David Suzuki turns 86 on March 24. Suzuki has been notable as host of The Nature of Things. In 1990, he Co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation which has a mission “to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that does sustain us.” The foundation advocates for sustainability, climate action, and The One Nature Challenge.
The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas concur that spending 30 minutes, just 1/2 hour per day connecting with nature is a wonderful habit to foster a new habit for the year.
With the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas, come outside and enjoy the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Park, they are a whopping 149 hectares of forest to explore.
There are some amazing events coming up for the City Nature Challenge Saskatoon and Area for the #CNCYXE2022. Help put the City of Saskatoon on the world nature scene! Using iNaturalist take photos of plants, animals, insects and mushrooms between April 29 to May 2, 2022! Saskatoon will compete for the title of the most Biodiverse City. We need your help. By observing local nature, everyone can support vital conservation research while connecting with nature and enjoying the outdoors.
That’s not all, it is a wonderful and vibrant spring with the Jane’s Walk festival featuring two tours, and events to celebrate Arbor Week. This year SOS Trees Inc. has proclaimed Arbor Week between May 21 to 29, 2022. This is all followed by events for the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day on June 5, and the same day celebrates the 40th anniversary of Richard St. Barbe Baker’s last tree planting. How absolutely wonderful to get outside in nature and celebrate Saskatoon’s Hidden Forests on the Prairies.
So this is the note from Regan Olson, environmental protection officer with the City of Saskatoon;
“The George Genereux Urban Regional Park is an afforestation area located on the north side of the overpass on Highway 7 at the west end of Saskatoon. At this location, 30 cubic yard roll-off bins were filled with various waste by volunteers from the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas, SOS Trees Inc., City staff and residents from nearby. This included heavy equipment such as a skidsteer and a tractor which were essential to get some of the heavy items that have been illegally dumped here over the years. These large piles included shingles and concrete. The concrete was relocated to help re-enforce present berms on site that are utilized to help block access.
A huge thank you goes out to those that donated time & equipment to make this possible!!
The bin was emptied 5 times in total with waste with an accumulated weight of 9,860 Kg’s
9 tires that were taken to A1 tire for recycling.
A small amount of syringes were clean up and properly disposed of from this site.
Also please see the link below for more information on this area:“
Can you imagine it, 5 each 30 cubic yard roll-off bins were taken away full to the top with trash placed into the forest – an urban regional park – by folks too lazy or too cheap to go to the landfill! These bins are much bigger than the 4.5 𝑚 cubed 𝑜𝑟 6 cubic 𝑦𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑙 bins behind apartment buildings to give you an idea of the size. The bins at the forest were 5 times bigger than the apartment building bins, and still five each of the 30 cubic yard size were filled up! So that is like hauling away 25 apartment sized bins from a forest, can you imagine!!??? Who would be crazy enough to dump in an urban regional park, and says to themselves well here is a gorgeous forest, so I think I’m going to dump some trash so the classrooms doing nature place based education field trips can wade through the garbage. Arrrgghghhh! How silly is that. So here we have some wonderful results from stewards of Saskatoon urban regional parks.
For those of you who like Imperial measurements, 9,860 kg is 21,737.58 pounds! That is like hauling 20 Grand Pianos out of the park or the volunteers picking up and lifting 20 American Bison out of the park. Or to put it another way, the volunteers would have had to lift 50 adult bears to get to that weight. So, a lot was accomplished, and there is just no way to say thank you often enough! So this means that on average each and every volunteer did 1/2 ton each!!! WOW WOW WOW isn’t that amazing.
Thank you so very much to volunteers from SOS Trees Inc. for helping out during the Arbor Week Celebrations with the afforestation area clean up at George Genereux Urban Regional Park.
Thank you kindly to members from the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. for coming out to the clean up.
We had so many folks from the community who heard of the clean up as well, and wanted to help out and learn more about the afforestation area. So, to all these people, thank you for taking time on a Saturday to help with the clean up, the afforestation area is amazing now, absolutely amazing, and so much safer, and pleasant to enjoy as an urban regional park, indeed.
The City of Saskatoon environmental protection officer Chelsey Studer was out helping with the clean up loading buckets, her truck, other trucks, and helping with hazardous waste collection and tire collection. The City of Saskatoon arranged the Loraas bins to be on-site and waived the tipping fees.
Appreciation is extended to Evan & Ila’s No Frills Westgate Plaza 2410 22 St W at Avenue W North for helping with refreshments on the hot day. As people sweltered, the bananas, juice, water and granola bar kept everyone hydrated, full of sustenance – so that was Yay!
We had some unique people out at the clean up. Two helpers from Len’s Hauling came with a truck, kept track of the volunteer bags to take them to the Loraas dumpster on-site, and they hauled so very much out of the forest. They took care of the old stove, lumber, the heavy water-sogged fibreglas insulation that was at least 8 feet wide, and rolled into 4 foot diameter rolls, and weighed a ton. The final one, was so heavy, it needed three people to get it into the bucket of the front end loader, and up into the truck. Another fiberglas roll needed to be cut in half to also get it dragged out of the forest and into the front end loader bucket.
Speaking of the front end loader, Don who lived nearby took care of a whole house that was discarded in the forest, lumber, plastic siding, eavestroughs, were in a pile, and volunteers helped load the bucket and off the front end loader went to the Loraas bin on-site. Wow! The front-end loader, and Don’s expertise driving it helped so very much and we are all grateful. The front-end loader, took care of much more than just the fibreglas insulation, he was able to scoop lumber and shingles that had decayed into the sod turf, scoop bags of garbage the volunteers had piled together, and a huge motor that was in the forest, which was much to heavy to shift by volunteers on foot. He was up at the lake enjoying our summer weather, and made a special trip back while the Loraas bins were out just to help, so that is also going above and beyond. Thanks!
Another amazing help for the clean up was Paul and his puppy dog with his skid steer. Well Paul shifted shingle piles also into the Loraas bin, piles of wood, and cement blocks. There was, for some reason more than one pile of concrete at the afforestation area. Paul also found another motor in the afforestation area which is now removed, and in the Loraas bin and taken away. While Paul did many loads of trash to the Loraas bin, he also moved the concrete and cement onto the existing built berms to help reinforce barriers to prevent more trash dumping! Yay! This was so much appreciated also!
CJWW radio broadcast the cleanup on the airwaves, and online additionally which was so very helpful. It was a tricky wicket, because to comply with COVID protocols, it was originally thought that 10 people would be the maximum outside, but then the protocols changed to 150 shortly before the clean up date, and how to change 10 people to 150 in a short time, well CJWW came to the rescue! Thank you ever so much!
Sept 19, 2020 – 9,270Kg or 9.27 tons or 10.2 US tons or 204,367 pounds removed
So on October 3, 2020 – 2,660kg’s was removed
There were additionally six cleanups in 2020 using the MVA bins, and one day with the MVA support to fill truck and trailer.
June 5, 2021 – 9,860 Kg’s removed
Between 2020 and 2021 the TOTAL is OVER 21,790 kg of trash removed from George Genereux Urban Regional Park in Saskatoon and note cement placed onto berms not included in weight
So to everyone who celebrated some very special days….
June 5 ….. Arbor Week request for city proclamation by SOS Trees Inc.!
June 5 ….. the first day of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
June 5 ….. International Trails Day.
June 5 ….. World Environment Day.
June 5 is….. Clean Green Community Scene.
Hats off to you! You are truly part of #generationrestoration
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
On June 5, the clean green community scene volunteer clean up of George Genereux Park takes place in Saskatoon.
The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. are very appreciative of the support and help offered by Ivan and Ila’s No Frills Store in Westage Plaza for the June 5 clean up. They went above and beyond in the fall of 2020, and now volunteers are coming out on Saturday June 5 – very likely for the last time for a major huge afforestation area clean up, and again, Ivan and Ila’s No Frills Store in Westage Plaza is providing support. Refreshments for volunteers is so greatly appreciated, and will go a long way for the well being of all the volunteers who will keep hydrated and sustained with individual snacks.
Ivan And Ila’s No Frills Store Westgate Plaza 2410 22nd St W Saskatoon
Support such is this by Ivan and Ila’s No Frills Store in Westage Plaza is vital, very much acknowledged and appreciated by the volunteers who all came out on Saturday June 5 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. Users to the George Genereux Urban Regional Park include families, dog walkers, citizen scientists doing bio-blitzes, walkers, bird-bander, cyclists who all enjoy the mixed man-made forest on the prairies. In the fall of 2020 there was Sep 19 2020 kg 9270 pounds and on Oct 20 2016 1500kg or 3,307 pounds of trash removed. Even though volunteers worked tirelessly, there were still trash piles left at the end of the two cleanups. George Genereux Urban Regional Park becomes 50 years old in 2022 and this is the first environmental protection event and trash clean up afforded this urban regional park, so that is why there is another volunteer clean up is needed on June 5, 2021.
All this will create a much safer environment for the general public and for the health of the environment. Is that not what June 5, day is all about?
June 5 is….. the first day of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
June 5 is….. International Trails Day.
June 5 is….. World Environment Day.
June 5 is….. Clean Green Community Scene.
Thank you and gratitude is are extended to Ivan and Ila and Ivan and Ila’s No Frills Store in Westage Plaza which is located at 2410 22nd St W at the corner of Avenue W North and 22nd St W. And Ivan and Ila helped to act locally and think globally on World Environment Day. Isn’t it ever so wonderful to have safe urban regional parks, safe wildlife habitats and to also keep the volunteers safe and hydrated?
As William Shakespeare says, “I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.” –
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
Extraordinary legacy tour of Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
As part of the City of Saskatoon’s very first Arbor Week, the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc hosted the Extraordinary legacy tour of Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area with Robert White as guest speaker.
Robert White Tour: The remarkable legacy of Richard St. Barbe Baker
His presentation was a heartfelt speech of his memories and time getting to know Richard St. Barbe Baker. It was poignant, touching, and truly gave meaning to the legacy of Richard St. Barbe Baker, founder of the International Tree Foundation.
I approach God’s Creation, this beautiful Earth. The ancients believed that the Earth was a sentient being and felt the behavior of mankind upon it. As we have no proof to the contrary, it might be as well for responsible people to accept this point of view and behave accordingly.
Richard St. Barbe Baker
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )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! Canada Helps
The shelter roof was coming down and actually a log had rolled off of it the day before the restoration event occurred, so *whew* it was a lucky coincidence that this event took place as there are classrooms of children and families also with children using the forest at the moment who may be curious about structures such as these. Sorry we did not take a picture of the sagging roof before the event started. At the end of the event these were the volunteers remaining (There were those who left early before the photos were taken.)
A huge thank you goes out to the volunteers who came out to help with making the forest safer for users of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Also another thank you goes out to these volunteers who assisted to make the forest safer for the elm trees growing near this structure. With the Elms facing two natural threats -Dutch Elm Disease and the Elm ZigZag Sawfly both devastating for Elm trees- it is dangerous for people to also be a threat to the elms of the afforestation area. There are indeed wrong seasons, and methods for pruning, or taking down elm trees lest Dutch Elm Disease enter into the Forest.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
The volunteers who came out for this restoration event on Arbor Week, did indeed become forest guardians as advocated by Richard St. Barbe Baker to take care of trees everywhere! These citizens also took an active role on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal SDG 15 Life On Land and helped to stop the degradation of forests.
The restoration work did involve the taking down of a lean-to tied to existing trees in the middle of a forest area with endangered species at risk in the forest. This restoration will also encourage forest users to stay on trails, enhancing forest guardianship of the woodlands.
1/ Cutting down trees in an area high with Elm invites Dutch Elm Disease if the tree cutter(s) is not properly trained on tree removal (and it is an afforestation area preserved in perpetuity)
2/ Shelters invite homeless people who live off the grid who are not a good mix for the current influx of family and school groups utilizing the afforestation areas as legitimate users.
3/ Shelters are suggestive that people should camp over night, or possibly have a fire detrimental to legitimate users and stewards of the forest, classrooms, and children of families, the neighbouring residents and the CNR Chappell yards oil and gas trains
5/ The Shelter is not built to code, and could be a safety hazard for families or classrooms of youngsters frequenting the trails on the east side of RSBBAA
6/ People are encouraged to go off the FFTB trails to build, enlarge, explore the shelter, and squish the species at risk on the east side of RSBBAA
7/ People who do not identify tree species well, could not only utilize the elm in their shelter construction, but also the tree species at risk in the east side of RSBBAA
8/ The shelter is not made with dead fall. The shelter is encouraging the wanton felling of trees without permissions from the City of Saskaton [CoS] and without abiding by the CoS Tree policy. Felling of trees without proper arboreal certificates of training is also a very dangerous activity as the east side of RSBBAA is becoming more populated with trail users.
9/ Making the east side of RSBBAA safer is a good thing, and also encourages safe trail use just in time for International Trails Day on June 5
10/ Taking care of trees during Saskatoon’s First ever Arbor Week shows citizen commitment to forest and tree health. It is not enough to plant trees, Richard St. Barbe Baker advocated that trees need to be protected also.
11/ People illegally felling CoS trees in an afforestation preserved in perpetuity threatens the trails, the users, and the forest integrity as a safe greenspace.
12/ Restore the afforestation area just in time for World Environment Day on June 5.
14/ Become a member of #generationrestoration, and honour the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
14/ Take action on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal SDG 15, Life On Land You can help stop the degradation of forests.
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )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! Canada Helps
“Trees exhale for us so that we can inhale them to stay alive. Can we ever forget that? Let us love trees with every breath we take until we perish.”
Munia Khan
Many towns, cities and communities are taking part in Arbor Week celebrations to appreciate trees and their many benefits.
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.
In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same path are alike.
Paulo Coelho
“Celebrate by taking a walk in the park, head out to a local forest or just notice the trees in your community and even on the street that you live on,” Saskatchewan Minister of the Environment Vicki Gauthier said. “Just have some appreciation for all the hard work that they are doing for us.”
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )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! Canada Helps
Celebrate World Environment Day, help restore the ecosystem for forest trails, help restore George Genereux Urban Regional Park for everyone to enjoy
Event Timing: June 5 2021 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Event Address: George Genereux Urban Regional Park in Saskatoon GPS 52.1086103,-106.7926227 Contact us at (306) 380 5368 or friendsafforestation@gmail.com
Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park on October 3
George Genereux Park Clean Up. Celebrate World Environment Day, help restore the ecosystem for forest trails, help restore George Genereux Urban Regional Park for everyone to enjoy
Event Timing: June 5 2021 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Event Address: George Genereux Urban Regional Park in Saskatoon GPS 52.1086103,-106.7926227 Contact us at (306) 380 5368 or friendsafforestation@gmail.com*
*Description of Clean Green Community Scene and Directions
As part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean up, Arbor Week, World Environment Day, and International Trails Day please come out and help restore the George Genereux forest to enjoy. It is a unique habitat with a willows ecosystem, amur maples for deep red autumnal walks, and trembling aspen stands in a mixed woodland with spruce and pine. The George Genereux Urban Regional Park is about ½ mile by ½ mile in size 147.8acres – Lots of room to socially distance – located on part of NE 21-36-6 W of the third meridian (west of the SkHwy 7) at GPS 52.1086103,-106.7926227.
This is an initiative of SOS Trees Coalition Inc. Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc., Meewasin, City of Saskatoon, the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup and Tim Horton’s Pitch In Week.
Directions: Arrive at George Genereux Urban Regional via the Pike Lake Highway, Saskatchewan Highway 7. The greenspace is to the south of Blairmore Shopping malls, and south of the 11th Street compost, take the first right after wetlands and then a quick left.
It is wise to come dressed for the weather – a hat, closed toe footwear, sunscreen, bug spray & water bottle, canvas gloves, masks. We supply refreshments (i.e. water bottles, juice boxes, granola bars). There will be on-site free facemasks, sanitizer, plastic gloves & trash bags.
Thank you
Name *
Are you with an organization? *Do you want more information about 1/ SOS Trees Inc. or 2/ Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. or the afforestation areas in Saskatoon? George Genereux Urban Regional Park Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
There are small items and some larger items. What can you bring? *Wheelbarrow, 2 or four wheel dolly, skid steer, or bob cat, wagon
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )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! Canada Helps
““Be like a tree in pursuit of your cause. Stand firm, grip hard, thrust upward. Bend to the winds of heaven..”
Richard St. Barbe Baker
“The continuing challenge of restoration. …”reconstruction,” ”restocking,” and “rebuilding,” of “doctoring sick land.”…Habitat restoration is both desirable and feasible. -Aldo Leopold ed. Joy B. Zedler Author
Event Timing: Sunday May 30, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CST Event Address: Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area GPS 52.1004657,-106.7539449 Contact us at (306) 380-5368 friendsafforestation@gmail.com
The following changes will be made to public health orders during Step One of the Re-Opening Roadmap just in time for the day of the tour, May 30: Limit of 150 people at public outdoor gatherings; and Current province-wide masking mandate remains in place.
Autumn picture of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas supported by the non profit group Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. Please join now, like, support, share.
The Trembling Aspen is also referred to as the Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx) May 25, 2019
The Trembling Aspen is also referred to as the Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx) May 25, 2019
Spring Walk in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Description and Directions Extraordinary legacy tour of Richard St. Barbe Baker and the 326 acre afforestation area named in his honour.
Robert White will share his knowledge about Richard St. Barbe Baker who, by some estimates, has been responsible for planting at least 26 billion trees during his lifetime through international organisations he founded or assisted. Many world wide tree planting organisations have arisen inspired by his legacy and have gone on to plant many more billions of trees. Arbor Week is a fitting time to commemorate the legendary work of Richard St. Barbe Baker as 50 years ago the University of Saskatchewan recognized the extraordinary achievements of Baker which had a sustained impact on others’ lives and provided inspiration for others. This tour will have two leaders to share stories about this heritage forest and how Saskatoon was a pioneer in creating nature based climate action solutions with the planting of this man-made forest on the prairies.
Meet up on Sunday May 30, 2021 at two p.m. for a Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area RSBBAA tour. The location will be the South West Off leash recreation area parking lot, and proceed from there. We encourage those arriving for the tour to bring-wear facemasks, and observe social distancing to comply with outdoor COVID protocols. Free facemasks will be available.
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )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! Canada Helps
The last day of the official proclaimed Arbor Week is today. Arbor Week is Sunday May 17 to Sunday May 24, and the Province of Saskatchewan’s first Arbor Day was proclaimed for Friday May 22.
Here is another coloring page to commemorate and celebrate Arbor Week. It is like a “Where’s Waldo” or a “Word Search” puzzle, but it is a nature eco-quest puzzle coloring page. What kind of biodiversity can you find in this stylized forest tree picture?
Inside the drawing of the stylized tree, you should find: The Words
Eco Quest
Arbor Day
Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.
The little images to find hiding in the stylized tree coloring page are:
A Child in Nature
Bumblebee
House Fly
Little Bird
Butterfly
Wild Rose
Wild Flower
Bird
Butterfly
Wild Rose
Flying Bird
Butterfly
Beetle
Bird
Butterfly large
Bunny
Flower
Aster
Bird
“Listen to the trees as they sway in the wind.
Their leaves are telling secrets. Their bark sings songs of olden days as it grows around the trunks. And their roots give names to all things.
Their language has been lost.
But not the gestures.”
― Vera Nazarian
There are different kinds of birds hiding in this tree, five altogether. There are several butterflies as well. Isn’t it amazing the plants and animals that can be found in a forest and alongside a wetlands!
And the neat thing about this coloring page, is that if you can find flowers, birds, trees, animals and be observant in this activity, well then, you can be a real world contributor to iNaturalist for the Genereux Park Eco-QuestGP-EQ and the Baker Area Eco-QuestBA-EQ. It is just that easy!
“If on any given day you don’t cry from rejoicing in the beauty of the world, then you have not lived that day.”
― Kamand Kojouri
Bobolink_female_CC2-0_GregTheBusker.
Heart health forest walking
Bumblebee on rose
JackRabbit West Swale Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA
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 SW 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
Please help protect / enhance /commemorate your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers)
“What catches your attention can change day to day.
But what catches your attention day after day is what you should pay attention to.”
― Khang Kijarro Nguyen
“Wake up.
If your eyes are sleeping
then wipe them gently.
You need to be awake for this.
It is a matter of life and death.
Wake up!
If your mind is sleeping
then shake it quickly.
You need to be awake for this.
It is a matter of life and death.
Wake up, I said!
If your heart is sleeping
then beat your chest!
You need to be awake for life!
You need to be awake for love!
It is a matter of living and being alive.”
― Kamand Kojouri
I was a very observant child. Almost anything could become a song to me.
was Arbor Day, the very very first Arbor Day in the province of Saskatchewan! If you didn’t get your tree planted yet, Arbor Week continues today and tomorrow, so you can have the weekend. Yay!
So, there is a virtual activity you can take part in to celebrate your love of trees.
Come out to the afforestation areas; either Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area or George Genereux Urban Regional Park, and immerse yourself in nature while social distancing and following COVID-19 protocols.
Download the iNaturalist app and sign into a free account. (Android, iPhone)
As you walk take a nature selfie and upload a photo or sound clip and add it to the project.
It does not matter what plant, animal, insect, or bird you see every observation is important, whether you find that elusive rare butterfly or share your find of a common weed. This becomes a living record that scientists can use to monitor changes in these urban regional parks’ biodiversity.
If you really like nature and observing, then try to go out at different times of the day, sunrise, midday, sunset. And continue around every season to see phenological changes.
iNaturalist is a great way to observe, learn and become aware of your surroundings in nature, and discovering urban nature. Hear it. See it. Live it.
For Arbor Week, here is another free coloring page (pdf)! (Immediate download) A bird forest. How many birds can you find? Can you design a bird that can be seen in Saskatchewan in the centre bird outline? Can you add more birds to the tree? What birds nest on the ground?
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 SW 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
Please help protect / enhance /commemorate your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers)
“To be poor and be without trees, is to be the most starved human being in the world. To be poor and have trees, is to be completely rich in ways that money can never buy.” Clarissa Pinkola Estés
He that plants trees loves others beside himself. Thomas Fuller
We make an immense mistake when we think of trees as solely an aesthetic member of a community. They cut pollution, they cool the air, they prevent erosion, they muffle sound, they produce oxygen. Then, after all that, they look good. Dr. Richard Leakey
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. George Genereux Urban Regional Park. 