Connecting Past and Present

October 8, 2024 By: Josie Bates

Conservation

https://globalnews.ca/news/4149689/trans-mountain-pipeline-arguments-pro-against/

This article shows parallels to Roderick Frazier Nash’s chapter on the Hetch Hetchy controversy, which analyses the conflict between wilderness conservation and resource development. Supporters of building a reservoir in Yosemite National Park clashed with conservationists who sought to keep the valley’s natural beauty. This article on the Trans Mountain Pipeline debate illustrates recent tensions between economic interests and environmental conservation in Canada. Supporters push for oil infrastructure expansion, while opponents emphasize the environmental hazards.

Parks

In his article, John Sandlos discusses the tensions between conservation and recreation in Canada, suggesting that Parks Branch promoted national parks for tourism as “natures playgrounds” while struggling to maintain their natural balance. This article about Parks Canada considering human-use limits in Lake Louise is an example of this tension; as explosive tourist numbers surge, the environmental integrity of Lake Louise is at risk.

Nash, Roderick Frazier. “Chapter Ten: Hetch Hetchy.” In Wilderness and the American Mind. 5^th ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014.

Sandlos, John. “Nature’s Playground: The Parks Branch and Tourism Promotion in the National Parks, 1911–1929.” In A Century of Parks Canada, 1911–2011, edited by Claire Elizabeth Campbell, 53–78. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2011