It’s a been a year or two since Fred Kofin set foot on a trail in Jasper National Park, but he keeps close tabs on the activities of the organization he helped establish 25 years ago as an adjunct to the Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society.

“They’ve done a very good job,” Kofin said last week. “They have definitely fulfilled their mandate. I wish them all the best for the next 25 years.”

Friends marked the silver anniversary of the original organization this week with a formal signing of a new charter by Nicole Ward, current chairperson of the Friends, and park superintendent Greg Fenton.

Publishing printed material about the park was the first project the society undertook. After 10 years, they parted ways with the museum and formed Friends of Jasper National Park.

Friends collects donations and markets material relevant to the park to finance efforts to protect the park’s resources, and it recruits volunteers who have done everything from band birds to repair trails and install commemorative benches.

Thousands of visitors have been introduced to the park’s special features through hiking and interpretive programs developed by the Friends.