Coming events

October is a busy month for Meadow Lake JFWs!

Our 'JFW Basics' day this last Saturday was a success, and many skills were learned and/or enhanced.

Our next club meeting is this week - Tuesday evening - and we will meet at the outdoor site by the Community Garden.  Yes, it will be dark!  However, the weather is (so far) predicted to be quite nice, and we do have lighting for the activities that are planned.  (Additional lanterns would be appreciated!)  With any luck the sky will be clear and we can add stargazing to our evening plan.   We also have a number of things to discuss & decide on, so everyone's attendance will be appreciated.

Oct 15-17 is the annual AJFWA Fall Workshop, and all parents, Challengers and volunteers are encouraged to attend.  The cost is $90.00 per person, and includes food, lodging and some great programming.  You will feel very welcome, as JFW's are the friendliest group of people you'll ever meet!

Our next evening meeting is October 19th, location TBA

Hallowe'en will soon be upon us!  Christine and Mike have invited us to hold a spooky get-together at their farm on October 30th.    ACs and adults are encouraged to put their heads together for some great ideas, and possibly set up the event on the weekend before.

And then November... Remembrance Day... 'Mini-survival' weekend... Chainsaw safety course... Festival of Trees coat check... Evening meetings... loads of fun!

Welcome Back!!

Another year of JFW is about to begin and it is going to be an exciting year. We have changes happening everywhere; some new leaders, a new coordinator, a new meeting place and soon, some new members. We are going to start the year off with a planning meeting to be held on September 7th at 7 at our new outdoor home, the community garden (weather permitting). It will give people a chance to see where we will be meeting and the progress that has been made this summer on building our shelter. And it will also allow everyone to catch up with each other after a wonderful summer. September 14 is registration night so I expect to see lots of familiar faces and see some new ones as well. Anyone willing to help out and recruit are encouraged to come to Gateway Elementary School in your red shirt anytime after 4:30. It would be a good way to get your friends involved and meet new people. Fall Camp is just after that, starting on September 17th. What a great way to introduce new families to the wonderful experiences that the Junior Forest Wardens program provides. It is going to be an exciting year and I can hardly wait to get started. I hope to see everyone out September 7!

The Season is Done

Another year of JFW is done. It has been a fun year full of new friends and lots of learning. Although we are official done, there is still opportunities for fun and learning this summer. There are 2 exciting outreach programs July 17-24 or July 14-21as well as a Wilderness First Aid course August 14-15 for anyone over 12 years of age. Also some important dates to put on your calender are September 14 is registration night, September 17-19 is Fall Camp, October 15-17 is Fall Leadership Workshop, and July 10-16,2011 is National Camp. It is going to be another great year with new friends, new challenges, and some new leaders. Have a great summer and we hope to see everyone in September.

June Camp!

Hi everyone!

One day to go and then it's camp time!  

The weather is looking good so far - not hot, but not rainy either.  Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, and bring raincoats, just in case.

Something else to remember, is something for the silent auction.  This is something new we're trying this year, and should be a lot of fun!

Bringing a friend?  Guests are welcome, and this is a great way to introduce new people to our great club.  Please get them to bring along the photo & insurance waivers, all filled out.

The camp information is online here.  Please call or email if you have any questions.

See you REAL soon!

Well, what a camp we had!

Our 2010 Meadow Lake Woodlanders "Olympic" Family Camp has now come and gone, and it was fun!

Our Camp Director, Brenda Hill, deserves a gold medal herself, as do the Wardens, leaders and parents who put so much effort into planning and preparations, setup and tear-down, and of course keeping it all on track all weekend.

Our sincere thanks to all those who supplied gear, supplies, prizes, munchies and snacks, and who cooked, cleaned, entertained, supervised, helped with events, came early and stayed late and generally did whatever was asked.  A great camp just can't happen without such great support from everyone.

Our Adventurers and Challengers displayed EXEMPLARY leadership as they coached and inspired their teams through all the events and challenges.  We're really proud of them!

Others contributed as well:  The Meadow Lake Provincial Park and the Dorintosh Fire Cache contributed greatly to our comfortable lodgings, George Schwartz sharpened the big Swede saw, and Kanndece Quijata-Sawitsky and Eldon Hill (II and III) made us dance!

Most of all, thanks to all of you who came (some from many miles away) and participated.  This was truly a weekend to remember!

But wait, there's more!

On March 19, Wardens aged 12 and over were treated to an excellent tour by the forestry staff of Meadow Lake OSB.  They visited an active timer harvesting operation, learned about the methods and equipment in use, and saw some interesting wildlife.    Following that, they set out to the woods to build shelters for an overnight camp, at which they practiced some bushcraft skills, camp cooking, orienteering and other activities.  Many thanks to Travis, Colin and  Jamie of ML OSB, and to Eldon and Richard for great leadership!

(Now I can't wait until June Regional Camp - how about you?)

March Family Camp!

Here's the information - all JFW's are invited!
Don't miss this year's big winter event!

A JFW Legend

Did you happen to read the story 'Opapa and Me' in the November Readers Digest?  If you did, you may have recognized the bearded gentleman in the red uniform on the title page:  Our very own Chief Warden Emeritus, Ernst Klaszus, much-beloved and affectionately known as 'Mr. Tree'.


You can read the entire story - just follow the link below.  It's well worth the time, even if you've never met Ernst!

Mr. Tree  By Jeremy Klaszus

JFW Curling Funspiel

Hey JFW families!! This Sunday, January 10^th. Our club is putting on a curling funspiel and your invited!

We’re going to have a little “teaching session” for those of us who need all the help we can get! If your interested in joining the teaching session you can meet us at the curling rink at 11:30a.m. - 12:30pm. For those of you who are already pro’s you can join us at 12:30pm., for a 1:00pm. start. We should wrap up the day between 4 and 5pm.

This is set up to be fun for all ages and we’ll have some games for our younger wardens too, if they get a little tired of curling.

Because of insurance purposes any children/adults joining us for this day who are NOT registered members of Junior Forest Wardens will have to fill out a photo and insurance waiver BEFORE coming to the curling rink. Sorry, NO EXCEPTIONS!. Contact Neil at least 2 days before the event for waivers.

Be Sure to have a CLEAN pair of runners with you if you plan on participating in the funspeil, it’s required by the rink.

This event is covered completely by JFW so lets make sure to show up and enjoy the day! Lunch, snacks and drinks are available in the lounge upstairs for an additional cost.

Come for the curling, come for the prizes, come for the fun!!

See you there!!