Friends
About Friends of Ecological Reserves
Mandate
Friends of Ecological Reserves (FER) is a volunteer based, not-for-profit charitable organization recognized by Canada Customs & Revenue Agency. We promote the interests of the ecological reserves program in British Columbia, Canada, by raising public awareness of the ecological reserve program and by raising funds that are used to:·
- Support researchers in and around ecological reserves
- Support wardens and the warden function within ecological reserves
- Prepare and circulate a regular newsletter
- Educate the public regarding the important features of ecological reserves, including plant and animal conservation, within BC.
The Constitution of the Friends of Ecological Reserves Society
The Constitution of the Friends of Ecological Reserves Society is available at this link
AGM & Annual Report
An Annual General Meeting is held each year. The Board of Directors is elected at the AGM, and the outgoing President presents an annual report for the year (click here to view the annual reports since 1998). An audited financial report is also provided to members.
Membership
Membership in the society is open to anyone for a small annual fee. The professionally designed newsletter is sent to all members three times a year by regular post.
FER is a recognized charitable organization (BIN#118914597RR) and all donations are provided with receipts for income tax purposes.
Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan is available from this link.
Activities
Activities organized and/or funded by FER include:
- Publishing a 12 – 20 page newsletter ** (“The Log”) three times a year to disseminate information to and among our members, volunteer wardens, government agencies, researchers and other interested parties
- Advertising for and referral of volunteers to act as Wardens for ecological reserves
- Fostering the establishment of additional ecological reserves
- Conducting field trips to existing reserves — view The Log Newsletters for articles about recent field trips.
- Participating in “Pitch-In Canada” to clean up refuse, especially on reserve beaches
- Raising funds through sale of attractive placemats and other products; soliciting donations and grants from individuals, private foundations and government agencies; conduct of fund-raising raffles and other events
- Organizing and delivering educational lectures
- Financially supporting scientific research projects on ecological reserves
Why is our newsletter called The Log?
The word comes to us from 14th century Middle English “logge” by way of the Old Norse, läg, fallen tree and Old English, licgan, to lie. Our newsletter name, The Log, derives from its root in a symbolic way. The nurse log that graces our masthead and inspired the name suggests:the nurturing, self-sustaining spirit of the ancient forest, which happens to be one of the Friends’ principal interests; the intact forest’s genetic diversity, which Ecological Reserves conserve and protect; and the log’s fertile wood/soil that is productive ground for new trees and new ideas – the research projects we support.