Charcoal Elk

This picture is a culmination of many days in Jasper, Alberta this winter to capture wildlife returning to the fire ravaged town and surrounding area of Jasper. These Elk are cruising through the charcoal timber. I framed the shot with burnt trees as borders. This entire mountain for as far as the eye can see is a black, charred mass of incinerated trees and just a slice of the magnitude of the fires that changed the landscape for this generation. Over 80,000 acres was burnt or around 325 square kilometers! These young Elk are harbingers for future hope with the first Spring since the fires on the horizon.