Park Warden Service Alumni Society Fundraising for Legacy Projects

 

The Board of Directors of the Park Warden Service Alumni Society is on a mission to establish a legacy for the Warden Service that will be memorable and help to recognize and preserve the iconic image and role of the National Park Warden Service. We are seeking your help to achieve our goal to ensure the importance of the Park Warden Service’s past and present role as protector of the national park’s environmental integrity while still ensuring the continued safety of the many visitors who enter and enjoy Canada’s national parks.

The iconic image and past role of a National Park Warden has changed over the past couple of decades. The varied duties that a Park Warden carried out in the past have been reduced to a law enforcement role. All the other traditional Warden duties, such as public safety and resource conservation (to name only a couple) have long ago been assigned to other Parks Canada staff who are specialists in the duties Wardens once handled. The iconic image of a Warden in a Stetson and often on horseback in the backcountry or front country is now less well-known or visible to the public.

As you may be aware, the YaHa Tinda Ranch, which played a major role in the breeding, raising, training and over-wintering Warden horses, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017. To celebrate the anniversary the Directors of the Alumni Society are pursuing two legacy projects that are intended to highlight the importance of the Ranch to not only the Warden Service but to Parks Canada. Our first project is a bronze plaque that we plan to erect on a stone monument near the ranch house in September 2017. For our second project, we are preparing the manuscript for a book that chronicles in photos and text the 100-year history of the Ranch. We are preparing the book for publication by mid 2017. Both of these legacy projects have been undertaken with input and knowledge of Parks Canada. The plaque and the book highlight the important role the Ranch has played over the past century for the Park Warden Service and Parks Canada.

The challenge the Alumni Society faces to achieve these legacy projects is the significant remaining costs. We have been fortunate to have received many hours of service in-kind and generous donations from our membership over the past few years. These in-kind and financial donations have helped the Society to defray costs to this point in time, but we are still facing a shortfall of resources to complete the projects. We are seeking different sources of funding, such as assistance from members of the public and Alberta Culture, but we need additional resources. Our shortfall is several thousands of dollars to cover the costs that remain to put this legacy of the Warden Service and the history of the Ranch into place.

These two legacy projects may possibly be the last chance the Park Warden Service Alumni Society will ever have to be able to recognize and honour current, past and retired Park Wardens before the iconic image of the Park Warden disappears for good. Thus, we are seeking assistance to allow us to complete our goal by asking you to consider providing a modest donation of a $100 toward the completion of these major projects. If you can assist us with any amount of donation by February 15th, 2017 that would be greatly appreciated.

Donations can be made in the name of the Park Warden Service Alumni Society care of Marie Nylund, Secretary-Treasurer at:

Box 11, Site 116, RR #3, Sundre, Ab., T0M 1X0.

Thank you on behalf of the Park Warden Service Alumni Society Executive.

Sincerely,

Dale Portman

President

Park Warden Service Alumni Society