I was a Ranger in 1948, at Remi Lake, in the Kapuskasing District of northeastern Ontario.  Back then we were called 'Junior Rangers'.  It was a memorable summer that I never forgot.

Years later, as a forest scientist in ecology and genetics, working in many places from Mexico to the Arctic, I was attracted once again to Ontario's Ranger program. In 1996, I volunteered to work one week each with two different Ranger camps.  The work I did with the Rangers from McCreights Dam was at the Batchewana Picetum, a forest research plantation on the lower slopes of Mount Batchewana, Algoma (Ontario's highest locale).  With the Ranger crew from Moose Lake, Haliburton, we worked at the Swan Lake Picetum in Algonquin Park – on forest genetics for the science of the genus Picea.

I continued to work with the Rangers until I was medically incapacitated, commencing in 2009, and could not go out to the field. The Rangers from Moose Lake insisted on continuing with our work, and keeping in touch with me by a special phone that they acquired.  They initially spoke to me on the hour and later, every two hours.  They carried out the assignments wonderfully in the field (the deepest forest).

I am slowly recovering from my too long delayed spinal stenosis operation but am walking carefully now and may yet be allowed into the forest again.

I would like to continue to support the Ontario Rangers.  It is an incredible program. It costs the least and accomplishes the most of any activity the government supports.  I urge the Ontario government to continue this marvelous program.