Greg Horne retired this past summer (2024)
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After some 45 years with Parks Canada, Greg discretely retired this summer. Please join us to wish him a retirement filled with as many adventures as his career brought him. Share this Koodoboard link with old friends and colleagues, and add your favorite pictures and memories. It’s time to display some treasures (nothing that will get him in trouble, please😊)! If you would like to contribute to a gift for Greg, you can e-transfer to ResConSocial@gmail.com
See below some highlights of his many achievements throughout his distinguished career with Parks Canada, which earned him a nomination for a CEO Award of Excellence last summer.
Greg Horne started his Parks Canada career in Gros Morne National Park in 1978 and by 1980 he was working as a Park Warden in Jasper National Park. Over his 45-year career he has tirelessly worked to conserve the park and maintain backcountry trails and facilities that allow staff to monitor and restore park ecosystems. The work has changed over the years, and Greg has always found a way to adapt and find meaningful ways to contribute to the conservation of Parks Canada places. His work has also improved how visitors experience wilderness. We will use the following themes to describe Greg’s exceptional contribution to Parks Canada: natural and cultural conservation, backcountry management, exploration, and mentorship.
Ecosystem Conservation: Greg’s work monitoring glaciers, caves and bats is a cornerstone of the ecological monitoring and species at risk conservation program in Jasper. He established bat monitoring sites, discovered and described critical habitat hibernacula and he has protected important bat maternity colonies supporting these species as they face a novel disease. He has monitored glacier melt for decades and he has enabled researchers to better understand how climate change is impacting park ecosystems. He has also been committed to the less-celebrated but ecologically important issues; he has tirelessly worked to remove invasive plant infestations from backcountry areas, leaving a lasting impact. Endlessly curious and motivated to contribute to science, exploration and conservation, Greg has teamed up with numerous academic researchers, co-authoring publications on topics as varied as discovering and dating 9600-year-old postglacial faunal records in caves to the velocity changes of the Athabasca Glacier. You can also find him starring in the Canadian National White-nose Decontamination Video, a project he enthusiastically supported to help protect bats across the country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQjALbixJKY
Cultural Heritage Conservation: Throughout his career, Greg has been committed to the protection and maintenance of backcountry work cabins, many of which are Federal Heritage Building Review Office structures. Greg also played important roles in events to commemorate climbing and exploration history. Greg had a major role in organizing and participating in the bicentennial commemorative celebration of the crossing of Athabasca Pass National Historic Site. He was pivotal in repatriating the Mt. Alberta “Silver Ice Axe” that was placed on the mountain’s summit during the first ascent of the mountain completed by a team of Japanese Climbers in 1925. The ice axe was taken by American climbers in 1948 during the second ascent of the mountain. Greg relocated it while on a research mission to the American Alpine Club in New York. In 2000, he worked to have it returned to the Jasper Museum and Archives where it remains today.
Backcountry Management: For the past decade, Greg worked in Ecological Monitoring and Species at Risk Conservation. He likely knows Jasper National Park lands better than any other human as he has hiked, caved, climbed, rappelled, and traveled by horse in the most remote corners and caves of the park. Most of Greg’s career was spent working in backcountry areas with the aim of protecting the park while providing a high-quality wilderness experience to visitors in ways that don’t negatively impact the park. His efforts clearing and re-routing trails, building bridges, and repairing backcountry park cabins are a lasting legacy. He has a wealth of backcountry knowledge that is unmatched in this park. Greg became an expert in backcountry waste management and worked to install more environmentally friendly privies that improve visitor experience while protecting sensitive wilderness areas. The fly-out barrel privies he pioneered in Jasper 25 years ago are almost exactly what we continue to use today. His sense of humor helped to bring attention to this important issue.
Exploration: A motto of Greg’s is to learn something new about Jasper National Park every day, and to visit a new place every year. Greg’s curiosity and tenacity led him to describe and protect important sites in Jasper and in other national parks. He discovered a cave in Jasper that is now critical habitat for an endangered bat and he has done similar work in Nahanni and Wood Buffalo National Parks. In Banff, his exploration and research in Castleguard Caves was critical in designating the cave as a Globally-significant Key Biodiversity Area. As a Royal Canadian Geographic Society Fellow, he also contributes on his own time to conservation beyond national parks. Greg has frequently participated in cave exploration and research trips with the Alberta Speleological Society, he has supported Government of Alberta bat conservation and he has also conducted numerous lengthy arctic expeditions, including volunteer surveys of remote glaciers and seabird colonies. Greg’s experience and skills in mountain travel and his intricate knowledge of the park have made him indispensable on countless visitor safety rescues.
Mentorship: Over the past 40 years of his career with Parks Canada and today, Greg Horne continually demonstrates a remarkable commitment and excellence in his job. Greg comes to work every day, ready to solve problems, and support the team. In the same way he has adapted to changes throughout his career, he has taken on the role of a supportive, enthusiastic and generous mentor – his most enduring contribution of all. Greg has mentored dozens of staff over the years, some of them just starting their career with Parks Canada, others who have already retired! His dedication, commitment, and perseverance are truly remarkable and inspiring. His longevity with Parks Canada also gives him a unique perspective on management of protected land and creative ways to overcome challenges and accomplish work objectives. His enthusiasm in doing so is truly contagious.
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