Lawyers for two environmental groups are going to court in an attempt to quash approval by Parks Canada of 15 proposed tent cabins at a popular lake in Jasper National Park.
Ecojustice, a national charitable organization involved in environmental issues, has filed papers in Federal Court on behalf of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and Jasper Environmental Association.
The organization says in a release that the proposed cabins at Maligne (mah-LEEN') Lake contravene the park's management plan because they require the release of new land for overnight commercial accommodations.
It says the concept would also put park wildlife, such as the endangered Maligne caribou herd and local grizzly bear populations, at greater risk.
Ecojustice notes that the caribou herd is down to just four animals, and that both the caribou and the grizzlies rely on undisturbed tracts of land to survive and recover.
Parks Canada has not commented on the court action.