC website, some 9,300 reservations were made in the first 4 hours after the site opened up. This is a whopping 55% increase ov...
017 2017 Park Passes, Canada Rated a top tourism destination, Global Water Futures and Caribou in the Rockies
January 12, 2017 07:57 - 27 minutes - 24.2 MBStory 1 - Park Passes are still necessary Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year you'll likely be aware that the federal government has decided to make entry into Canada's national parks completely free for 2017. Parks still needs to be able to track the number of visitors to national parks, so passes will still be necessary. If you're planning a trip to any of Canada's National Parks this year, you can pre-order the pass for free online by visiting http://bit.ly/2iUBQV...
016 Winter Ticks, Winter Insect Survival and New Northward Migrations
December 08, 2016 20:25 - 31 minutes - 26.2 MBStory 1 - Winter Ticks Have you ever gone on a spring hike and returned to your car only to find that you had unwittingly picked up an eight legged hitchhiker? Maybe you didn't notice and, a few days later found a growing eight-legged grape tucked away in your navel, or worse - and let's leave it at that for now. Well suck it up princess - how would you feel if you had some 140,000 of the little suckers with their thirsty mouths embedded into your hide slowly draining your vitality? As m...
015 Rutting Moose, Gravel Rivers and Mountains 101
November 30, 2016 06:03 - 28 minutes - 24.6 MBStory 1 - Rutting Moose Recently, photographs hit the web from Alaska, showing two bull moose that had their antlers locked together costing them both their lives. They were found frozen in a slough pond with just their antlers and part of their sides exposed above the frozen surface of the water. Unfortunately for most members of the deer family, this is not an uncommon occurrence. Youtube is full of videos showing deer rescued by people sawing off their antlers to free them. The ritual o...
014 Canada's National Bird, Lake Louise World Cup Cancelled and Desperate Measures for Whirling Disease
November 18, 2016 23:23 - 22 minutes - 22.2 MBStory 1 - Canada Jay selected to be our national bird For the past year, the Royal Canadian Geographic Society has been listening to Canadians suggestions for a national bird. While the Americans have the bald eagle, Canada has never adopted a national bird. The Royal Canadian Geographic Society listened to some 50,000 submissions from Canadians to whittle down the many suggestions into 5 finalists. After long deliberations, the Canada jay beat out the finalists which included the common l...
013 Choosing Snowshoes, Summer Crowds and Super Moons
November 13, 2016 22:10 - 18 minutes - 36.8 MBStory 1 - Buying Your First Pair of Snowshoes What should you look for when buying your first pair of snowshoes. First, you'll need to answer these fundamental questions: Where do you want to go? How steep will the terrain be? How deep with the snow be? Will it be powder or packed? Are you looking to walk or run? Answering these questions will make it easier for store clerks to match you with the right snowshoe for the types of outings that you are most often going to be undert...
012 Adapting to Winter and the History of Snowshoeing
November 04, 2016 23:15 - 19 minutes - 38.9 MBStory 1 - Adapting to Winter There are many ways that animals and birds can adapt to deal with the cold temperatures of winter. In most cases, we can classify animals as winter avoiders, winter tolerators and winter lovers. Right now we're seeing migratory birds like the tundra swan gathering on our local ponds on their way to warmer climes in the south. Many of our local birds, like the American Robin, also take to the wing and head south. Other birds, like harlequin ducks and bald eagles...
011 Glacial History of the Athabasca Glacier
October 26, 2016 16:59 - 48 minutes - 78.5 MBStory 1 - Winter Weather Predictions I look at some of the predictions for this year's winter weather. We've had a few very mild winters now but the change towards La Niña conditions may shake that up with higher than average snowfalls. Story 2 - Leave Your Drones at Home Camera drones are becoming more and more popular in the mountains and this year saw a dramatic increase in illegal use of these devices in the mountain parks. Drones are illegal in both the national and Alberta's prov...
010 Glaciers in the Mountain West
October 07, 2016 03:10 - 54 minutes - 86.9 MBStory 1 - Mountain Soundscape I wanted to share a sound file that I recorded recently as part of a haunting morning video of elk during the annual rut in Banff National Park. If you enjoy the audio, check out the original file at: http://bit.ly/2dwQzJp . Story 2 - Glaciers in the Mountain West This week we are treated to a presentation by Bob Sandford. Bob is the EPCOR Chair for Water and Climate Security and the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. Pl...
009 Whirling Disease, Franklin's 2nd Ship Discovered, Banff Experience, Swimming Bears and Expired Bear Spray
September 30, 2016 05:23 - 22 minutes - 42.8 MBStory 1 - Whirling Disease Last week we talked about the discovery of whirling disease in Johnson Lake in Banff National Park. This was the first discovery of this devastating parasitic disease in the country and resulted in a huge flurry of research to see if it had spread beyond this tiny mountain lake to the larger Bow River watershed. Unfortunately, it has shown that the answer is YES. That’s all we know at this point. Story 2 - Franklin's Ship The recent discovery of Franklin's se...
008 Life in a Rut, Fall Hikes, Dark Skies and Canada's National Bird
September 13, 2016 06:50 - 29 minutes - 51.5 MBStory 1 - Life In a Rut Now that September has arrived, thoughts will be turning to romance in the local elk population. The antlers that have been covered in velvet since late-April are now beginning to peel as the blood supply is cut off to the velvet. Big bulls, properly called stags will begin to rub the antlers against trees to get rid of the itchy skin as the velvet dies. At the same time, they'll get more standoffish with other males and begin to collecting the cows, or hinds, into ...
007 Berry Season Ends, Whirling Disease and Quagga Mussels and New Fossils Found
September 04, 2016 07:44 - 23 minutes - 43.4 MBStory 1 - The End of the Buffaloberry Seaon For the past 6 weeks or so, we have been talking about a bumper crop of buffaloberries. However, since they only last until the first frost of autumn, the berries have now disappeared and bears will be moving onto other fall foods. This means it is especially important to harvest and fruit trees you may have on your property as bears will be looking to replace the high calorie buffaloberries. This year has seen great crops of crab apples, nanking...
006 Unethical Photographers, Amazing Parks Dog and Handler Honoured, Book Reviews, ice Age Migration Dilemma, and Ground Squirrel Reflections
August 19, 2016 00:12 - 40 minutes - 55.3 MBStory 1 - Photographers Using Telemetry Gear to Track Wildlife This week we heard from Parks Canada staff that unscrupulous photographers may be using telemetry antennas to track wildlife to photograph. These antennas, generally the sole property of wardens, conservation officers and biologists have been showing up in the hands of photographers. They have now banned the possession of the equipment with a potential fine of $25,000 and a mandatory court appearance. Story 2 - Banff Natio...
005 Oops, Out of Bear Spray, Park Improvements, Another Dead Wolf and Ground Squirrels in the Rockies
August 08, 2016 21:56 - 44 minutes - 61.7 MBStory 1 - Breaking News There have been several news stories since our last episode. The first one deals with an unexpected challenge related to bears and buffaloberries…Calgary outdoor shops have been having a hard time keeping bear spray in stock. You may have to look around a bit to find a canister if you don't already have one. Well, at least people are beginning to stock up on bear spray. In other news, there is a proposal for a gondola to the gondola in Banff Townsite. The road to ...
004 Bear Updates, Holiday Travel Tips, Jasper Berry Harvest and Wildlife Crossing Structures
July 30, 2016 17:54 - 31 minutes - 44.2 MBStory 1 - Buffaloberry and Bears Update This has been another busy week for black and grizzly bears in the Rockies. With the bumper crop of buffaloberries this year, the number of close encounters has been growing steadily. This week. Kananaskis Country has issued a warning for the entirety of Kananaskis Country. In Canmore, mush of the area between the Peaks of Grassi and the town is closed to human use to give the bears room to feed. You'll want to check trail reports ahead of leaving yo...
003 Citizen Science, Bear 148's Wanderings, Icefields Bike Trail and Book Review
July 21, 2016 06:28 - 22 minutes - 31.4 MBWell it's official. We're now on the iTunes Store. You can subscribe directly by searching for us on iTunes or simply by clicking the following link: http://apple.co/29V9UOh. Subscribing is the best way to make sure you have access to every episode as soon as it's uploaded. We also appreciate any reviews from happy listeners. Every review helps more people to discover this podcast so please give us a rating and help the message spread. Story 1 - Citizen Science If you regularly find your...
002 Mountain News, Stampede Food, and Shrinking Glaciers
July 15, 2016 19:50 - 28 minutes - 39.9 MBStory 1 - Mountain News Items Parks Increasing Prosecutions for Feeding Wildlife This has been a difficult year for wildlife in the Rockies. We've had numerous bears killed along highways but we've also had a growing problem with visitors giving handouts to wildlife. It all came to a head recently when the alpha female of the Bow Valley Wolf Pack had to be euthanized after becoming aggressive as a result of being fed repeatedly. Let's help keep the wild in wildlife. Colorado Black Bear...
001 Buffaloberries and Bears, Banff signs and The Amazing Race
July 09, 2016 20:07 - 18 minutes - 43.2 MBStory 1 - The Amazing Race Canada comes to Jasper On June 28 the 4th season of the Amazing Race Canada kicked off with a visit to Alberta's Jasper National Park. They did some crazy things but the scariest of all was climbing out of tram car at the Jasper Tramline and climb down one side, cross beneath hand over hand on a set of monkey bars, and then climb back up the opposite side. It was a great showcase for Jasper, but we need to begin looking at whether we need events like this in the ...