The news out of Jasper is tragic. …Predictably, the disaster has now turned into a political blame game. …So I may as well jump in on the action and blame something no one else will – the elk. At least partially. Yes there should be more controlled burns happening. …And more of those dead pine should have been selectively logged. But we also need to eradicate the elk herds, which never existed in Jasper in large numbers until 1920, when park authorities shipped in 88 elk from Yellowstone. Like in Yellowstone, elk have had a massive impact on the most fire-resistant forest type we have – the aspen. …We need to recognize the elk aren’t precious, nor do they represent a natural park. …They need to be either hunted again or possibly excluded in key areas with fencing.