We Visited Jasper The Week Before The Fires
This shouldn’t be a normal part of childhood
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I (Annalise) spent four days camping in an oTENTik and exploring Jasper in mid-July. Just over a week later, the town was on fire.
I was sick to my stomach seeing news and photos from one of my favourite places on earth.
I used to look forward to carefree summers as a kid. Now, with children of my own, summer brings with it anxiety over how much smoke a baby’s little lungs can handle, and grief watching flames transform homes into piles of nails.
Fleeing flames in the middle of the night shouldn’t be a normal part of childhood. Eyes stinging from smoke that forces you to spend hot summer days inside shouldn’t be a normal part of childhood. Entire towns burning down shouldn’t be a normal part of childhood.
I wrote about the wildfires, my camping trip, and watching climate change unfold over generations for the Toronto Star.
You can read my opinion piece here: My family spent four glorious days camping in Jasper. A week later, we watched the town burn.
All of our hearts go out to the residents and tourists of Jasper and everywhere else that have been affected by fire. But the real costs are the loss of habitat and wildlife and CO2 absorbing forests that occur where a fire burns.
Humans can be evacuated and humans can rebuild, but wildlife, under already increasing habitat pressure may be doomed.
Thank you for your piece.