Understory

A deeply personal and evocative journey into the complexities of nature, grief, and the search for meaning in the autumn of life.
Drawing on a lifetime spent in the wilds of western Canada's national parks and years of conservation work, Van Tighem reflects on a career spent protecting the natural world and the emotional toll of witnessing its decline. Freed from bureaucratic constraints after retirement, he turned to writing, activism, and politics, driven by a sense of duty to the landscapes and species he loves. But alongside his commitment to action came profound grief and the pressing question: how do we find hope amid environmental loss?
Van Tighem's reflections are anchored in the "understory" of his life-the hidden, tangled layers beneath the surface of his experiences. Like the shadowed depths of a forest, these memories and insights are both beautiful and unsettling, revealing the challenges and rewards of engaging fully with the world around us. With unflinching honesty, he examines the joys of connection, the pain of loss, and the enduring value of caring deeply, even when the odds feel insurmountable.
Written with the lyricism of a naturalist and the candour of a seasoned storyteller, Understory invites readers to confront their own relationships with nature and consider how they, too, can find purpose and hope in uncertain times.
For anyone who cherishes the wild, grapples with environmental grief, or seeks inspiration to keep moving forward, this memoir is both a solace and a call to action.

Kevin Van Tighem, a former superintendent of Banff National Park, has written more than 200 articles, stories, and essays on conservation and wildlife that have garnered him many awards, including Western Magazine Awards, Outdoor Writers of Canada book and magazine awards, and the Journey Award for Fiction. He is the author of Bears Without Fear, The Homeward Wolf, Heart Waters: Sources of the Bow River, and Our Place: Changing the Nature of Alberta. He lives with his wife, Gail, in High River, Alberta.