Mountain Parks Peak Discovery

October 2022 – June, 2023

Parks Canada is bringing the mountains to your classroom!

Join us for exciting virtual education programs, live from Jasper, Waterton Lakes, Banff, Kootenay, Glacier and Yoho national parks. Each program shares a unique story and will give you a look behind the scenes at these amazing places with Parks Canada experts. These fun and interactive presentations explore a variety of topics including wildlife conservation, archaeological history, protecting at-risk species and more!

Virtual Education Programs

All Event Times Listed in Eastern

A Livestream from a Live Stream – Restoring Cascade Creek in Banff National Park

January 31st @ 1:00pm eastern

How do you bring a river back to life when it has been a ghost of its former self for almost a century? See how Parks Canada is restoring Cascade Creek in Banff National Park through engineering, biology, and a bit of help from Mother Nature.

The Butterfly Effect

Calgary Zoo and Parks Canada Butterfly Research cz (84)

February 7th @ 1:00pm eastern

Can the loss of one butterfly have a profound effect on its ecosystem? Join in as we learn about species at risk and how the loss of even one single, small species, can alter an ecosystem in large ways. (Photo by the Calgary Zoo)

Climate Clues

March 7th @ 1:00pm eastern

Mother Nature calls the Palisades Detective Agency with an odd request. Next thing you know Marian and Sabrina are hot on the trail – looking for climate change clues. Come see what they discover from the glaciers and the ridgetops.

Birds of the Mountain Parks

April 4th @ 1:00pm eastern

Join a Parks Canada employee for a high flying, soaring, dipping, and diving bird exploration! Waterton is home to hundreds of species of birds and spring is the ideal time to come and view them. So join our flock as we discover the unique features that set birds apart from other creatures!

WILDFIRE!

April 12th @ 1:00pm eastern

Fire is Nature’s wild child. Chaotic, messy and often unpredictable. But, when the smoke clears, the landscape is better for it.

Bear Aware

April 25th @ 1:00pm eastern

Can you tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly bear? What do you do if you encounter a bear in the wild? Learn all about bear biology, habits, and hiking safely in bear country.

Blazing Trails

May 17th @ 1:00pm eastern

Banff National Park is famous for its highway wildlife crossing structures, but they are only a part of a bigger picture to keep habitats connected and healthy. Find out how Parks Canada is using fire in the Cascade Wildlife Corridor near the town of Banff to improve the space for all.

Guardians of the Grasslands

May 24th @ 1:00pm eastern

Discover the cultural and conservation importance of bison to Waterton Lakes National Parks. Learn about the reintroduction of these incredible animals to the area after the Kenow Wildfire and witness the enduring and interconnected relationships between bison, humans, and other species on the landscapes of Paahtómahksikimi.

Past Events

My BFF (Bat Friends Forever)

October 25th @ 1:00pm eastern

Just in time for Bat Week…and Halloween…! Marian discovers her new office-mates aren’t what she expected: they’re bats! Not what she hoped for. Can they get along? Find out if Marian can learn to love bats, and discover more about how Parks Canada helps take care of these important species at risk.

Artifacts in the Ashes

Uncover Secrets of the Past!

November 23rd @ 1:00pm eastern

Join staff in Waterton Lakes National Park to discover some amazing artifacts that have been unearthed following the 2017 Kenow Wildfire. Discoveries of artifacts, sites and other traces of cultures will be shared, including what this may mean about the presence of people, wildlife and relationships to landscape.

What time is it? Caribou time!

Can you solve the mystery of the disappearing caribou?

November 30th @ 1:00pm eastern

Sabrina finds a caribou themed time machine. It only runs on quarters (of course!). She discovers that when it comes to caribou in Jasper National Park, small changes can have big consequences.

Conservation Quest

Choose-your-own-path story about species at risk

December 7th @ 1:00pm eastern

Students choose the path through this interactive virtual quest to find animals that Parks Canada protects in Banff National Park. Their choices could lead to surprising discoveries, side quests, disaster, or success! This program uses real-time online polling and quizzes to direct the story. Conservation Quest is filled with fun facts that encourage curiosity, exploration, and protection of the natural world.

2021/2022 Events

Bats in the Belfry

October 27th @ 1:00pm eastern

How did the Grizzly Bear Cross the Road?

November 17th @ 1:00pm eastern

Discover how connection equals survival for wildlife in Canada’s oldest (and busiest!) national park.

Banff National Park is world-renowned for its highway wildlife crossing structures designed to save the lives of animals and humans. This program will reveal how spying on bears and wolves for two decades has paid off for the sake of conservation.

The Good, the Bad and the Furry

December 1st @ 1:00pm eastern

The Palisades Centre in Jasper National Park is dealing with some new, unwelcome tenants. The ground squirrels are taking over! Can staff convince the squirrels to go back to where they came from? This task is on a “hole” new level.

Paddling the Mighty Athabasca River

January 12th @ 1:00pm eastern

Take the plunge with Sanne and immerse yourself in this Canadian Heritage River! Starting at the Columbia Icefield, the Athabasca River winds through rocky gorges, over waterfalls, along sand dunes and meanders through mellow marshlands. It’s home to 15 species of fish, 5 amphibians, birds, bears, moose and many other mammals. This river also tells many stirring stories.

Fire: Friend or Foe?

January 25th @ 1:00pm eastern

Fire is an important part of the natural landscape across the mountain national parks. Explore this fiery topic and learn all about how Parks Canada manages and uses fire to protect our national parks and to improve habitat for wildlife big and small.

Artifacts in the Ashes

February 16th @ 1:00pm eastern

Leave it Wild: How to be ParksSmart

March 22nd @ 1:00pm eastern

Are you dreaming about hiking in the mountains or camping under the stars? A trip outdoors can be fun, awe-inspiring and memorable. But it can also be a disaster if you don’t plan ahead and come prepared! Join Parks Canada experts in the heart of Banff National Park to learn how to be #ParksSmart. Explore important wildlife rules, get pro tips and avoid common mistakes. We can all work together to enjoy the outdoors and keep nature wild.

Snowflake to Snow Slides – Avalanche Heroes in Glacier National Park

April 19th @ 12:30pm eastern

Ever have your school close for a snow day? What if that snow day cost $500,000? Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park is a place where 10 metres of snow falls every winter, and over 130 avalanche paths could close the Trans-Canada highway at any time. Join a Parks Canada avalanche forecaster from snowy Rogers Pass to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep this road safe through winter. Learn about snow science individual crystals to avalanches; the big guns – the Canadian Armed Forces; and high tech avalanche detection – infrasound and Doppler.

Bison: Back in Time

April 27th @ 1:00 pm eastern

Discover the cultural and conservation importance of bison to Banff and Waterton Lakes National Parks.
Learn about the reintroduction of these incredible animals. Witness the enduring and interconnected
relationships between bison, humans and other species on the landscape of these parks and beyond.

Keeping Park Waters Healthy

May 10th @ 1:00 pm eastern

From blue lakes to clear streams, the mountains are full of beautiful water bodies that are important habitats for all kinds of life. Together, we can keep them safe! Parks Canada is here to teach you all about aquatic invasive species: hear about how these introduced plants and critters can change these habitats and how they can be kept out of our lakes and streams. Learn what YOU can do to help, and gain skills for Clean, Drain and Dry that you can use inside and out of the national parks to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species!

Friends of the Fish: Helping At-Risk

Trout in Banff National Park

May 18th @ 1:00 pm eastern

Join us at Hidden Lake, deep in Banff National Park for an insider’s look into a very important habitat
restoration project. Parks Canada aquatic specialists will introduce the westslope cutthroat trout, a
species at risk. Learn the necessary steps to help these fish survive and why they are so important to the
ecosystem of this alpine lake.

A Pine in Decline: A Survival Story in the Mountains

June 8th @ 11:00am eastern

Just like Dr. Seuss’ Truffula trees, whitebark pine are what everyone needs. These sturdy trees thrive in
places where few other trees can. They stabilize slopes to help other plants grow, slow spring snowmelt
to prevent flooding, and provide important food to animals. Like Truffula trees, they are also under
attack, not by people but by an introduced fungus called blister rust. Add to this natural predators and
habitat changes and whitebark pine now need everyone’s help. Take a virtual walk in the forest with
Parks Canada and learn why these trees are so important, what people are doing to help, and how
wildfire can help them too!

All events will be recorded for later viewing