In honour of the United Nations’ International Mountain Day, the Canadian Mountain Network hosted the first annual Canadian Mountain Network Mountain Festival on 9-15 December 2016 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta.
The mountain festival brought the research community together to celebrate the incredible richness and diversity of mountain cultures, ecosystems, and landscapes in Canada and around the world.
With this festival, the Canadian Mountain Network joined other Canadian mountain communities in hosting events to mark the United Nations’ International Mountain Day – a significant first for Canada’s mountain culture!
To honor the United Nations’ 2016 theme for International Mountain Day, “Mountain Cultures: celebrating diversity and strengthening identity”, the Mountain Festival featured events that celebrate some of the unique aspects of Canadian Mountain Culture. Highlights from the event list include:
Bison Belong: an informative celebration of Bison Returning to Banff National Park
Life in the Vertical World with professional mountain climber Sonnie Trotter Keynote Event
Mountain Symposium: an interactive discussion about the unique challenges faced by mountain communities
Live streaming of Canadian International Mountain Day celebrations
Spirit of the Mountains – Northern Indigenous Stories of Place hosted by UAlberta North
Winter Solstice social event and book launch
Hans Gmoser Film screening
Alpine Art Show
Mountain Festival events hosted by the Canadian Mountain Network were free to attend, and keen audiences braved the Edmonton, Alberta, December cold to attend. Be sure to check back often for photo and video highlights of 2016 events, also searchable across Canadian Mountain Network social media platforms with #IMD2016CMN.
www.internationalmountainday.ca
http://www.fao.org/forestry/internationalmountainday/92109/en/