Frank discusses his lifelong passion for nature. He highlights the need for education in regards to natural areas as well as safety and preservation efforts.
The Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (CPA) asked me about my interest and my adventures heading out into Alberta natural richness. Below is an interview but first some context from a recent conference about the benefits of not staying home.
- The 20-5-3 Nature Pyramid
- Rest First and then the Rest of the Priorities
- CPA Asks – How Did Frank Get Into Nature
- What inspired your passion of nature conservation?
- What is your favourite part about being in nature?
- Where are some of your favourite places to walk or hike?
- Do you notice a change in your mental health after spending time outside?
- Finding Time to Be Outdoors
- What Safety Considerations or Preparation is Needed Before Heading Out?
- Helping Nature
- How Has Your CPA Helped You Visit Nature?
- References and Further Reading
The 20-5-3 Nature Pyramid
I attended the May 2025 CPA Elevate Conference. One of the speakers was Steven Langer who is a wellness consultant. His presentation included the Nature Pyramid.
In a nutshell, Steve recommends that you reconnect with nature frequently and at different durations. Daily you should visit a green space (such as a local park) for at least 20 minutes. Weekly, a two-hour excursion to a larger green space. A full weekend monthly and then 3-days off the grid at least annually.
An internet search suggests there are some variations of these amounts but Steve’s numbers yields a handy mnemonic: 20-5-3 of 20-minutes per Day – 5-hours per Week – 3-days per Year.
For you urban-philes you might be thinking – ARE YOU NUTS! No phone, memes, or TOILETS! Okay, a 3-day stay in a 5-Star spa is probably acceptable. But back to the rest of Steve’s presentation.
Rest First and then the Rest of the Priorities
The point is that Rest is not to be earned but instead a requirement of good health on par with sleep, eating, and coffee (I added the last one). Many studies [1] link connecting with nature with reduced stress, improved mental health, and better physical well-being. The fact that nature requires you to hike, bike, walk, paddle, ski, etc. is a physical activity bonus.
In other words, plan your rest periods first and then the rest of the priorities.
CPA Asks – How Did Frank Get Into Nature
Leaving the conference, CPA Alberta wanted to interview me because they heard I was involved in the ‘nature-thing’. The following are some notes from that interview. Full disclosure, although I have enjoyed the outdoors my whole life, I am not Grizzly Adams [2] nor was I involved extreme sports. But not being particularly athletic has not stopped me from getting outdoors.
What inspired your passion of nature conservation?
My family enjoyed camping, and I was heavily involved in Scouting both as a youth and leader. As a bonus, growing up in Calgary meant that ‘going to the mountains’ was something you did as a kid. Raising my family, we continued with that tradition. Our youngest son first canoed the Red Deer River when he was about 2 years old.
My retirement project was to write the YEGVille.ca trail guide. Where can you go within a 2-hour drive of Edmonton. Looking at a map, there are hundreds of locations. Visiting these sites, I realized that many have been abused. Thus my retirement project expanded into reporting on the state of these sites through the Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas.
What is your favourite part about being in nature?
I would agree with Steven Langer about the meditative and health benefits of nature. As humans, we evolved in nature and living in cities is relatively recent. There is a deep-seated connection with nature that needs to be periodically re-affirmed.
A side benefit of exploring Alberta’s protected areas is the sense of discovery and adventure. While some of the sites have trails and amenities, many have not seen a visitor in months or years. In my travels, I have seen an ancient tractor in the middle of a marsh; how did it get there? On a winter trip, I came across a kill site. An unfortunate rabbit was fought over by an owl and coyote. Who won that battle and who went hungry that day? There is always something interesting around the corner of the trail.
Where are some of your favourite places to walk or hike?
I am attempting to visit each one of the hundreds of protected areas that are spread across the province. Some are very remote, some are islands, some near cities. In other words, my favourite place to go is the next one on the list!
Do you notice a change in your mental health after spending time outside?
There are two parts to this. Simply being outside is relaxing. Of course, if you are making notes for a guidebook or observations for a site inspection, you don’t get to turn your brain off. Nevertheless, the semi-meditative state walking, looking, listening, and observing is cathartic. Processing the notes and photos on the computer afterwards, maybe not so much.
Finding Time to Be Outdoors
CPA Alberta Asks: It can be challenging for professionals, who spend a lot of time at their desk, to find time for outdoor activity. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for someone to soak in the benefits of nature?
I would defer to Steve Langer here; you must find time to rest. If you have children, you need to introduce them to nature early. Trying to drag a 12-year-old away from friends and video games to visit nature for the first time is unlikely to be successful.
Time is not the only precious commodity, money is another. It is fine for me or Steve Langer to suggest getting out monthly or yearly but how do you do that if you are working two or three jobs? Nature is expensive. Unlike in Europe where a train ride will take you to a rural area, in Alberta you need a reliable car and money for gas.
How do we help kids and their families meet even a small portion of Steve 20-5-3 rule? How can a family understand the value of a natural area if they have never visited one? Challenging questions for society.
What Safety Considerations or Preparation is Needed Before Heading Out?
We are becoming increasingly nature-illiterate. This is function of increased screen time, moving away from a rural lifestyle, changing demographics, and the aforementioned cost of nature. Twenty years ago, people talked about ‘Disney-fying’ nature. That is the outdoors is filled with talking rabbits and birds that land on your finger.
Today, I would be more concerned about ‘YouTube’ing’ nature. Watching some videos, you may be forgiven to think that you can walk into a wilderness area, take some selfies, and then go home.
While very unlikely, it is still possible to be at the wrong place at the wrong time when it comes to nature. A lovesick bull moose can be just as dangerous as a mother bear protecting its cubs. Even less dramatic events can spoil a good day out. This past year, I have twice lost a rubber boot down a hidden hole. Fortunately, I managed to get the boot out, but it was long and cold walk back to the vehicle.
As a result, I don’t leave home without an emergency kit. If I have to spend a night in the outdoors for some reason, it is critical that I can make a fire, have some fluids and snacks, and that someone knows where I went and when I am due back.
If this is something you are not comfortable with, then start out at tamer locations. Join hiking and nature clubs to gain experience, and make sure someone knows where you are.
Helping Nature
CPA Alberta Asks In Canada and Alberta, we are blessed with nature at our doorstep. How can we help to preserve this blessing?
Respect is paramount. For example, anything you bring into a natural area, you have to take with you. If you enjoy motorized sports, practice these in designated areas. An ATV can quickly wreck a wetland, and it might take decades or longer to regenerate. Consider becoming a member of nature organization such as Nature Alberta, Ducks Unlimited, or a local hiking club. Beyond the aesthetics, preserving natural systems helps in biodiversity, water management, wildfire control, and keeping us humans in touch with our roots.
Accountants are used to thinking about preserving asset value. This is exactly what protecting natural areas is all about. There is no point crafting an award winning ESG statement if on the weekends you go mudding in wetlands in your ATV.
How Has Your CPA Helped You Visit Nature?
When I was about 12-year, I went winter camping with the Scouts and my dad came along. Much to my horror, I discovered I forgot to pack my sleeping bag. My dad gave up his and stayed up all night. The two lessons learned from that experience is being a dad at a Scout camp is a risky affair and preparation is critical. Accountants are known to be detailed orientated, but this is critical if you cannot simply pop home for a forgotten item.
Beyond the forgotten gear, accountants also think in systems and standards, both of which are applicable to understanding natural areas. Ecological systems are more intricate than even the most complex supply chain. Nevertheless, training on the former can help with the latter. Finally, biologists and accountants both rely on standards. For example, the Linnaean taxonomy structure would give any accounting standard a run for its money in complexity. But both do the same thing, provide a systematic way to think and value the subject at hand.
In other words, accountants are born to go outside!
References and Further Reading
- I won’t attempt to list the long list of studies and references of the benefits of visiting nature. Instead, a simple internet search on the terms: “health benefits of nature” will suffice.
- Grizzly-Who?? For those who did not grow up in the 1970’s, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_and_Times_of_Grizzly_Adams.
YEG Ville 