According to the Teddy Bears Picnic, “if you go out in the woods today, you are in for a big surprise”. This is especially true in the Bow Valley for those who have not given consideration to encountering wildlife!

The Bow Valley is a primary wildlife movement corridor connecting the regional habitat zones of Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country. Bears frequently use this corridor. As the valley continues to develop, increased use by humans could result in increased encounters with bears. Our safety and the sustainability of wildlife in the valley will be dependant on our actions to prevent and/or react to such encounters.

A couple of years ago on the 18th of May I waded into the Broum Bridge pool on the LaHave River near Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. At this time of year the river is always high but reasonably clear with the worst of the spring runoff already gone through. This morning I decided to fish a small, classic Jock Scott. Wading here is tricky with big submerged boulders (kinda like walking on Volkswagens) so it’s slow going. Once I got my feet where they needed to be to fish the pool properly it wasn't long before the Jock attracted attention.

By the size of the swirl behind the fly I knew this was no grilse. The spring run in the Lahave River is legendary for its big Atlantic salmon. In recent years only a few hundred come into the river and I knew by the size and power of the swirl, one of these monsters was right in front of me. I shortened my line a few feet and with great excitement I cast again. Nothing! I let out a couple of feet of line and sent the Jock back to work. Bam!

For many of us, the act of going fly-fishing is more than just an activity on the water. Fly-fishing is a way for us to relax and recover from the day-to-day grind that is just part of living our lives. Pretty much anybody who goes fly-fishing understands the healing powers of the interaction between person, fish and water.

I wrote a story about the healing powers of the water from a personal perspective and so this experience left me open to an idea that was born in the United States, fathered by Retired Naval Captain Ed Nicholson. The program is called “Project Healing Waters” the cause that it serves is the spiritual and physical rehabilitation of war veterans in the U.S. through fly tying, fly-fishing. The program uses fly fishing clubs and organizations to provide people and equipment to carry out the instructional programs that are the integral part of the Project’s methodology and philosophy. I cannot help but believe that the friendships that must develop from these programs are also a benefit for both clients and instructors. You can access more information from www.projecthealingwaters.org and another site I ran across www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8996447