A wedding day is one that every couple will always remember, but for Becky Vanderplas and Dori Gudmundson a surprise visit from a special friend made a wonderful day even more amazing.
The story began almost half a year before their August 28 wedding. In the spring of 2010, local Fish and Wildlife officers responded to a report of a wounded bald eagle in a field along Highway 22, north of the Pass.
Fish and Wildlife Officer John Clarke found the injured bird and brought him back to Blairmore. The bird’s wing was injured and he could not fly. Clarke, looking to send the eagle to the
Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale so it might recover, recruited Vanderplas’ help to transport the bird.
Clarke says that he knew she was an avid bird person, and she thought it was great to have the bald eagle in her car for the trip to Coaldale. Feeling a bond with the bird, she turned him over to Colin Weir of the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre. It was learned that the eagle could be treated and would recover.
