The changes taking place in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and the consequent erection of barriers to forestall illegal dumping and mitigate such trespass is beginning at the Urban Regional Park. Along with this spirit of defending the urban regional park, with physical, concrete Jersey Barriers, education is a vital link.
How will Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area find its place in Saskatoon? At the centre of the transition are great questions. How to appease a variety of contemporary stakeholders, how to honour City of Saskatoon wetlands policy and open space bylaws, and how to coalesce with the intent of the history and the city visionaries of 1960 who bought this piece of land as a “green belt” for Saskatoon, and the parks department personnel who went before city council to preserve the afforestation area in perpetuity in 1972. At the heart of the debate is succinctly this: “How will Saskatoon answer these great challenges?”
In the age of climate change and nature-deficit disorder, such experiences underscore this truth: Our relationship with nature is not only about preserving land and water, but also about preserving and growing the bonds between us. ” ~ Louv. 2011. p. 139.
This is definitely an area where Saskatoon could shine. As Maude Barlow states, ” The most important step is to be clear about the nature of the problem.”Barlow. 2005. p.271 This is an opportunity for Saskatoon to take a stand. How the civic government of Saskatoon and the parks department answer these great questions of this Afforestation Area in this time, depends on whose counsel it seeks.
If anything is going to limit the supposedly infinite possibilities of economic globalization, it will be the earth itself. Humanity has destroyed more forests, wetlands, and wild spaces in the last hundred years than in all of history. The highly regarded journal <Science reports that recent extinction rates are one hundred to one thousand times higher than before humans existed. Moreover, it says, with the exponential extinction rate now being experienced, that number could increase to between one thousand and ten thousand times by the end of the century….what is clearly needed is “Plan Rejuvenation”Barlow. 2015. p 279. 283.
The afforestation area and the West Swale wetlands, indeed has some serious problems that need to be addressed. The community and several stakeholders will take note of what the City of Saskatoon decides. “Opportunities to find the natural world are all around us, even in the densest cities. But, unless we act quickly to conserve and restore these places, and create new ones, then nearby nature will become a quaint artifact of another time.” Louv. 2011. p. 199 “But the task is not as straightforward as might first appear.” Barlow. Clarke. 2001. p. 168 “The challenges looming on the horizon appear to be both awesome and formidable.” Barlow. Clarke. 2001. p.225
A Tree-mendous achievement to placing barriers to mitigate trash dumping and illegal trespass has made taken a step forward. The project cannot begin by barricading the trash in. Or, if a farmer erects a fence to keep the fox out of the chicken yard, erects the fence, and turns around and sees the fox in the chicken yard, the fence defeats its purpose. So, as a good example going forward, a group of environmentally conscious volunteers from a diverse array of stakeholder backgrounds came together on Saturday, October 29, 2016, for a mini-clean up. This mini clean up lasted two hours; entailed three pick up trucks, a trailer, and eight volunteers. resulting in the removal of approximately 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds) of trash that was missed in the previous clean ups of June 2015 and July 2016. To echo the words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning; Deep thanks to all. How that great work of Love enhances Nature and thus shines Nature’s lamp in each.
“Above all, it is important to recall that the real strength and power of civil society, as distinct from governments and corporations, lies in the passion of people ~ the capacity to feel, touch, and relate to one another and thereby bring life back into this world” Maude. Clarke. 2001 p. 225
Living fences made of dense, thorny, and sometimes poisonous bushes are used by farmers who cannot afford barbed wire. Living fences provide mulch, erosion control, land stabilization, fuel, and food;…What if, in our human habitats, we strove for biodiversity, for living fences and natural music? Louv. 2011.p. 101
“Given current corporate practices, not one wildlife reserve, wilderness or Indigenous culture will survive the global economy. We know that every natural system on the planet is disintegrating. The land, water, air, and sea have been functionally transformed from life-supporting systems into repositories for waste. There is no polite way to say that business is destroying the world.” ~ Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce,: A Declaration of Sustainability Barlow, Clarke, 2001. p. 81
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Barlow, Maude. too close for comfort. Canada’s future with Fortress North America 2005. McClelland & Stewart Ltd. The Canadian Publishers. Toronto, ON. ISBN 0-7710-1088-5.
Barlow, Maude and Tony Clarke. Global Showdown How the new activists are fighting global corporate rule. 2001. Stoddart Publishing Co. Limited. Toronto, ON. ISBN 0-7737-3264-0.
Louv, Richard. Last Child in the woods. Saving our children from nature deficit disorder. 2005. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. ISBN 13: 978-1-56512-391-5. ISBN 10: 1-56512-391-3.
Louv, Richard. The Nature Principle. Human Restoration and the end of nature-deficit disorder 2011. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. North Carolina. ISBN 987-1-56512-581-0.
For directions as to how to drive to “George Genereux” Urban Regional Park
For directions on how to drive to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
For more information:
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map
Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)
Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
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What was Richard St. Barbe Baker’s mission, that he imparted to the Watu Wa Miti, the very first forest scouts or forest guides? To protect the native forest, plant ten native trees each year, and take care of trees everywhere.
“We stand in awe and wonder at the beauty of a single tree. Tall and graceful it stands, yet robust and sinewy with spreading arms decked with foliage that changes through the seasons, hour by hour, moment by moment as shadows pass or sunshine dapples the leaves. How much more deeply are we moved as we begin to appreciate the combined operations of the assembly of trees we call a forest.”~Richard St. Barbe Baker
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. George Genereux Urban Regional Park. 
Are you intending to use thorny plants as barriers, then? I would caution you against it. Here in Illinois we have no end of trouble from buckthorn that was introduced with that in mind. It runs amok, choking out every native tree and shrub and forb. Multiflora rose also. Perhaps you are well familiar with them~I hope I am not offending you by mentioning it.
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Hi there, No it is good advice, indeed you profer. No we won’t use buckthorn as it is an “invasive” species. There are “native” rose plants here, but the forst cover may run to deep already. The other native plant here that may suffice would perhaps be buffaloberry. Though it is just a thought in passing to use thorny plants, but a thicket of native willows may preserve the marsh wetlands. Thank you very much for your comment
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I’ve so enjoyed following your progress and would love to see it someday. Native willows sound like a good idea, especially if you have beavers to keep them in check.
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