For Slave Lake student Connor McDermott, seven weeks in the forest became a summer of new skills, new friendships and growing independence.

Connor, who is heading into Grade 12 this fall, spent seven weeks this summer taking part in Alberta’s Junior Forest Ranger (JFR) program.

He applied because he wanted a summer job that would get him outdoors and give him experience in an area he was already considering for his future.

“I wanted to work outdoors and work with my hands, and learn new skills,” says Connor. “I wanted to make some new friends and learn new life skills.”

The JFR program provides paid summer work experience for Alberta high school students ages 16 to 18. It introduces participants to areas such as forestry, wildfire, ecology and conservation through hands-on work and educational projects.

For Connor, the program offered an opportunity to learn by doing.

“We were outside every day from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30,” he says.

During the seven weeks, Connor helped with trail maintenance and trail building, took part in a mop-up fire and had the opportunity to climb a fire lookout tower. The variety of work gave him a chance to experience several aspects of working in the forest and helped him get a better sense of the type of work he might want to pursue in the future.

He says forestry was already an interest before he applied to JFR, and he hoped the program would give him experience that could help with his future. Wildfire work particularly caught his attention.

“Forest wildfire interests me because I get to be outside all day, every day,” says Connor.

Working alongside the same people throughout the program also meant learning how to be part of a crew, deal with different personalities and contribute to a shared goal.

Connor says one of the lessons he took away from the experience was about patience.

“I learned that I need to work on being more patient outside of work,” he says.

For his mother, Marcia McDermott, the experience offered something equally important: a chance for Connor to become more independent.

Back in Slave Lake, Marcia says she was excited when she learned Connor had applied, even though she did not know much about the program at first.

Then it sank in that he would be away for much of the summer.

“When Connor received his acceptance, it hit me that he would be gone all summer, and I didn’t know if I was ready for that,” says Marcia. “I did know though that it was going to be a fabulous experience for him.”

While Connor was away, he learned to solve problems without relying on his parents.

Marcia says not once during the seven weeks did Connor call home asking how to do something.

“He either figured it out, or he asked others if he had questions,” she says.
For Marcia, that was one of the clearest signs that the program had helped Connor grow.

By the end of the program, Marcia could see a difference in her son.

“Connor came home a little bit taller, and his voice was a little bit deeper,” she says.

On the final day, JFR crews competed against each other using skills they had learned throughout the summer. As Marcia watched Connor, it was something beyond his physical growth that stood out.

“I don’t know what it was specifically, maybe the way he carried himself, but I commented to his dad that Connor seemed so grown up now,” she says.

The experience also appears to have made an impression on Connor’s crewmates.
During the summer, they gave him the nickname “Captain.”

When Connor and his family asked why, one crewmate explained that “he’s just a natural born leader.”

The nickname could prove to be more than just a summer joke. Connor may have an opportunity to return to the JFR program next year in a leadership role.

Marcia says Connor’s crew leader offered to write him a reference letter if he decides to apply for a crew leader position next year.

For Connor, the summer started with a desire to work outdoors, make friends and gain some practical experience. By the time he returned home, he had accomplished those goals while also learning more about forestry and wildfire work, developing greater independence and earning the confidence of the people he worked alongside.

Seven weeks in the JFR program gave the Slave Lake student a taste of a possible future career — and, perhaps, his first taste of leadership as well.
Applications for the 2027 JFR season open in February.

Julia Magsombol
Lakeside Leader