There will be no need for new gravel extraction pits in Jasper National Park (JNP) for the term of the current draft management plan, according to Parks Canada.

Currently, there are seven identified pits in JNP with three still being used for extraction: the Marmot, Mile 9, and Ranger South Pits. Of these pits, Marmot and Ranger South are zoned for outdoor recreation, and Mile 9 for natural environment.

“Those three will meet our needs for the life of the plan,” said manager of integrated use planning and policy, Shawn Cardiff, noting that two others (Ranger North and Stanley Falls borrow area) may be used for staging or storage during road work or construction.

According to Cardiff, Parks needs staging areas to cut down the time and cost of moving aggregate. While they may try to shrink the perimeter of the pit and would no longer extract from the ground, the area would not be restored to its previous state.

The only pit that is in a wilderness zone is Ranger North, which lies 48 km south of Jasper on Highway 93. While it has the “potential” for expansion, Cardiff said it was in the process of being rehabilitated and the road to the pit deactivated.

For environmentalists such as Catherine Shier with Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, it’s crucial these lands are returned to their original state – especially if there is proof wildlife corridors were disturbed.

However Cardiff suggested that once a wildlife corridor had been disturbed, the animals may not return, even if the land was reclaimed. He also noted there was still work to be done in several of the older pits.

“Frankly, we’ve still got some areas we need to clean up and we’re working on it,” he said.

One suggestion Shier had was that gravel extraction could take place just outside the Park.

However, logistically Parks needs somewhere to store gravel or aggregate while they continue to work on highways and pull-offs, said Cardiff.

“The cost of trucking is high and burning fossil fuels is expensive,” he said, adding that the agency was not looking to export the “environmental cost” of the Park or “degrading the regional landscape.”

He also suggested that due to the higher restrictions placed on JNP there was more control over gravel extraction when completed within the park boundary.

While Shier said it was admirable that Parks was trying to decrease their carbon footprint by having staging or extraction areas closer to the work areas, she suggested there were other ways the Park could achieve that by closing activities in the park – such as the airport.

“I’m happy they’re trying to reduce their footprint, but I think they should probably be consistent,” she said.

Although Cardiff suggests the three current pits will suffice for the time of this plan, there is the possibility of Parks needing to expand their gravel extraction in the future.

In the zoning and wilderness area declaration section of the plan, it highlights that “from time to time, it may be desirable to amend Declared Wilderness Area boundaries to make possible new facilities or infrastructure that benefit the park environment and visitor experience.”

“An amendment to the declared wilderness boundaries may be introduced to provide for... Future gravel extraction adjacent to Highways 16 and 93.”
For Shier, the idea of land being changed into gravel extraction pits in the future is a contentious issue that would need to involve the public.

Cardiff said that the usual process of public consultation, and environmental assessments would have to take place prior to the introduction of new gravel pits. For him, existing pits offer an effective solution as they already have the road going into the pit and will not cause any new disturbance to the environment or wildlife.

Though the plan focuses heavily on motorized visitors to the park, Cardiff said there would be no net increase of the concrete land in Jasper. Instead, Parks may expand some popular places and decrease others – such as along the Icefields Parkway.

“There is a lot of pull-off along those roads (Highway 93), and some of those are active and busy, and others don’t seem to be used at all,” he said noting that the agency would upgrade some pull offs and remove others entirely.

The possibility of twinning Highway 16 east of Jasper has also been ruled out of the plan, but Cardiff said there is the possibility of an overtaking lane instead.