009 Whirling Disease, Franklin's 2nd Ship Discovered, Banff Experience, Swimming Bears and Expired Bear Spray

Story 1 - Whirling Disease Last week we talked about the discovery of whirling disease in Johnson Lake in Banff National Park. This was the first discovery of this devastating parasitic disease in the country and resulted in a huge flurry of research to see if it had spread beyond this tiny mountain lake to the larger Bow River watershed. Unfortunately, it has shown that the answer is YES. That's all we know at this point. Story 2 - Franklin's Ship The recent discovery of Franklin's second ship is one of the greatest Arctic discoveries in the past 50 years. At the same time, there are interesting connections between Franklin's arctic experience and the the local glaciers in Banff and Jasper National Park. Story 3 - The Banff Experience A parliamentary panel recently visited Banff to look at the changing Banff experience. It's not a pretty picture. Story 4 - Swimming to new territory Recently a conservation officer on Vancouver Island saw two grizzlies swimming from island to island just offshore. This might not be a problem, except grizzlies are not found on the Island. Story 5 - Expired Bear Spray Just say no...to expired bear spray. Seriously, just say no!