Exercise #3: Connecting Past and Present
January 19, 2026 By: gazal dhall
- Binnema and Niemi (2006): This article highlights the exclusionary practices in Banff National Park, reflecting a historical trend where conservation efforts disregarded Indigenous peoples’ rights and presence. This connects to discussions on how early conservation movements often prioritized wilderness preservation at the expense of Indigenous communities, leading to displacement and loss of traditional lands (Binnema & Niemi, 2006). It challenges us to consider the ethical implications of conservation policies and the importance of inclusive approaches that respect Indigenous rights and knowledge.
- Cronon (1995): Cronon’s critique of wilderness as a social construct is relevant to discussions on how our perception of nature influences conservation efforts. His argument that wilderness is not a pristine, untouched space but rather a product of human ideas challenges the notion of setting aside areas as “untouched” by humans (Cronon, 1995). This perspective encourages a more nuanced understanding of human-nature relationships and the need for conservation strategies that recognize the interconnectedness of people and landscapes.References-
- Binnema, Theodore and Melanie Niemi, “‘Let the line be drawn now’: Wilderness, Conservation, and the Exclusion of Aboriginal People from Banff National Park in Canada.” Environmental History 11, no. 4 (2006): 724–750. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3985800.
- Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, 69–90. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995.
Hi Gazal,
Thank you for sharing your insights into Banff National Park and the historical trends of conservation efforts and their exclusion of Indigenous peoples. Looking at the article, it does clearly demonstrate the past indiscretions and the obvious discrimination against the indigenous rights. I did, however, note that this article was quite old (2006), and focused on the history of Indigenous peoples and the nation parks, so I did some digging and found some positive media on the repair of these rights and Indigenous peoples’ claim of the land. This Narwhal article from 2025 reported that, due to overcrowding, traffic, plant destruction, and garbage, BC parks and the Lil’wat and N’quatqua First Nations planned to close Joffre Lakes, Juan de Fuca Park will be additionally closed by the Pacheedaht First Nations. This is not media about Banff, as you had discussed, but I thought it introduced a very interesting point: Indigenous people are being recognized and are reclaiming and connecting with their land and culture. This is not to say the issue is fixed; we still have a long way to go. However, I think that it addresses a large point of the course, in which Indigenous rights to these national parks were stripped due to overhunting and the perceived lack of value on the new settlers’ land, which was incredibly and unarguably inappropriate and cruel.
Let me know what you think!
The link to the article: https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-parks-first-nations-closures-racism/