Two scholarships of $99 (90% off of registration fees) will be offered from the Joie Armstrong Scholarship Fund. The applicant must register during the early registration period, so the scholarship application and registration form can be sent in with a check for $11. If you do not receive the award, you will be allowed to register for the early fee during regular registration (but not on-site).
At the fall 1999 Northern Conference some folks decided that they wanted to do something in Joie Armstrong’s name, something to help naturalists new to the field. For those of you who may not have heard of her, Joie was the naturalist who was murdered in Yosemite last summer. The home that she lived in was originally a pioneer home and had feral daisies, descendants of those planted by the original homeowner. Most of them were fading in the summer’s heat and, shortly before her death, Joie was trying, with her boyfriend, to give them a little more life by hauling water from the stream and bringing it to the flowers one heavy bucketful at a time. During the FBI’s thorough investigation of the area (a group understandably more concerned with gathering evidence than with low impact meanderings) a ranger noticed the flowers and took pity on them. He was seen making the same trips to the river to extend their lives yet a little longer.
The hat was passed around at the conference and a generous $368 was raised.The intent is to make this an ongoing fund used to pay the way for two intern naturalists (or low paid naturalists) to the statewide AEOE conference.That’s right, two lucky folks will have their fees paid to the Spring Conference! Of course there’s a contest involved, but it’ll only cost you a stamp--so why not give it a try? Besides, it should be educational, even if you never even send it in.
Here's the deal: Tell us how you’ll keep the generations of those flowers alive, metaphorically speaking. Come up with a lesson plan that details how you’ll inspire your students to keep the lessons of outdoor education going after they’ve gotten home. Extra points if it includes a way for them to reach out and pass the torch (or bucket) to others. Now, some of you might be nervous about taking money from a fund like this. That’s fine,you can send contributions to the cause. And by participating you’re helping to honor a wonderful person whose name deserves to be remembered. Even if you don’t get the cash prize, you’ll get a good lesson plan out of the deal.
All entries will be (unless otherwise indicated by its author) on display at the Spring Conference where people will be encouraged to steal your ideas (that’s what these conferences are for, aren’t they?) In the case of too many great entries,or indecisiveness on the parts of the judges, the best entries will be gathered and the two winners will be selected at random.
Good luck!
Please send entries (or contributions) to:
Joie’s Daisies, c/o Foothill Horizons, 21925 Lyons Bald Mtn Rd, Sonora CA 95370. All entries must arrive no later than March 23, 2001. Don’t forget to include your name and a way to get a hold of you.
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