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Deep in a thousand-hectare woods: Protecting the magic of Happy Valley Forest
![Aerial view of Happy Valley Forest, ON (Photo by Mike Dembeck)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/blog/hvf-mike-dembeck.jpg)
Aerial view of Happy Valley Forest, ON (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
One day it rained red in Happy Valley Forest, and I was there to see it. This was not the red rain of cast-off maple leaves in the fall. This rain painted the tree branches in the spring. And I have witnesses. This is how it went down. It was...
Being happy volunteering in Happy Valley Forest
![Squeaky clean signboard at Happy Valley Forest (Photo by Yoke Wong)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/blog/HVF-Blog-3-Squeaky-Clean-Sign-Yoke-Wong-thumb.jpg)
Squeaky clean signboard at Happy Valley Forest (Photo by Yoke Wong)
In April 2019, my Tiles and Trails hiking group leader, Daisy, asked if any members would be interested in doing trail maintenance at a nearby nature reserve. I had done trail cleanups in the past, so trail maintenance was a natural fit. Plus, it...
A memorable dance at dawn
![Sharp-tailed grouse on The Yarrow (Photo by Brian Keating)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/blog/group-of-grouse-brian-keating-thumb.jpg)
Sharp-tailed grouse on The Yarrow (Photo by Brian Keating)
The sharp-tailed grouse dance at The Yarrow is one of many spellbinding natural displays observable at this special place. I’ve been lucky enough to visit The Yarrow, or the Fischer Ranch as it was previously known, more than a dozen times...
The Yarrow
![Spread Eagle Mountain from The Yarrow (Photo by NCC)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/blog/spread-eagle-mountain-from-the-Yarrow-thumb.jpg)
Spread Eagle Mountain from The Yarrow (Photo by NCC)
As the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s natural area manager for the Waterton region in Alberta, I need to sometimes simply pinch myself and look around at the spellbinding landscapes that I work on. I started this role in May 2022. But I...
Wildlife encounters in rural Saskatchewan
![My co-worker and I comparing our feet to prints left by a bear in rural BC.(Photo by Matthew Braun/NCC staff)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/blog/matthew-braun-bear-print-matthew-braun-thumb.jpg)
My co-worker and I comparing our feet to prints left by a bear in rural BC.(Photo by Matthew Braun/NCC staff)
Wildlife encounters during my rural Saskatchewan childhood were rare, and you’d have to include cats and dogs and the numerous coyotes surrounding our farm to really pump my numbers up. And while coyotes arguing with dogs during the quiet...
What they do in the shadows
![Big brown bat (Photo by Brock Fenton)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/mammal/Big-brown-bat-Brock-Fenton-thumb.jpg)
Big brown bat (Photo by Brock Fenton)
I love an underdog. I think it’s easy to fall in love with the quarterback or the frontperson in a rock ‘n’ roll band, but my heart has always belonged to the benchwarmer or the drummer. Growing up, while kids my age toted around...