Waterton wildfire subject of Helen Schuler exhibit

How severely did September’s wildfire affect the pine forests of Waterton Lakes National Park?

That’s one of the questions included in a new Parks Canada exhibit opening in Lethbridge.

“What’s the Connection” — an interactive exploration of the links between the pines, the mountain area’s endangered caribou and other wildlife — will open today at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre.

Parks Canada interpreters will be on hand Friday, 1 to 4 p.m., for an official opening.

Visitors will be offered hands-on activities, stories and vivid images from Canada’s mountain national parks.

“This popular exhibit showcases the relationship between fire and whitebark pine, including the role of that species in sustaining the watershed and the wildlife species that rely on its seeds for food,” says parks spokesperson John Stoesser.

Parks Canada is committed to protection and long-term restoration of species at risk, he points out. They include whitebark pine and woodland caribou, so parks staff continue to research and monitor those species.

“And in Waterton, the endangered limber pine as well.

“We use the results to help direct our future conservation actions.”

The touring exhibit, he adds, includes a look at how the wildfire impacted Waterton’s whitebark pine and the landscape in general.

Parks officials have already shown the exhibit in Vancouver’s Science World and Edmonton’s Telus World of Science. The Lethbridge edition will remain on view during the nature centre’s winter hours — 1 to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday — until Jan. 7.

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