Daily Note

Why do people come to the Ice-fields today, and how do they contribute to maintaining the parks? People come to the Ice-fields today because glaciers are a rare occurrence. Not many exist in the world, and many of them have melted over time as a result of climate change. People come to Canada to see it’s unique landscape, an the glaciers are an important stop on that trip. These tourists who visit the Columbia Ice-field are one of the contributing factors to the fact that it still stands today. By becoming educated about the effects of climate change on the glaciers, and learning how to preserve the environment, we can sustain and maintain the glaciers for a long time. Most of the proceeds that we spend on being able to go close to the glaciers go towards maintaining them. I am glad that we are spending our money well.

What is identity. This is an idea that PLP 9 has been toiling with for quite some time. To pinpoint exactly what the individual identity of each person on earth, their values, their history, their actions and their opinions would be no small task. But no one knows me better than myself. I will complete this task for them. My name is Ally Tuck. I am Canadian. I have three animals, a horse, a dog and a brother. I love math. I tend to take a liberal stance. I value intelligent decisions and thoughtfulness. But what part of this identity is specifically Canadian? What parts of my identity do I share with the people around me and why? My family, specifically my dad, will take any opportunity to talk about our values as Canadians. When he was my age, Canada valued freedom, peace and hockey. Not much has changed today, except for our reaction to crises such as global warming, and the removal of Target. Our actions to issues also differ, and this is what the other countries see. This is part of our identity in their eyes. Identity consists of five main aspects. Worldview, personality, culture, genealogy and opinion. To briefly sweep the top of all of the above, an open economy, varying and often harsh geography, the value of the winning hockey team, a welcoming society, knowledge of the past and hope for the future, and the right to freedom of religion. Most Canadians tend to have very open and welcoming personalities, take the 911 fiasco. Everyone one of the 9000 people who lived in the small town of Gander welcomed 7000 people off the plane and welcomed them into their homes for almost a week. Our culture includes the French language, winter sports and Shawn Mendes. Almost 18% of the current Canadian population immigrated from Scotland at some time, while a good 10% come from native heritage. This is a main contributor to the flexibility and the diversity of Canada. This is also why we carry many of their traditions, such as naming our cities and provinces in the Gaelic language, and Scottish dancing. Finally, our opinions. This can be independent to each Canadian, take political issues for example. We tend to take a thoughtful and considerable stance, which is why we  are not in the middle of noticeable physical turmoil at the moment. I have said it once, and I will say it again. The Canadian identity comprises of so many things, this will only scratch the surface. 

National parks have been astounding people from all around the world for ages. From the stupendous mountains of Banff National Park to the brutally cold Ice-fields of Glacier National Parks, it would be a safe assumption that Mother Nature knows what she is doing. The first national park was founded in 1883, right here at Cave and Basin. Ever since then, the parks have brought in profit from tourism, and education for future generations, not much unlike myself. National parks are essential to not only Canada’s economy, but the perspective of its future generations on culture, history and nature. Furthermore, the hot springs here in Cave and Basin are preserving many zone red endangered species, such as the Banff National Park snail. Without a habitat here in the national park, the species is guaranteed to go extinct. To paraphrase, we need national parks because it enhances and offers education, and offers protection for endangered species. Since the beginning, the government has played a large role in the preservation and maintenance of these parks. One similarity I noticed between all of the information we were offered at the museum, was the role the government played. From funding the park, to marking off the hot springs as habitats for endangered species. They support the ecosystem, and all of the research that goes into education at park museums. We donate our money to the government, and in turn they create and maintain our national parks. 

It would be safe to say that today was a good day. We got the chance to go Lake Louise once again, where we took part in the ranger program. This included going to the discovery centre where we watched a short documentary on bears. Educating people in Banff National Park about bears is very important, because way too many fiascos happen every year. Whether it be feeding a bear, or getting out of your car to take a selfie with it, tourists always manage to baffle me with their creatively destructive ideas. After being enlightened by this short film, we took a walk in the woods. I was feeling very sick and nauseous while we were talking this hike, so unfortunately I was not able to absorb all of the information that was given. Something that did interest me about this talk was the lazy habits of a grizzly bear. When I picture a grisly bear, I picture a brown, highly aggressive animal who sleeps in caves. As it turns out, my perception was completely incorrect. I do not use the phrase lightly when I say that this shifted my worldview. Some more fun fact that I learned today... buffalo are my new favourite animal, and large bears can survive being hit by a train. The more you know.

The three valley lake chateau has been a long standing staple since the 1960’s. It has influenced tourists and locals alike. Anyone who passes through gets the chance to see the heritage ghost town, the old roundhouse, and wonderful titanic themed pool which really adds the cherry on top. When this Chateau first opened, it may have been subject to cultural and sex based biased, which was common in the 80’s. Not to mention that research in the field was far less advanced than it is today. Over the years, new structures, new exhibits and new information would have inhabited the hotel ad developed what it teaches to passerby’s. Not to mention the instalment of wifi, and government sources heating. Although, not everything about the ghost town has changed. As we heard of from Mr. Bell, many edifices in this ghost town, such as the halfway building and the saloon have been a part of the museum since the beginning. The costumes, settings and decorations have almost all stayed permanently. Small details such as interaction between men and women would have changed the arrangements of rooms, and small details like this would have been big players in the evolution of the ghost town. The TVLC has also attracted the same crowd from the beginning. Tourists, Albertans, and highway commuters. Lastly, and most importantly, the basis behind the change of the museum, is the question. How ethical is it to keep a museum static despite new information. I may not be Aristotle, but I can tell you the answer to that question. Not at all. As new information and new perspectives on life in the ghost town is released to the world, we expect the museum to evolve here with it. We come here to learn about the past, not the past of yesterday.

Breaking news: This trip has been a blast. It had it’s fair share of ups and downs, and I said the same thing about Oregon, so I will leave that up to you to judge. But I learned so much about bison, Albertan artists, identity and my classmates. Were it not for this Alberta trip, I may have never seen wild buffalo, which sparked a love for my new favourite animal. Were it not for this trip, I never would have been able to experience first hand or interview an Albertan artist on the political aspect of their job. Were it not for this Alberta trip I never would have tried cheesy biscuits. Fortunately, we have all matured since Oregon, therefore, less drama managed to get in the way of my studies. Before this trip began, the young innocent Ally was looking forward to Beakerhead. After a certain amount of just hopes to see the sun ride again, and that is this time. On a more serious note, I enjoyed myself more at the small stops, such as the Mistaya river and the spiral tunnels. I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed myself. It truly was the experience of a lifetime

What stops am I looking forward to? I am very excited about getting the chance to experience the Beakerhead festival. I have heard about this exhilirating reviews from friends and family about the artist I displays, not to mention that I may or may not have have discovered that there will be a scientific rap battle. Now who wouldn’t be excited for that. But I am mostly enlivened by the idea because of the documentary that I will be creating. I am no Stephen Speilburg, but to get the chance to be director, designer and producer of my own film sounds exciting. Last year, on our Oregon trip, I began to notice just how closely bonded our class became. This is our very own form of a retreat. We need to spend over 10 hours in a bus together, watch scientific rap battles together and eat together. We are guaranteed to be affected by this trip. Who wouldn’t be. If I were to compile a list of things that I am most exciting for, for once food does not come first. Because so many other exciting things will happen in Alberta.

The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world 

How has the geography impacted nature The glorious sights will hold you in rapture On the hills of BC we notice the Evergreen tree Whereas the sights of Alberta bring more Cottonwood you may agree Go from Vancouver to lake Louise, see trees and you will open to yourself a new chapter The impact of geography has changed activities too From hiking the Rockies to swimming in the great blue You will not see much sailing here in the Rockies You can certainly hike to your hearts liking Alberta offers many sports, many of them new to you The setting of the Rockies brings those from far and wide To see the mountains, the lakes and the tides Albertans must adapt with seasons too For they must market to us, we give them the number signs that are blue

I am glad that we have a down day today for our daily note, because I still have a lot on my plate. Don’t get me wrong, I have gotten a lot of work done, including some shots for my documentary and an interview with a musician at Studio Bell. But I have a vision of what I want this movie to look like, and so far I don’t have enough interviewing or artistic material to make it. I did miss the opportunity to interview someone in Banff, so I may have to do double the interviews later. I would like some diversity in my movie, so I would like an interview with at least one performer, one coordinator and one student. This will give me a wide variety of input, including the social aspect of art, and how art is impacted by landscape. Yesterday at Studio Bell, I interviewed a man by the name of Peter. He gave some very good responses when it came to talking about opportunities for artists in Alberta. I need to build off of what he said and come up with a response to how geography impacts who we are. As for my daily note, I am slightly behind. I could sue my time on this long bus ride to work on them. All I need to do is polish up my journal itself and we are dandy. I am currently satisfied with where we are at with our horror movie. Lots to do and so little time!

Name

Safari may block some audio or video from playing automatically and ‘read to me’ will skip these. You can configure this in Safari’s preferences.