Interpretive Guides Association

Our Group Management courses are almost wrapped up for the season! The last one is happening June 24-25 (2026). We have only a few spots left, so if you need this training, please register now.

Apprentice Interpreter + Group Management + 40 Hour First Aid = Apprentice Interpretive Three Season Hiking Guide!

A super fun career if you love people and the outdoors.

Register here: https://interpretiveguides.org/events/3-season-group-management-canmore-june-24-2502026/

IGA members: Soul Of Miistaki is offering a Hide Tanning Workshop that is open to everyone. A beautiful way to connect during Indigenous History Month.

Rooted in land-based education, the hide tanning industry teaches the traditional skills that sustained Indigenous People for thousands of years.

You will be guided through techniques of fleshing, hide and building the stretcher to lace on hide. Also scraping hide and finishing tanning the other hide.

Winston Wadsworth Jr. will be leading our workshop. He has been tanning hides for a long time since he was a young boy and has been taught this traditional practice from his family.

📅 Date: Friday June 19th & Saturday June 20th 2026
📍 Location: Star 6 Ranch
👤 Age: 12+ (Minors must have a parent/guardian present to sign rental waivers.)
⏰ Time: 9am - 4pm

Fee: $150

*Lunch will be provided both days*

DEADLINE June 11th, 2026 for application submission

*Limited spots available (12 total participants)

Hide Tanning Workshop — Soul of Miistaki Soul Of Miistaki will be offering a Hide Tanning Workshop that is open to everyone.  Rooted in land-based education, the hide tanning industry teaches the traditional skills that sustained Indigenous People for thousands of years. Hide tanning was central to our way of life, providing shel

We are lucky to have an instructor like Peter Duck, Master Interpreter and President of the Bow Valley Naturalists.

Today we’re training a new group of guides at the Alpine Club of Canada clubhouse in Canmore, Treaty 7.

The 5th Annual Mini Thni Powwow is coming up on Friday, June 12. We'll be there to show our support for the dancers, drummers, and community members taking part in this special event.

We encourage IGA members to attend, learn, and celebrate alongside Indigenous culture. It's a wonderful opportunity to experience and support Indigenous traditions, connect with others, and participate as respectful allies and friends.

Its been a busy season training and certifying Interpretive guides. Here’s one of our incredible instructors- Mike Blake with his group of trainees.

The IGA would like to give a warm sendoff to our Member Relations and Operations Coordinator, Sonia Hrynchyshyn!

Sonia is heading over to a new career in landscape design. We’re grateful for her organization, dedication, and the contributions she brought to the IGA team.

Thank you, Sonia, and all the best in your new career adventure!

Jasper locals and folks working in Jasper National Park, check out this fantastic scholarship opportunity offered by our friends, the Friends of Jasper National Park!

This scholarship can be used towards IGA certifications and 40 hour wilderness first aid courses. We strongly encourage you to apply!

🎓 FJNP Mike Wynn Memorial Scholarship 2026 🌲

In honour of Park Warden Mike Wynn - a dedicated guardian of Jasper’s wild spaces who gave his life in the line of duty - the Friends of Jasper National Park is proud to continue his legacy through our annual Memorial Scholarship.

This year, we’re excited to offer two $750 scholarships:

🌲Jasper High School Students – For grads pursuing post-secondary education
🌲 Lifelong Learners – For locals taking career-related courses (e.g., Wilderness First Aid, AST, Hospitality)

We’re looking for applicants whose goals reflect our mission:
Encouraging stewardship and connecting people to Jasper National Park.
📝 Apply by: Sunday 31 May, 2026

🔗 To learn more or to apply visit www.friendsofjasper.com/ca/scholarships/
Let’s honour Mike’s legacy by continuing to care for the place he loved most. 💚

🌸 Meet one of the Rockies’ enchanting wildflowers: the Calypso Orchid (Calypso bulbosa)

Also known as the “Fairy Slipper,” this tiny orchid may look delicate, but it survives in some surprisingly harsh mountain environments.

Fun interpretive facts:
✨ The name Calypso comes from Greek mythology — Calypso was a sea nymph known for beauty and mystery.
✨ Unlike many flowers, Calypso Orchids don’t offer nectar to pollinators. They “trick” bees into visiting with their bright colours and patterns!
✨ A single plant may take years to flower, making each bloom extra special.
✨ They rely on underground fungi to survive, especially when young. Without healthy forest soils, they can’t grow.
✨ Picking or stepping near them can damage the fragile plant and soil network they depend on.

Have you seen any of these beauties in bloom yet? Watch for them from late may into June.

Stories of Ice and Glaciers with Lynn Martel - Full Day Field Trip!

Join award-winning Rockies writer and storyteller Lynn Martel for a full-day journey along the Icefields Parkway, exploring the science, history, beauty, and changing future of glaciers in the Canadian Rockies. Through stories, landscape, and discussion, gain fresh insight into these powerful forces that continue to shape our mountain world.

📅 June 1, 2026
🚌 Transportation included
📍 Icefields Parkway
🔗 Register here:

https://interpretiveguides.org/events/iceandglaciers/

Lynn Martel mountain writer/photographer

May is Asian Heritage Month. As guides, it’s an opportunity to explore how Asian communities have helped shape Canadian history and to find thoughtful, engaging ways to share these stories with guests.

One example is the Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway. While often celebrated as a nation-building moment, it also carries a more complex history -- including the vital contributions and hardships of Chinese railway workers. Taking time to understand and share these perspectives can deepen the stories we tell.

Learn more in this Parks Canada podcast:

https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/engage-learn/podcasts/treasures-revealed/episode-016.html