BT Edmonton Blogs

Miss Canada

1 month ago

It’s not often we get updates from our Fresh Air Photographers – so a huge thank you to Ann for checking back with a new photo!   “On June 1st you featured my goslings and I wanted to show you another photo that I took on the evening of the 22nd.   They are growing up fast and I really loved this shot so I thought I would share it with you.  :) !!

DID YOU KNOW?    The newly hatched babies are able to swim immediately, and as we can see in the first photo sent in by Ann, Father and Mother Goose accompany their babies in the first swim.    By nine to ten weeks, they’ve grown their flight feathers and look like slightly smaller versions of the adult.    So, all summer they’ll eat and eat and eat to get strong enough for their migration south.    Eventhough an increasing number of Canada Geese are choosing to winter in Canada, especially in urban areas, the majority fly south to the United States and even Mexico.

WE OF THE FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION NEED YOU … AND YOUR PHOTO.    SEND US A PICTURE OF MOTHER NATURE OR HER CREATURES AND WATCH FOR IT ON BT AND THIS VERY BLOG!

We have 42 National Parks and National Park Reserves in Canada.    A National Park is located in every one of our great nation’s 13 provinces and territories.    The goal of the national park service is to create a system of protected areas which represent all the distinct natural regions of the country.    Below you will find all the parks listed, including those that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites  -  Pretty cool, EH?    OH CANADA!

Aulavik National Park of Canada
Over 12,000 km2 of arctic wilderness on Banks Island.

Auyuittuq National Park of Canada
Baffin Island landscapes containing northern extremity of Canadian Shield.  
                                                                            
Banff National Park of Canada
UNESCO World Heritage Site and Canada’s first National Park of Canada (1885).                                          

Bruce Peninsula National Park of Canada
Landscapes including the northern end of Niagara Escarpment.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada
Home to Cabot Trail, a land blessed with spectacular cliffs.

Elk Island National Park of Canada
Alberta plains oasis for rare and endangered species.                                                                                              

Forillon National Park of Canada                                                                                              
The “Jewel of the Gaspé” where land meets sea.

Fundy National Park of Canada
Atlantic’s sanctuary with world’s highest tides.

Georgian Bay Islands National Park of Canada
Captivating islands representing Lake Huron’s landscape.

Glacier National Park of Canada
British Columbia’s lush interior rainforest and permanent glaciers.

Grasslands National Park of Canada
Saskatchewan’s rare prairie grasses, dinosaur fossils, and badlands.

Gros Morne National Park of Canada
UNESCO World Heritage Site amid Newfoundland’s wild natural beauty.   
                                                                              
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada
An exceptional coastal island landscape in the southern Strait of Georgia.

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site
Haïda culture and coastal rainforest on Queen Charlotte Islands.

Ivvavik National Park of Canada
Calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd.

Jasper National Park of Canada
UNESCO World Heritage Site and glacial jewel of the Rockies.

Kejimkujik National Park of Canada
Nova Scotia’s inland of historic canoe routes and portages.

Kluane National Park and Reserve of Canada
Yukon’s UNESCO World Heritage Site contains Canada’s highest peak.

Kootenay National Park of Canada
UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring the famous Radium Hot Springs.

Kouchibouguac National Park of Canada
Intricate Acadian blend of coastal and inland habitats.

La Mauricie National Park of Canada
Lakes winding through forested hills for canoe and portage activities.

Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve of Canada
A string of islands carved out by the sea.

Mount Revelstoke National Park of Canada
Rainforest of 1,000-year-old cedars and spectacular mountains.

Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada
Northwest Territories’ UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada
Pacific Coast Mountains make up this marine and forest environment.

Point Pelee National Park of Canada
Most southern point on Canadian mainland.

Prince Albert National Park of Canada
Protects slice of northern coniferous forest and wildlife.

Prince Edward Island National Park of Canada
A protected area with spectacular coast.

Pukaskwa National Park of Canada
Canadian Shield’s ancient landscape on Superior’s North Shore.

Quttinirpaaq National Park of Canada
Most remote, fragile, rugged and northerly lands in North America.

Riding Mountain National Park of Canada
Protected “island” area in the Manitoba Escarpment.

Sirmilik National Park of Canada
Northern Baffin Island landscape containing Eastern Arctic Lowlands and
Lancaster Sound.
St. Lawrence Islands National Park of Canada
Established in 1904.

Terra Nova National Park of Canada
Remnants of the Eastern Newfoundland Ancient Appalachian Mountains.

Torngat Mountains National Park of Canada
The spectacular wilderness of this National Park comprises 9,700 km2 of the Northern Labrador Mountains natural region.

Tuktut Nogait National Park of Canada
Calving ground for the Bluenose caribou herd.

Ukkusiksalik National Park of Canada
The place where there is stone that can be used to carve pots and oil lamps

Vuntut National Park of Canada
Northern Yukon’s unique non-glaciated landscape.

Wapusk National Park of Canada
One of the largest polar bear denning areas in the world.

Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada
International Peace Park; where the Rocky Mountains meet the prairie.

Wood Buffalo National Park of Canada
UNESCO World Heritage Site larger than Switzerland.

Yoho National Park of Canada
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Rockies.

To Learn more OR to reserve your campsite, click here:   http://www.pc.gc.ca/progs/np-pn/index_e.asp

I had the chance to head out to Our Lady of Mount Carmel School! These grade three students are hilarious!

Check out Seth, Stephanie, Albert, Diana and Tony!

Finally!

Now that Ashley knows what a, ahem, “little rascal” Bentley is we can all move on.

Or can we?

Mickey couldn’t. A couple of the other contestants on The Bachelorette (Mondays, 9pm, Citytv) may not be able to either. On Tuesday’s BT, I asked our Bachelorette panelists who they thought might make it through this rocky road to wind up the last man standing (or taking one knee) next to Ashley.

We gave Trevor Schmidt the week off. Congratulations to him (and the entire Northern Light Theatre team) on a couple huge wins at the Sterling Awards!

Until next week,
rpj.

Any season, the reason is JASPER

Everytime I visit Jasper National Park I dream and I imagine what it would be like to live there.    Bert does, and has my envy the colour of the greenest of fir trees.    But in his photo, we see Mount Pyramid in the fall and how it is lit up by partial sunlight with full on golden-yellow trees at the base.    Not a ripple on Pyramid Lake that day.

DID YOU KNOW?    You can canoe on Pyramid Lake – perhaps after you scramble up the mountain.    It is a relatively easy climb on the eastern slopes.    Jasper was named after Jasper Hawes.    He operated a trading post in the area for the North West Company.    Before this, it was called Fitzhugh.    The park itself was established in 1907 as Jasper Forest Park, and was granted national park status in 1930.

WHAT’S THE STATUS OF ‘YOUR’ FRESH AIR PHOTO?    LOCATE YOUR KODAK MOMENT SHOWING MOTHER NATURE OR HER CREATURES AND UPLOAD IT TO OUR WEBSITE.    BT VIEWERS AND READERS OF THE BLOG ARE WAITING.

IRIS!

Murray loves Iris – and who could blame him.    The Iris comes in all shades and combinations of blues, purples, flashy yellows, white – even violet.    And some are double-flowered with incredible intricate patterns like we see above.    No surprise to learn that the name IRIS comes from the Greek word for rainbow (Iris is the Greek Goddess of the Rainbow) …. referring to the wide variety of colors.

DID YOU KNOW?    There is only one species of Iris native to Alberta.    It is the Western Blue Flag.    It grows abundantly  in the western U-S but in Alberta, only along the southeastern flank of the Rocky Mountains.    Botanists divide Irises into two key groups: those that grow from a rootstalk, and those that grow from bulbs.

PUT ALL SCIENCE ASIDE AND FOCUS ON THE BEAUTY OF MOTHER NATURE AND HER CREATURES.    WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS TO OUR FRESH AIR PHOTO NATION.    YOUR ENTRY FREE IS A PHOTO .. SNAP TO IT!

Beauty of Banff

 Wow!    The majestic Abraham Lake.    We are thankful that Wendy decided to pull over at this exact spot.    “  One of Alberta’s beauty marks on the way back from Banff heading towards Rocky Mountain House.   It was cool, raining off & on the whole drive.   One minute you could see the mountains and a minute later they were swallowed up in the clouds.   The poor sun was straining to get through to us but when it did was reflecting on the water!”

DID YOU KNOW?    The incredible colours of the lake are created by the silt in the runoff from surrounding glaciers.    Those glaciers grind rocks into very fine silt.    In fact, the silt is so fine that it is called “rock flour“.    The rock flour doesn’t sink to the bottom, the particles just float around suspended in the water reflecting light that enters the water.   That’s why the lake is such a bright turquoise colour.    And the different hues are directly related to the size of the particles.    You will also notice that many glacial lakes that have this characteristic will subtly change colour throughout the day.

WE LOVE ROAD TRIPS!    MAYBE WE CAN’T ‘GO’ WITH YOU ON ONE OF YOURS – BUT WE WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU SAW.    UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO TODAY, SEE IT ON BT AND THIS BLOG – TOMORROW!

It’s a delicate thing, talking booze (and enthusiastic appreciation of said booze) on a morning show. That’s why I just had to ask “Thirsty Traveler” Kevin Brach to stick around after we went off the air on Friday. We asked the tough questions…he gave some great answers. Enjoy the video!

rpj.

Jerry's neighbour

A welcome visitor to Jerry’s back yard .. in both sight ‘and’ sound.    ”I have a House Finch that frequents my yard.   It’s like having a canary back there some evenings.  He has a voice and song that is aboslutely incredible“.    The House Finch ‘does’ have a most wonderful song .. click here to listen:  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/id?gclid=CLCv5N7LzqkCFULsKgod12×0Nw

DID YOU KNOW?    Can you see the House Finch’s beak?    It is one of the Finch’s best attributes – heavy so it can crack seeds.    If you put out unsalted sunflower seeds you’ll have a friend for life.    They also love niger, dandilion and thistle seeds as well as berries.    Oh, and don’t forget to offer them water after their huge meal.

“CAMERA AT THE READY” IS A GREAT MOTTO TO LIVE BY.    ONCE YOU HAVE CAPTURED MOTHER NATURE OR HER CREATURES – SHARE IT WITH US ON BT AND THIS VERY BLOG.    OPERATORS ARE STANDING BY.