Meadow Lake Junior Forest Wardens

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Another club year is about to begin!

Meadow Lake Junior Forest Wardens are gearing up for another great season of learning and outdoor adventure.
This year's focus is on the Ecology pillar of the JFW program, which includes learning about the plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms that inhabit the ecosystems that we share. Come and discover, in a fun hands-on way, who lives in the soil beneath our feet, in the ponds and rivers in our area, and in our forests and rangelands. Find out how weather, climate, human activity and other factors affect these complex living systems.
But above all, come and enjoy a wide variety of activities with a friendly, welcoming group of people! Junior Forest Wardens is one of the few programs where parents get to have just as much fun as the kids! That's right - you join as a family, and all family members take part. Parents and preschoolers come along to camps, meetings and outings, and everyone rolls up their sleeves and gets dirty, together!
Junior Forest Wardens is a national organization, and members have opportunities to take part in events and adventures along with people from clubs across the country. On the list of possibilities this year are the leadership workshop in October, special weekend camps for kids 11 and under, wilderness adventures for kids 12 & over, a youth leadership weekend, and - just maybe - a trip to Newfoundland and a visit from our Japanese compatriots, the All Japan Green Friends. That's all in addition to events closer to home, beginning with our regional startup camp September 1-4 at Lac La Biche!
Join the Adventure!

Sunday, April 16, 2017

AJFWA Tree Mail: Memorial Gathering for Larry Nelson - June 3

AJFWA Tree Mail: Memorial Gathering for Larry Nelson - June 3: June 3, 2017 Pagan Lake Campground , Saskatchewan Relatives, friends, and co-workers are cordially invited to gather at Pagan Lake fro...

AJFWA Tree Mail: The Passing of a Legend: Larry Nelson, 1950 - 2017...

AJFWA Tree Mail: The Passing of a Legend: Larry Nelson, 1950 - 2017...: It is with profound sadness that we share with you the news of the sudden passing of Larry Nelson at his home in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan....

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Welcome Back!

Welcome to all new and returning members!

We are looking forward to another great year! As you can see by our calendar, we have an exciting event planned for each month, and busy weeknight meetings in between.

Our year starts off with a bang - our Regional Family Camp is coming up next weekend! We hope that most of our families are able to attend, even though it will be short notice for new members. This is an opportunity to get to know JFW members from other clubs in our region, and is sure to be a fun way to end the summer and start the JFW year. Read more about it here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxhVaytW74o6ZV81cTd2bnpJcDE4TVg3YXR2NS03b1dTYVlN/view?usp=sharing

See you all soon!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Winter Camp at Oshkidee!

Here is (nearly) everything you need to know about this weekend's camp
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KqWGqPF49HUiKUIlognBkc1JxQ0d0coal49zFeul9nE/edit?usp=sharing

See you there!

Sunday, February 8, 2015

What to Take Along

What to take along - Personal kits

At last week's AC meeting, the group members each displayed the contents of their personal daypacks, and shared ideas.

Here is their list, and it's a good one!

Type of pack

Comfortable rucksack with several pockets are practical, can require some rummaging to get at items. Having items assembled in small kits makes it easier to stay organized
Multi-pocket vests make it easy to organize & access items; beware of things falling out.
Dry bags are waterproof and versatile but do add weight

Clothing

Gloves
Socks (wool, especially Merino wool)
Rain gear
Extra layers
Sunglasses (UV & Polarized is best)

Water

1 litre bottle or soft flask
Electrolyte powder
Water purifier (life straw, Katadyne, etc)

Food

High-energy bars
Nuts, g.o.r.p.
Smarties and other tasty stuff
Lightweight stove & fuel & pot
One-dish meal kits (dehydrated)
Gum & other personal preferences
Utensils (compact)

Tools

Knife
Knife sharpener
Hatchet
Tape (hockey, electrical, duct, medical...)
Fishing hooks, line, sinkers
Cordage (paracord is excellent)
Leatherman-type tool
Sewing kit
Hand saw
Digging tool

Fire starting

Ignition (matches, flint & steel, matches, etc - have several options)
Tinder (lint, cotton balls, shaved birchbark, etc)
Prepared firestarters
Candles

First Aid

Mors Kochanski-inspired personal kit
Hand warmers
Vaseline (also helps start fires)
After-bite
Ice pack
Bugspray

Shelter

Reflective space blanket
Tent fly
Orange garbage bags

Hygiene

Toilet paper
Soap (various kinds available: biodegradable, waterless, etc)

Navigation

Map
Compass (also has a mirror)
GPS option
Flashlight/headlamp

Signalling

Mirror (also good for first aid)
Flares (same launcher also works with bear bangers)
Gun (only if permitted and competent) (Also handy in case of bear, cougar or moose attack)
Cellphone
Pencil & paper

Other

Hand warmers
Reference books

We also discussed varying the contents of one's pack according to:

Season - Availability of water, caloric needs, extra clothing, shelter
Group size - can minimize some supplies (e.g. one or two cold packs may be sufficient for first aid for the entire group)
Expected timeframe - take what's needed, plus enough for an unexpected extra day
Purpose of outing

As a general principle, every ounce counts, and every item should have more than one use if at all possible.

Here's the brainstorm board

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Resources and Ideas from Nature Sask

Here are some tidbits from the pages of the latest edition of Nature Saskatchewan's quarterly newsletter NatureViews (copies will be available to club members soon)

Past President Donna Bruce was in Scotland this summer visiting a nature reserve inspired by author Sir John Philip Lister-Kaye. The Aigas Field Centre works hard at restoring natural habitat and wildlife in the Highlands. There are many parallels to Saskatchewan, and much inspiration to be found there. (How about a club field trip? http://www.aigas.co.uk/)

Dean Cattell, Conservation Director, is a Pierceland resident and a good friend of JFW. He recommends that we become familiar with the new Environment Code, recently published by Saskatchewan Environment: http://environment.gov.sk.ca/Code
A quote shared by Dean: "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." - Aldo Leopold

The 2015 Spring Meet is June 19-21 in Saltcoats. It sure would be great to send a Meadow Lake JFW delegate!

A Winter Birding Contest runs Dec 1 - Feb 28. This is a bird watching activity accessible to everyone. Contact boyd.metzler@sasktel.net for more information.

Christmas Gift Idea! Saskatchewan Birds 2015 is a beautiful calendar, and proceeds support the work of Nature Sask Available from nikovich@sasktel.net ($20 ea plus postage)

Citizen Science! Participate in various projects that are enjoyable learning experiences and benefit science and conservation efforts. Some possibilities:

Christmas Bird Count - Between Dec 14 - Jan 5, a great school vacation project!
Zooniverse gives you access to citizen science around the world - browse and learn, or participate if you have the ability. Here's a fun one - listen to whale songs!
National Parks have volunteer opportunites, such as this one at Grasslands National Park
Nature Saskatchewan sponsors a group of Nature Watch and Stewards of Saskatchewan programs that are very suitable for individual or club projects

A must-see
Have you heard the phrase, "Canary in a coal mine"? In days gone by, miners would take a caged bird underground with them. A dead "canary" would warn the miners that conditions were quickly becoming hostile to life. Well, think of the world as one big coal mine, and Watch This Video! Visit the website too. The implications are stunning.

Then, have a look at the video on this website: http://stateofthebirds.org/. How many birds on this list do you recognize?

How many ways can you think of that climate change is affecting birds and other wildlife? Perhaps more than you might realize - read more here!

Did you know - wildlife populations are in trouble worldwide. Read this recent report, summarizing 30 years of research: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/

Nature Saskatchewan has a new video out - have a look.

Consider buying your family a NS membership - it's a great Christmas present!

The Woodlanders Junior Forest Wardens are Nature Saskatchewan's affiliated club in Meadow Lake. Nature Sask is the provincial natural history society, and a strong voice for conservation and education.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Welcome New Members (and welcome back returning families!)

The Woodlanders Junior Forest Wardens are excited to be kicking off a new year, and looking forward to plenty of adventures in 2014-15.

We are a club for families who want to do things together: parents & kids participate together in a wide variety of outdoor-related activities. As our Pledge says, we foster "appreciation and respect for our forests, wildlife and natural heritages". And we have a lot of fun in the process!

Please have a look around at this website, especially some of the informational material such as "What is JFW", "Join us" and our promotional video.

Come and see us at the Community Registration night, Sept 9, or send us a note info@woodlandersjfw.org

It's a great time to be a Junior Forest Warden!

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

National Camp Photos

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Important Information - National Camp and Club Planning

Hello Woodlanders!

The next few months are going to be busy ones for Junior Forest Wardens!

Here are the major happenings (in addition to the regular meetings)

April 26 - Cache In Trash Out - Litter cleanup at Pagan Lake, plus fun with GPS!
Thanks to Chad for lining this up.

May 30-June1 - Family Camp at Greig Lake. We will be joined by many JFW families from other clubs, and the focus will be on getting ready for National Camp and having an awful lot of fun! Watch for further information coming soon

June 7-8 - Family Canoe Camp at Mustus Lake. Bring your tent & PFD! A low-key breath of fresh air! Watch for further information coming soon

July - National Camp 2014! This is a huge event and we will simply need all club members to pitch in. This is too good to miss - a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you and your family will never forget! Lots more information to follow, but here is a start:

Advance information is available on the JFW website: www.jfwa.ca
The National Camp website will be opening in stages.

General information will be posted soon. Check back often for updates!
You will receive an email with your member log-in in the next few weeks. Be sure to log in, change your password and let us know if you have difficulties
Family registration will open before the end of April. Be sure to enter all your family registration and send in payment before the earlybird deadline!
Session signup will open in June. There are a huge variety, but they fill up fast so don't delay!

Ways that you can help, starting now!

Club AGM and leadership for the coming year.
It is fun to be a member, it is much more fun and rewarding to be involved, and there are many ways to do that. Something for everyone! We want to have all positions filled by May 31

Tony has indicated that it is time to hand over the role of Club Coordinator to someone new, and will of course provide lots of help for the transition. Thanks, Tony, for a job well done!
There are also opportunities to serve as age-group leaders and assistants, merchandise and equipment managers, event planners, and others. JFW is participatory - we depend on everyone pitching in!

This document summarizes some of the key roles

So, we'll be seeing lots of each other, as we enjoy our coming club events, National camp, and getting ready for next year!

It's a great time to be a Junior Forest Warden!

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

It's time to get into National Camp mode!

Yes, National Camp 2014 is coming fast! As you know, this is the first-time EVER that this huge event has been held in Saskatchewan, AND it will be right here, in our own backyard, in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park!

There are many ways to be involved. The first, and most important is: Plan To Attend! Book those holidays, and get the camper ready!

Next, read all about it. There is "advance information" available on www.jfwa.ca, the JFW official website. Also, the National Camp website will be open to members very soon

Finally, there are many tasks that need people to do, now and as Camp draws near. A growing list is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H2lkh7XaJXvCetwvTtDmgmGAFn8_DnTp3pfS93kU8Zs/pub

Happy National Camping!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Former JFW Members - Take our Quiz!

We would like to hear from our past members.
Whether you were part of the club for one year or twelve, we want to have your insights on what makes JFW good, and what can make it excellent.

Click HERE to begin our short questionnaire!

Many thanks

Saturday, July 27, 2013

This Month's Tree Mail - a Must-Read!

Please take a few moments to download and read the August Tree Mail.
It is full of inspiring stories about the southern Alberta floods, and how Junior Forest Wardens were there to help!
This says a lot about the kind of organisation we belong to!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Cody's Speech

The following is a speech composed by Warden Cody Tallmadge for his 4H club. We think you may enjoy it...

KEEP OUR FORESTS GREEN !!!

Good evening judges, leaders, guests and fellow 4-H members.

Hi my name is Cody. I am here to talk about Junior Forest Wardens.

"Keep our forest green" is our motto for our Junior Forest Warden club.

I am a first year member of the Junior Forest Warden club in Meadow Lake. My age group is called the Trailblazers.

Our club has an annual winter camp.

This year it was on February 22 to the 25^th.

My mom and I went to a camp called Camp Oshkidee on the shores of Jeanette Lake.

Our first night we slept in a log cabin lodge.

The room only had one bunk bed in it !!

Our second night there, we slept in a quinzee.

A quinzee is like an igloo.

It is not made out of ice blocks, but is made from a HUGE pile of snow.

The snow pile was 7 feet high by 10 feet wide and 14 feet long.

The snow had to be piled the day before.

We shovelled and shovelled and shovelled and so on………4 hours later…….our snow pile was finished with the helping hands of Neil, Mathew and other wardens and leaders.

The snow was very sugary, not sticky, so it had to set up and harden over night.

The next day we had to dig out the cave to sleep in.

The walls had to be about 1 foot thick for good insulation.

It took all afternoon to scoop out all that snow.

It was cool in there that night, but it was alright

We had good warm blankets

I went snowshoeing at night and played snow shoe baseball.

We had lots of good food in the main lodge.

I helped cook the chili for supper on the first night.

I also earned my bronze badge on our camping weekend.

I had lots of fun !!

If you enjoy the outdoors, camping, archery or fishing, you should join our local Junior Forest Warden Club.

Thank you for listening

Friday, May 3, 2013

JFW News for Woodlanders!!!

Lots of things happening, this month, next month, next fall and all the way to next summer!

Last Weekend the Annual AGM was well attended by ML Woodlanders. Our ‘brag board’ was admired by many, and lots of questions were asked, like “How did you do that?” Thanks to everyone who contributed to that project.

The AGM was memorable, and we have three new faces on the AJFWA executive: Roger Madaire, President; Jackie Hromyk, Vice President; Leigh-Anne Butler, Secretary. Lisa Patrick stays on as Treasurer, Dawn Friesen as Membership Director. Al Wardale is taking up his role as Past President with gusto, and Terry Garrett continues as Chief Warden.

There were many good sessions, and a moving tribute to former Chief Warden Ernst Klaszus, with many of his family in attendance.

The most exciting news: There will be a National Camp in July 2014, and the location will be in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park!

Mom’s Pantry Orders will be in this Friday. Please arrange to pick up your orders from Marsh’s between 5PM & 9PM Friday. 513 2nd Ave W, 236-2166

Saturday May 4th is our intended Sprucewood Derby. Many of you have bought car kits, and hopefully most are nearing completion. If you need assistance, please let Tony or Neil know very very soon! Watch your email for further details.

Planning Meeting. Monday evening, 7:00 PM On the agenda: May Family Camp, June Canoe Trip, Fall Meet preparations, and the remainder of this season’s events.

May 14 & 28 Tuesday Evenings - will be excellent, please attend, we have a lot to do in a very short time!

May 24-26 Spring Camp at Greig Lake - Our last camp of the season, and already it is looking like a great program is taking shape. Please plan to attend, even if you have to pull rabbits out of hats to be there.

Our new President, Roger Madaire and his family are hoping to attend!

On the program, among other activities, are birdhouse building, the all-new-soon-to-be-famous Tree-A-Thon, and touring the proposed National Camp site.

May 29th & 30th (Wednesday evening, Thursday afternoon) The Prairie Shelterbelt Program has asked us to take care of this year’s tree delivery. The tree truck arrives in Meadow Lake on Wednesday, May 29th at 6:00pm. We unload & sort the orders that evening. Thursday from 12-6pm people arrive to collect their orders, and we collect their money. The shipping cost will be $731.85, the revenue will be $1370.00 and the profit for the Junior Forest Wardens will be $638.15!

We will need about a dozen people Wednesday evening, and shifts of three Thursday afternoon.

This may very well be PFRA’s last-ever tree shipment, and we are fortunate to be able to get in on it!.

Canoe Camping Trip June 7-8-9 on the Mustus Lakes. This is a 2-day or 3-day event (your choice) and what could be better - easy paddling, beautiful location, great companions, likely good fishing and definitely good food!

Tuesday June 11 - Club Windup & Annual General Meeting. This is an important meeting, our last formal get-together of the year. Along with a potluck supper and some fun activities, we will make some crucial decisions and get our ducks in a row for next year. Among the priorities:

- Club leaders and executive (must have all positions filled)

- representatives on regional and national board

- other club roles, tasks, projects

- New or revised policies

- Initial planning for the coming year

We have really appreciated having energetic, dependendable and creative leadership teams for each age group this year. Please show your support by attending this meeting!

June 14-16 Family Camp and Ernst Trail Dedication at Long Lake Camp. Westlock Whitetails JFW are hosting a camp at one of our favourite camp facilities, near Athabasca. The highlight is a formal tree planting and a re-dedication of the Ernst Klaszus Memorial Hiking Trail. Highly recommended!

June 14-16 Nature Saskatchewan Spring Meet at Grasslands National Park. This twice-yearly event focuses on conservation and nature education. All JFW members are welcome and encouraged to attend. See http://www.naturesask.ca/get-involved/spring-meet for more details.

Other events, camps and learning opportunities are ongoing throughout the summer. Be sure to watch Tree Mail and www.jfwa.ca for updates and information.

Tri-Region Invitational Family Camp, Labour Day Weekend. We hope that at least five Meadow Lake families will travel to this first-ever event, to have some serious fun with the Bobcats and Snow Geese JFW clubs. Some other ‘notable persons’ are likely to be there as well!

Registration and Club Start-up, September 2013. Time to start thinking now about what we want to do as a club, how we want to present our club to the public, and how to attract new member families.

Nature Saskatchewan Fall Meet Sept 20-22. This is our best-ever opportunity to spread awareness about Junior Forest Wardens across Saskatchewan, while we play host and show off our beautiful corner of the province. We can have a lot of fun with this! The AJFWA is very supportive as well, and will provide any assistance possible

Fall Camp 2013 - Camp Oshkidee in November? Several people had the same great idea - why wait until March to get everyone out to a weekend camp at this great facility? A November family camp will be a great club-building, get-to-know-each-other event, and we will have a blast!

And finally, the BIG BIG News: National Camp 2014, July 13-19, Meadow Lake Provincial Park!!!

Mark your calendars now! Book your holidays! You remember all those other events that we said are too good to miss? Well, they were, but this one is approximately 99 times as good!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Some fine young Wardens carrying our flags at the Remembrance Day service.

Good job, William, Liam and Matthew!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

A new season begins.. yippee!

Junior Forest Wardens is about to begin... and already there are lots of great events on the plan!

Come see us at the Community Registration Night Tuesday Sept 11th at Gateway school.
Talk to members, sign up, buy a t-shirt, get excited!

Have a look at this new video that explains what we're all about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANP9UpdO3ZY

Our first meeting will be Tuesday evening, Sept 18th, 6PM at our outdoor meeting area, 6th St E & 8th Ave (by the Community Garden)

See you there!

Monday, July 2, 2012

Junior Forest Wardens wind up another great year

The Meadow Lake “Woodlanders” Junior Forest Wardens annual windup meeting was held June 13^th at Pagan Lake. Club executive, leaders and key events are all in place for September and we are looking forward to another year of hands-on outdoor learning. Here are some highlights of the year just ended:

June 2011 saw about 650 JFW members from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland gather at Hinton for a week-long National Camp. This event is held every 3 or 4 years and features a huge variety of instructional sessions on anything you can imagine to do with wilderness skills, leadership, ecology, forestry, wildlife, traditional crafts, music, canoing, team challenges... the list goes on! The next one will be in 2014, possibly in Saskatchewan if a suitable sitecan be found.

September featured a family camp at Matheson Lake in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park, which included hikes, canoing and of course lots of good food. Several new families joined our club this year.

October featured a series of club meetings focused on Disaster Preparedness. Given the last summer's events in Slave Lake and other places, there was keen interest in learning how to be better prepared for all sorts of possible events. Every year in October, JFW volunteers meet for a weekend of leader development. This year's event was held at the Long Lake JFW camp near Athabasca.

November and December were difficult weather-wise, but we managed a nature hike at the St Cyr ski trails, practiced shelter-building and had a Christmas skating & hayride party.

January and February 2012 included cross-country ski lessons, our 'Sprucewood Derby' and some hands-on projects like building tin-can pressure stoves and repairing Coleman lamps and stoves. Adventurous wardens got to go on a weekend bush camp and learn winter survival skills. Conservation Officer Dan Robinson came for an afternoon to challenge everyone's fire-lighting abilities.

March saw one of the highlights of the year, our annual winter camp which was held this year at Camp Oshkidee on Jeanette Lake. There wasn't much winter, though! All thoughts of skiing and snowshoing were set aside and we had tons of fun with orienteering, skills challenges and team-building games. Ken Ness from Saskatchewan Environment gave a fantastic presentation on the work of conservation officers and wildland fire investigators.

May's big event was our annual “Spring Fling” family camp which was held once again at Matheson Lake. We were joined by JFW members from Airdrie and Onoway. The weekend program included photography lessons, sailing lessons, a forest-fire regeneration hike, a huge potluck supper and entertaining evening campfire program and other events.

June gets busy with soccer and other demands on everyone's time, but we did manage to get in lots of JFW time too. We finished up the shelter at our in-town club site, which is where we hold many of our evening meetings in the fall and spring. Our wind-up meeting began with a work bee: last summer’s storms did considerable damage to our interpretive trail at Pagan Lake, with tree trunks laying across the walkway, and information signs lost in the debris or destroyed altogether. Several hours with chainsaws, pruning sheers and axes made the path accessible again. Hopefully, over the next few months we'll get new signs made and installed. We also installed numerous nesting boxes and finished the evening with campfire supper and annual general meeting.

Junior Forest Wardens is an exciting and educational opportunity for young people and their families to have fun, develop skills, and get educated in the many and diverse aspects of our natural environment. For more information about our club or one in your area please visit www.jfwa.ca. Interested in starting your own local club in Saskatchewan? Contact info@woodlandersjfw.org!

Pagan Lake Clean Up

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?
Well, cleaning them up does!

After last summer’s weather, our walking trail at Pagan Lake was disastrous.
Tree trunks laying across the walkway, information signs were lost in the debris, in some spots---you couldn’t even see the path. Armed with chainsaws, pruning shears, axes and a lot of determination, our volunteers worked hours to make the path accessible. Once again, kids of all ages can enjoy the trail to observe the beautiful wildlife and breath-taking nature.

The interpretive trail was established in 2000 by the JFWs with assistance of Meadow Lake Wildlife Federation. The signs give information on various animals, birds and plants common to the area.

Every spring, the Meadow Lake Junior Forest Wardens clean up the Pagan Lake campground area. ML JFW club officially adopted the Pagan Lake Recreation Area in 1998, with an official agreement with Sask Parks. The site was to be closed due to constant vandalism, our involvement (including large signs, annual events, and litter cleanup) has helped curb the problems and the site has remained open for many to enjoy.

This year we had approximately 40 helpers; over half under 16. Forestry and ecology are two of the pillars of our family outdoor club. Activities in the outdoors which help the environment are one of the favourite pursuits of the kids!

Over the years we have installed numerous nesting boxes (mainly duck boxes) around the lake, some supplied by Ducks Unlimited, some built by us. At this event, we added another 15 JFW made bird houses to the habitat.

We would like to thank EcoFriendly Saskatchewan for sponsoring our campground cleanup. We share a love of nature. Our JFW pledge is “As one who believes in the aim of the Junior Forest Wardens, I pledge myself and my services to the appreciation and responsible use of our forests, wildlife and natural heritages.”

Saturday, May 19, 2012

"North East Spring Fling in the North West!"

Yes, this year's Northeast Region Spring Camp will be held in Northwest Saskatchewan, at lovely Matheson Lake in the Meadow Lake Provincial Park. See the map for how to get there.
Our program is set, guests are coming and we've put in a good word for sunny weather.
If you have any questions, please contact us by phone or email: 236-2166, 236-7729, info@woodlandersjfw.org.
See you there!