ALUMNI
NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 | MAY 2015
MFRS-MCFT Alumni Association
GREETINGS FROM THE
EXECUTIVE-DIRECTOR
…..AND A SPECIAL WELCOME TO ALUMNI OF
THE MARITIME COLLEGE OF FOREST
TECHNOLOGY AND THE MARITIME FOREST
RANGER SCHOOL….
Did you know that our College/School has been in
existence since 1946? That’s nearly 70 years of
forest technology training in the Maritimes! On 24
April we graduated our 72nd class with 40 new
professionals embarking on careers in forestry. Since
our inception, we have produced more than 3600
forest technologists who have worked in the forestrysector and other careers throughout the world.
MFRS and MCFT have been, and continue to be, a
leader in forestry and forest technology. Our
graduates remain in high demand by employers
across Canada and beyond. Indeed, our leadership
in forest technology training is stronger than ever. For
the past four years, we have had more than 100
applicants for the 75 coveted spaces in our two-year
program.
Name the MFRS-MCFT Newsletter
Click below to send your suggestion
[email protected]
Winner receives a MCFT goodie bag
www.mcft.ca
So I think it is time to celebrate our success [actually
your success] and reach out to all of our Alumni
scattered “hither-and-yon” with this inaugural issue of
the MCFT-MFRS Alumni Newsletter. Actually, one of
our first “orders of business” is to solicit from you, a
suitable name for our newsletter that captures the
essence of our college and long history. Check below
to submit your ideas.
I extend to each of you….a huge and hearty
WELCOME to the MFRS-MCFT ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION. The plan is to produce quarterly
newsletters to showcase our past history… our
present activities and successes… and our future
plans and vision. I hope that you will join us on this
new and exciting journey by helping to locate all of our
esteemed Alumni, wherever they are today. It’s time
to create our “family tree” and celebrate our common
history. Welcome aboard!!
Gerald (Gerry) Redmond
Executive-Director MCFT
Looking to reconnect with a
classmate?
Try our re-connect service.
The Alumni Association
wants to help you re-connect
with old classmates.
This is a confidential service
that will connect 2 or more
alumni. Email address will
be shared with the approval
of both parties. You can be
confident that your contact
information will only be
shared with your approval.
To access the service, send
your request to
[email protected]
with your name and class
year along with the name and
class year of the alumni you
are looking for. Your email
addresses will be shared if
you both agree to re-connect.
Good luck seeking out old
friends!
Alumni Profile - Class of 2008
Zachary Branscombe
Keeping our Waterways Clean
Zachary Branscombe was a
member of the first graduating
class in the Advanced Fish and
Wildlife Program. While at
MCFT he was on the Woodsmen
Team and was the Student
Council Treasurer.
Since graduating in 2008, Zack
has been busy with his education
and career. First, completing the
Conservation Enforcement
course at the Atlantic Police
Academy, then on to Winnipeg
where he landed a full time job
with Environment Canada as an
Environmental Enforcement
Officer. Not one to sit on his
laurels, Zack took a leave of
absence from Environment
Canada to complete a Bachelor
of Science degree in Forestry
graduating in 2013 from the
University of New Brunswick.
Today, Zack is back in Winnipeg
where he conducts inspections
and investigations under the
Canadian Environmental
Protection Act and Fisheries Act
and their associated regulations.
As the lead inspector for the
Metal Mining Effluent
Regulations he travels
throughout Manitoba keeping an
eye on 11 metal mines. His job
involves collecting samples of
mine effluent to ensure they are
complying with relevant
regulations, in addition to
regularly conducting inspections
of fuel storage tanks and other
industrial sites.
Zack is a new homeowner in his
adopted city of Winnipeg where
he lives with his fiancé.
In his free time, he enjoys
hunting, biking, running, and
gardening.
If you would like to contact
Zack, we can send your request
to him through
[email protected].
Looking for a Classmate?
Try our re-connect service.
Click below to send
your request
[email protected]
Include your name and
class year as well as the
name and class year of
the classmate your
looking for.
www.mcft.ca
Zack at the Ruttan mine site near Leaf Rapids, Manitoba. The Ruttan mine
is a large former mine site that is in the process of being remediated.
Hither-and-Yon
In this inaugural edition of our newletter we are not
"yondering" very far from the College. The focus
of hither-and-yon in this edition is the latest
graduation class of the MCFT.
Please welcome the newest class of forest
technologists to the MFRS-MCFT Alumi
Association.
Reid Anderson
Tess Billings
Brandon Boyd
David Camp
Malcolm Cole
David Cornick
Colton Dempsey
Emma Farnham
Port Hillford, NS
Fredericton, NB
Yarmouth, NS
Burton, NB
Cambridge Narrows, NB
Shubenacadie, NS
Amherst, NS
Quispamsis, NB
Cara Gillis
Robyn Graham
Cody Grant
Rudy Graves
Anne Henderson
Anika Hodgson
Hamish Hornell
John Jay
Jared Ketchum
Philip Landry
Cody MacAdam
Matthew Maloney
Sydney, NS
Sydney, NS
Douglas, NB
Penobsquis, NB
Fredericton, NB
Stellarton, NS
Cambridge Narrows, NB
Summerside, PEI
Hanwell, NB
Shubenacadie, NS
Sydney, NS
Indian Brook, NS
Wolf McGregor
Ian Melanson
Connor Moore
Matthew Ness
Shayla Nickerson
Adrian Pearson
Kalen Roblee
Mark Shaw
Nicholas Tanton
James Wishart
Matthew Wood
Friedrich Wuthrich
Bass River, NS
Dartmouth, NS
Quispamsis, NB
Sussex, NB
Barrington, NS
Naughton, ON
Belnan, NS
Ellershouse, NS
Summerside, PEI
Fredericton, NB
Hopewell, NS
Amersfoort, Netherlands
Bathurst Campus
Martin-Michel Bezeau
Vincent Bouchard
Luc Boudreau
Jean-Michel Comeau
Maxime Dubé
Simon Dubé
Martin Fongemie
Jolène Frenette
Pointe Canoe, NB
Baker Brook, NB
Lower Wedgeport, NS
Tracadie-Sheila, NB
Grande-Digue, NB
Ste-Anne-de-Madawaska, NB
Bathurst, NB
Dunlop, NB
Are you LinkedIn?
Alumni Advisory Board
The Alumi Association has set up
two LinkedIn groups to better
connect with you and you with each
other.
We are looking for Alumni from the Forest Ranger School and the College
of Forest Technology to assist with setting up the Association's initial
path. The Advisory Board will consists of two Alumni, one member of the
MCFT Board of Govenors, MCFT staff and the coordinator of the Alumni
Association. The Advisory Board will report to the Executive Director of
the MCFT.
In LinkedIn search for either
Maritime Forest Ranger School or
Maritime College of Forest
Technology. As these groups are
restricted to Alumni only, you will
have to click on the Join button and
we will approve your access.
With today’s teleconferencing tools, you can join the Advisory
Board from any location in the world.
For more information contact André at [email protected] or
call 1-506-471-5188
www.mcft.ca
Student Profile
Joris Wiersinga
Home: Amersfoort Netherlands
Current Address: Somewhere in
NB until the return of classes, Fall
2015
Joris with a Rock Python in Kruger National Park
The Maritime College of Forest Technology is attracting students from far abroad. Not the first student from
Europe, but our most recent traveller joins us from the Netherlands. Joris Wiersinga describes himself as a
“Follower of Life”. Lets find out how life has brought him to the banks of the Saint John River.
AA: What was it like growing up in the Netherlands?
JW: I grew up in the center of The Netherlands, that would be where all the forest is (all 400,000 hectares of
it). Growing up for me was all about being outdoors, as I grew up living on the forest edge.
AA: When did you first consider a career in forestry?
JW: I find myself as a 15 year old young man, with nothing more on my mind than getting out to the woods.
Sitting in the bench of my high school classroom, I think about my own future, is this what I want, what do I
actually want?
A general lack of motivation seems to be the problem, so what does motivate me? “Nature” was the swift and
decisive answer. So there I went, filled with passion and pride, going to study nature conservation, the right
choice for me. After a good few years of studying, I received my first diploma, never been more proud.
AA: What was next for you after your Diploma?
JW: Now I am able and certified to work, but still only 21 years old. Going to South-­‐Africa seemed to be the
answer to that question. There I was, on the other side of the planet, working in the social ecology
department as a volunteer for South African National Parks for over a year.
AA: So how did you end up at the MCFT?
So I ticked a lot of boxes: study, volunteer, travel. Maybe now I should finally go and look for a job, if it were
only that easy for a Dutchman trained as a conservation professional. I found myself in a market that was
completely shot.
On a day like any other I was talking to one of my aunts, “I know a young man who is studying in Canada” she
said, maybe you should have a look at that. I took her advice and made first contact.
AA: How are you finding your time at the College?
Here I am now, close to having finished half of my education at the MCFT. Sometimes the days are long and
the weeks short. Dedication and effort seem to be the key words, but for a man following his passion across
the world, dedication and effort seem almost to come without effort.
I followed my passion, that's what I want my life to be, I am a follower of life.
Joris Wiersinga
President of the 2016 graduating class
www.mcft.ca
Around Campus - Annual
On Valentines Day, Saturday, February 14,
several members of MCFT’s student body
organized a recreational pond hockey tournament
to raise money for student bursaries and clubs. At
MCFT, the pond hockey tournament has become
something of a tradition in the past few years.
Starting as a casual event several years ago, the
tournament now brings in crowds and even MCFT
Alumni. Teams of three sign up and pay a
registration fee, and in return they get to play a few
games and enjoy hot drinks and good food from
the barbecue put on by Student Council.
A cold snap the night before created some big cracks in the ice surface, adding an element of
uncertainty to the games. There were two rinks on the go and roughly 40 people were in attendance to
both play and watch. There were some interesting team names such as team Studwood or Chicks with
Sticks, but the Dallas Broncos took home the big prize. Alex Ramos, Brett Rogers, and Josh Mitton of the
first-year class received the Growler Cup. Despite the bitter -30°C windchill, fun was had by everyone and
the pond hockey tournament was once again a success thanks to the efforts by all those involved.
Ian Melanson - Class of 2015
Welcome from the Alumni Association Coordinator
Welcome to the first edition of the new
MFRS-­‐MCFT Alumni Association Newsletter.
We have just finished our first Alumni
contact drive and approximately 350 of you
will be receiving this first edition
newsletter. Included is one Alumni from the
Class of 1954.
wrapping up the educational chapter of
their careers, another 40 names are being
added to this select group.
You are part of a select group of 3618
graduates since the mid-­‐1940’s. This
number may seem large, but when you
consider that we have been graduating
students for almost 70 years, it is a road
proudly taken by a select few. With the
graduation class of 2015 in the process of
André
I look forward to meeting many of you and
welcome your ideas and input in the
development of your new Alumni
Association.
André Arseneault
Alumni Association Coordinator
[email protected]
1(506)471-­‐5188