Code Poll results are in!

JFW members were invited to participate in a unique poll, which ran for the month of January 2019.  The question asked was, "Would you be in favour of a revision to the Junior Forest Warden Code?" 

142 JFW members responded to the poll.  
67.6% were in favour of the change.  This confidential poll was administered by the Membership Director, who endeavour to ensure that all JFW and Alumni adult members in good standing were notified of the poll and could vote.   A number of access issues were identified and addressed, and we hope that all members who wanted to participate, did so.     


The traditional version reads:

"God has given us the earth for our life. It is a great entail. It belongs as much to those who come after us as to us, and we have no right by anything we do, or neglect to do, to involve them in unnecessary penalties or to deprive them of benefits which are theirs by right."

 The revised version reads:

"We have been given the earth for our life. It is a great entail. It belongs as much to those who come after us as to us, and we have no right by anything we do, or neglect to do, to involve them in unnecessary penalties or to deprive them of benefits which are theirs by right."

Members are welcome to recite either version

Background

• The JFW Code is based on the writings of John Ruskin, a nineteenth-century naturalist and advocate for conservation.  Read more about John Ruskin and the history of Junior Forest Wardens in upcoming Tree Mail articles and on our website, ajfwa.ca.

• The new wording of the Code was proposed by the Chief Warden of Alberta, in response to requests from a great many members over the years.  The concern commonly expressed is that the starting phrase, "God has given us the earth", is somewhat at odds with the actual nature of Junior Forest Wardens: a secular organization focused on forestry, ecology, wilderness skills and leadership.  JFW welcomes people from all backgrounds, beliefs and world views.  The new wording is intended to address the great diversity of our membership, excluding no one, while respecting the traditions and values of the organisation.

Calling all Grads - applications due Feb 28

If you’re a Challenger who is graduating this year and haven’t received your Graduation Application by email yet, please email the completed Application and your photo to committee.acconf.mentors@ajfwa.ca.

The Graduation Application form and instructions can be found here:

https://sites.google.com/ajfwa.ca/home/jfw-members-only/jfw-events/ac-conference/jfw-grad-application

Deadline to submit is February 28, 2019.

Visit the ajfwa.ca website to see past graduates.

https://sites.google.com/ajfwa.ca/home/all-about-jfw/celebrating-jfw/jfw-graduates

Thank you,
Ingrid and Treva

Spring Conference and AGM - April 26-28 in Slave Lake

This will be held at the Slave Lake Inn and Conference Centre, we are working hard to keep the price down looking for sponsors and grants.  If anyone has any leads or has connections in the north who might sponsor something at the conference please let us know.

We are very excited to hold the Conference up north and are looking forward to some new sessions and seeing what has happened several years after a big forest fire.  

Some of the sessions we have looked into at this point are drum making, beading, dream catchers, soap stone carving, a blanket ceremony, medicinal plant walk, fish scale cards, moose hair tufting, tree of life pendants, bracelets, wildfire information, mushrooming, owls and a family paint session.

We sent out a bus survey in January to see who would be interested in being bused up to the conference but got very little responses so are hoping to have more families respond to the survey this time around.

Please contact Merry meredith.brotherston@ajfwa.ca or Monica monica.robinson@ajfwa.ca if you have any questions or feedback about the conference.  

Even if you are not attending please respond to the survey!

Thanks, and hope to see you there!!

JFW Tree in Stanley Park - submitted by Bennett family

Recently my family and I were in Vancouver and it was our mission to finally go searching for the famous JFW tree in Stanley Park. 

We had been given vague directions if where to find the tree, so we parked in the area and started our search. We paid for an hour thinking we would be done in 10 minutes. First we stopped and watched some ducks playing in the water. We continued on our way to where the map showed the tree would be. We searched and searched, then finally gave up and asked for help from an employee at the Stanley Park Train. She pointed us in a few directions of areas that had plaques. We looked in the Air Force Memorial, assuming it was not there. Then we continued on.... And low and behold we found the tree. It was right behind where we first stopped to see the ducks. We walked right by it and never even knew. 45 minutes of searching and walking and it was right there the whole time. It was a great adventure! We were quite happy to finally have found the tree! 

Its massive and beautiful!

Laura, Ken, Kallen, and Zoe Bennett
Cold Lake Chipmunks