The Cheesy 2024 AJM Family Christmas Letter
All photos taken by AJM staff in 2024!
Dear Clients, Partners, Friends, and Poor Souls Who Opened This Letter,
Well, here we are—another year older, a bit wiser(?), and, in AJM tradition, full of cheese (both metaphorically and literally). Let’s rewind 2024 and relive AJM Environmental’s greatest hits—the moments where chaos knocked, and we showed up with just enough brilliance to make it look intentional.
What We Were Up To in 2024
This year we tackled challenges with all the vigor of Santa’s elves trying to meet their toy quota. Here are some highlights!
Our 2nd annual company re-enactment of the 1991 classic movie City Slickers (aka the team rattlesnake monitoring field trip) remained, well, extremely snakey. We had a number of AJM newcomers join us this year, including some of our fishy folks, so it truly felt like we were living up the movie’s tagline: “Yesterday They Were Aquatic Biologists. Today They’re Snake Wranglers. Tomorrow they’ll be Herpetologists.” The trip has become a tradition and team tattoos are planned prior to the 2025 outing.
We continued to do more ‘Plant Stuff & Conservation Work’, and sometimes at the same time! We were proud to continue our work with conservation groups like NCC while planting a bit of green of our own (figuratively, this time).
It was decided that some staff needed more beauty sleep so we started doing field surveys and nest monitoring closer to home (i.e., right in the City of Calgary!). There’s nothing quite like waking up for field work at 7 and being on site at 7:15.
Although we didn’t believe it could happen, our office got even cooler as we became the new ‘forever home’ for Doritos the Chameleon (his middle name is Cool Ranch, for obvious reasons). With eyes that move independently, he’s very helpful for keeping tabs on who is coming and going.
Office staff were inundated with amazing photos from field staff of the northern lights. Turns out these pics were a dime a dozen in 2024…yawn.
In 2024 we were happy to welcome some new faces and create brand new roles! Tommy Thorsteinsson joined as the exciting, new, and very tall all-star centre of the AJM basketball team (oh, wait, and Wildlife Discipline Lead). We’re very excited to have his leadership and technical prowess on the team!
In addition, Fonya Irvine (soon to be Doctor Irvine!) also took the reins of AJM’s newly minted Data and Geospatial discipline — a role that basically isolates the smartest people to work their nerd wizardry uninterrupted.
In reproductive news, two new team members arrived in the form of (human) babies! We’re already busy getting them started on their daily JSA and Hazard ID habits.
Alas, in 2024 our curling woes persisted. Somehow, against all odds, and despite ample instruction, our curling skills managed to continue to worsen at our annual holiday bonspiel. We’re nothing if not consistent.
The 2024 edition of our annual AJ-Emmy Award ceremony was a roaring success! This is mainly because HR complaints following the event were shockingly low (we realize that staff have finally given up on complaining). A highlight was that the coveted Employee of the Year award was won by Teddy the tortoise despite her ‘resting bitch face’.
This year has been one for the books. We’ve grown, adapted, and laughed (a lot) along the way. From field shenanigans to over-the-top memes, AJM wouldn’t be what it is without you—our clients, partners, and friends. You keep us inspired and ready to tackle whatever comes next.
As we head into 2025, rest assured AJM will continue to bring hard work, great service, positive attitudes and plenty of humor to every project.
Like a cherry on top of ice cream layer of mold on expired cheese, we’ll close with a little poem:
✨ 'Twas the year of two-oh-two-four, and all through the land,
The AJM team lent a helping hand.
From birds to fish, from plants to the rest,
We tackled it all with humor and zest.
The curling got worse, but our spirits stayed bright,
While Teddy and Doritos shined with delight.
So cheers to our partners, our clients, our crew,
We couldn’t do this without all of you!
With cheese in our hearts and projects to weave,
We wish you great joy this holiday eve. ✨
From all of us at AJM Environmental… Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Prosperous New Year! Let’s make 2025 our most productive, joyful, and cheesiest year yet.
Fondly avec formage,
The AJM Enviro Family
P.S. If you’re still reading this, well done. You deserve an award—or at least an extra cookie from Santa.
