This tree covered road curves its way among remnant stands of old growth forest, cold water upland streams and gullies.  This is the land I grew up among, this land for me is filled with memory and a strong relationship to place.  It is part of the endangered Nova Scotia Acadian forest where hardwoods live among hemlock and red spruce. 

This land is full of others, living. Last winter the coyotes killed a young deer among deep snow and a covered sky. This summer evening a barred owl calls as a bat curves its way through darkness. The tracks of fisher and bear are held firmly in mud,  their dark silhouettes traveling solo.  Many plants and mosses cover the ground, relying on the shade of trees that stretch out across this land. There is a sense this place is theirs and I am only meant to wander for a time and keep their secrets close. 

This forest and tree covered road was under threat to be clear-cut by a large industrial forest company. The small rural community has joined forces and formed The Friends of Redtail Society to raise $250,000 to purchase 313 acres.  I am photographing this land to have a history of it living, to say to those who might not see value in trees standing, that there is life here. It is found in the small details that connect a forest together. Over time animals have worn paths into the earth, have dug homes into hill sides and tree branches sheltered young.  These details are their history of living and dying on this land, in this place, where I find energy in footsteps and silence.