#NationalForestWeek = Forest Tours

#NationalForestWeek = Forest Tours YouTube Video

Forest Walks Autumn Glory

Enjoy these hidden gems

Sept 24 and 25

Amazing Afforestation Adventure

Discover Dream Explore

Sept 24 and 25 at 2:00 pm Mark Your Calendars

http://friendsareas.ca/

bit.ly/3B6Ta3q Eventbrite

Thank you to City of Saskatoon and Mosaic for their support

Sat Sept 17 at 2:00 iNaturalist Biodiversity Challenge and Sun Sept 18 at 6:00 Easy as 1-2-3 Find It, Snap It, Share It, on the free iNaturalist app

Sun Sept 18 Wildwoods of Saskatoon Film Remai Modern at 2:00 Register Now! Seating is limited.

Commemorate #NationalForestWeek with a theme in 2022 “Canada’s Forests: Solutions for a Changing Climate.” 2022 is the 30th anniversary of “Maple Leaf Day” or National Tree Day in Canada

😃🍁🍄🥀🌼🌞🌷🌾🎋🌳🌲🐾🐀🐿🐁🐇🐇🕷🐛🦋🐞🐜🐌🐛🕷🦗🐢🐍🦇🐦🦉🦅🦆🐥🐣🐦🦇🐌🦋🦋🦄

National Forest Week brings attention to our forests and trees from coast to coast across Canada. Maple Leaf Day (or National Forest Day) takes place the third Wednesday of September, which in 2022 is September 21. National Forest Week are the days around Maple Leaf Day.

We live less that five minutes without air and the trees give us air we breathe. We live less than five days without water, and trees are absolutely essential in the water cycle. We live less than five weeks without food, and without the trees we could not grow food.” (Filson, Bruce K. October 7, 1982, Western People, p. 5)

#NationalForestWeek, #MapleLeafDay, #Saskatoon, #Saskatooning, #forest,

Celebrate #nationalForestWeek Sept 18-24! Special events and incredible opportunities await you! Visit http://www.friendsareas.ca to get involved today. 😄👍👨‍👩‍👧👩‍👩‍👦‍👦🌳🌲🌲🌳🌳🌲👨‍👨‍👧‍👦👩‍👩‍👦‍👦🙂😃👍

#NationalForestWeek commences Sept 18, 2022. Join us for a week of festivities as we discover trees, culture and explore the biodiversity forests around us support. Save the date to explore nature around you. www.friendsareas.ca @friendsareas 😄👍👨‍👩‍👧👩‍👩‍👦‍👦🌳🌲🌲🌳🌳🌲👨‍👨‍👧‍👦👩‍👩‍👦‍👦🙂😃👍

Do you have a great forest trail, a unique and special tree friend, a beautiful spot to meditate amidst the rustling of leaves in the forest? Post a selfie with a story telling everyone about your tree or forest space with the hashtag #NationalForestWeek. 😄👍👨‍👩‍👧👩‍👩‍👦‍👦🌳🌲🌲🌳🌳🌲👨‍👨‍👧‍👦👩‍👩‍👦‍👦🙂😃👍

Wildwoods of Saskatoon launches #NationalForestWeek at the Remai Modern Film Sept 18 at 2:00 ushering in a cavalcade of virtual and in-person events Take part in the photo extravaganza. Plant a tree, sing with a chickadee, protect a tree and support biodiversity. www.friendsareas.ca @friendsareas 😄👍👨‍👩‍👧👩‍👩‍👦‍👦🌳🌲🌲🌳🌳🌲👨‍👨‍👧‍👦👩‍👩‍👦‍👦🙂😃👍

Find your forest and share the story about your tree friend

In the days leading up to #NationalForestWeek

 Let people know about a forest you like to visit

 Share the location of a unique tree

 Tell a story about your favourite native tree

 Create a post on social media letting everyone know what event you have to offer about your favourite tree or forest

 Get together with other environmental groups to promote your forest or tree places by a networking event

There is no mood or passion that the forest cannot give us, and those of us who have discovered her secret can settle beforehand what our experiences are going to be. We can choose our day and select our hour. And lo! the dawn finds us in the obscure wood. Together witnessing the film expose the afforestation secrets, we pass through into the realm of legend. With pity or with joy, the secrets revealed, behold the stories and tales of another world, another time. Let us at least suppose so for the moment—that at the film -we settle down to discovering the real intention and the stories of the afforestation areas. Those stories which etch and mould the form of the afforestation areas.

Discover the Wildwoods of Saskatoon Sunday September 18 at 2:00 pm at the Remai Modern. Register Now

At the follow up place based forest tours Sept 24 and 25 meet Forest Guide: Sam Ereke, BSc, MSc, Research Scientist who will also be leading the Saskatoon and Area BioDiversity Challenge iNaturalist tours Sept 15-18.

Sept 17 at 2:00 pm

Sept 18 at 6:00 pm

Sat, 24 September 2022 2:00 PM

Sun. Sept 25, 2022 at 2:00 pm

Happy Girl — 50th anniversary of World Environment Day, 50th Birthday for Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park in Saskatoon

Richard St. Barbe Baker said it this way, “If a person loses one third of his or her skin, the person will die; if a tree loses a third of its bark, the tree will die, and if the world loses a third of its trees, the world will die.
We live less that five minutes without air and the trees give us air we breathe. We live less than five days without water, and trees are absolutely essential in the water cycle. We live less than five weeks without food, and without the trees we could not grow food.” (Filson, Bruce K. October 7, 1982, Western People, p. 5)

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:
Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits
NEW P4G District Official Community Plan
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
Pinterest richardstbarbeb
Blogger: FriendsAfforestation
Tumblr friendsafforestation.tumblr.com Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park
Facebook: StBarbeBaker Afforestation Area
Facebook for the non profit Charity Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. FriendsAreas
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Facebook: South West OLRA
Reddit: FriendsAfforestation
Twitter: St Barbe Baker Charity Twitter:FriendsAreas
Mix: friendsareas
YouTube
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 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!
Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.
United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities
“Be like a tree in

World Honey Bee Day

Today, August 20 is #WorldHoneyBeeDay, being the third Saturday of August!

Did you know that planting trees and even the planting of forests will help the World Honey Bee population?

Saskatoon, pincherry, chokecherry to name a few are pollinated bushes in the afforestation areas which rely on our bees and pollinator species. According to John Mola et al in The Importance of Forests in Bumble Bee Biology and Conservation writes, “forests and woody edges provide food resources during phenologically distinct periods, are often preferred nesting and overwintering habitats, and can offer favorable abiotic conditions in a changing climate.” Wildlife Preservation goes on to say, “forests provide lots of nooks and crannies for bumble bee queens to start their new colonies. Not only that, but the trees and shrubs in forests help slow down harsh winds, protect bees from the rain, and keep temperatures down during the heat of the summer by providing shade from the sun.” From the American Forest Foundation; “Mature stands [of forests] are also well suited for bees. Especially stands that include a variety of species, as well as openings or gaps. Mature forests can provide shade and protection from extreme weather for hives.”

What can you do?

Destroy your bug-zapper! Bug zappers kill all bugs and don’t pick and choose the bugs you don’t like. So all beneficial pollinator species bugs are also eliminated, and all the bird food on wings goes away, so the food web for the declining bird population is also gone.

Write a letter to your local, provincial and federal politician asking for a ban on pesticides and herbicides.

Buy organic food only in the supermarket or farmer’s market – or grow your own food.

There are light-free zones for star gazers to enjoy our milky way galaxy which is splendid! Why are there not Electro-magnetic Field EMF-free zones also? Environmental Health Trust EHT Executive Director Theodora Scarato writes, and says on YouTube; 5G and Small Cell Environmental Effects: Birds, Bees Trees and Climate. Take action now! Dana Dovey from Newsweek, says; “Technology is quite literally destroying nature, with a new report further confirming that electromagnetic radiation from power lines and cell towers can disorientate birds and insects and destroy plant health.” BeeHeroic says “Bees Plea, Stop 5G “Due to several factors – including body size, the magnetite that all animals have in their bodies and more – pollinating insects and animals are highly susceptible to 5G. In addition, the fact that mmWaves make plants toxic – to animals and humans – creates a combination that is forcing accelerated extinction of nearly all life on Earth.”

Plant trees and forests.

Our native biodiversity needs wild spaces, food and homes such as trees and forests provide in which to thrive. Forests, tree planting, and forest conservation initiatives are nature-based solutions towards climate action. Pollution, pesticides, herbicides are escalating the extinction events. Creating safe, organic forest spaces is a large step to halt and slow down the silent sixth mass extinction event of invertebrates, the planet’s bird food on wings. Ornithologists and botanists have noticed that the songbird, and raptor populations have declined by a staggering 48%. The monitored wildlife populations are reduced by a catastrophic 68%. A loss of forests and habitats have caused over 2/3 of our animal populations to totally disappear.

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:
Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits
NEW P4G District Official Community Plan
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
Pinterest richardstbarbeb
Blogger: FriendsAfforestation
Tumblr friendsafforestation.tumblr.com Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park
Facebook: StBarbeBaker Afforestation Area
Facebook for the non profit Charity Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. FriendsAreas
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Facebook: South West OLRA
Reddit: FriendsAfforestation
Twitter: St Barbe Baker Charity Twitter:FriendsAreas
Mix: friendsareas
YouTube
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 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!
Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.
United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities
“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

Starting Tonight

BioDiverCity Challenge starting tonight at midnight, and continuing on for four days till the end of day on June 12!

Here is a listing of the cities involved in the 2022 Prairie BiodiverCity Challenges

The Prairie BioDiverCity Challenges are running concurrently with the 2022 Summer NRMBC: Alberta and British Columbia

In addition to these two divisions, there is additionally the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan which have set up provincial projects as well. So this means that you can actually use iNaturalist anywhere in the province and still be counted in. Here is a handy link to the Saskatoon and Area BioDiverCity Challenge

There are four exciting events to choose from during the four day BioDiverCity Challenge! Sign up now

It will be interesting to see the results of a summer challenge as compared to the CNC in the early spring months. The Journal Pages on the iNaturalist Project Pages have hints and tips!

During Canada Environment Week

In love with Saskatoon and area’s incredible nature?

In love with the province’s ecosystems?

Download the free iNaturalist app

Find it

Snap it

Share it

What will you discover?

Thursday June 9 to Sunday June 12

BioDiverCity Challenge

YouTube

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 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!

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

“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

City Nature Challenge Results

There is no doubt about it, the people who took part did take action towards global conservation efforts. It was Great to Be the Reason Nature Believes in Humanity. Thank you one and all for taking part for Saskatoon and Area!

View our Thank You Video!

To see the results and observations for our involvement in the City Nature Challenge, check out both iNaturalist Saskatoon and Area AND BioSmart portal for Saskatoon and Area. In Saskatoon we had amazing support from the City of Saskatoon for the City Nature Challenge.

The Saskatoon Nature Society came on board, and really pulled through! The City of Saskatoon entomologist, Sydney Worthy, was host at an insect workshop which helped the CNC and this workshop is still having ripple effects through the school system. The Saskatchewan Mycological Working Group were host to a Fungi and Lichen Workshop which likewise is having amazing spin-offs! Appreciation is extended to the Prairie Conservation Action Plan for hosting a City Nature Challenge presentation for the Native Prairie Speakers Series. For these and other City Nature Challenge virtual webinars and workshops, see YouTube. Thanks to the University of Saskatchewan environment and sustainability classes for their contributions. The classrooms of students from the Saskatoon Public School Board and the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools were wonderful to see the student enthusiasm at both Brightwater at the afforestation areas, and around Saskatoon. Thanks to the Meewasin staff at Beaver Creek for helping out! Thank you to the Canadian Wildlife Federation WILD group for their assistance. Appreciations and rounds of applause to @lysandra, @MaryKrieger, @sarasims, Jacey Bell, Donovan Thiessen, andall the iNaturalist Observers and Identifiers. Thanks to the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Nature Society, SaskTel, SaskPower, SaskEnergy, Mosaic, EcoFriendly West were super to help with the logistics for the planning this event. Thanks to everyone in the area around Saskatoon. Check out “explore” on iNat or go to BioSmart. Hats off to Wild About Saskatoon, Cpaws and Nature Conservancy of Canada for helping to make the event happen, indeed. We wish to say thank you kindly to the Saskatoon Media Group for their radio announcements also, that was wonderful to get the word out! Thanks to everyone who shared the social media assets as well. It was wonderful to meet the organizing crew of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, California Academy of Sciences, Natural History Museum Los Angeles County. In the words of Richard St. Barbe Baker, Twihamwe or pull together echoes the Province of Saskatchewan Motto, Multis e gentibus vires (From Many Peoples Strength). This pulling together happened during the first ever Saskatoon City Nature Challenge and our statistics show we had the second highest results for the prairie provinces in Canada – imagine that! What a show of support for wildlife and conservation! If we have inadvertently missed any group or contributing organization, please email, and we apologize most humbly – it has been a most busy week. And, of course, thank you to all the individuals who are passionate about nature and who helped out just because they like to be out in nature, and taking observations, or helping with identifications, it was an amazing four day bio-blitz cram session.

The Global City Nature Challenge Statistics show an amazing result: 1,570,392 Observations worldwide. 50,270 Total Species were observed Globally. 64,238 People around the World took part.

In Saskatoon and area, in this very early springtime, there were 14 species at risk sighted.

American Elm Ulmus americana

American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Blackbottle Protophormia terraenovae

Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula

Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii

Early Blue Violet Viola palmata

Goldenrod Gall Fly Eurosta solidaginis

Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Louisiana Broomrape Aphyllon ludovicianum

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Prairie Violet Viola pedatifida

Togwoteeus biceps

Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

Yellow-banded Bumble Bee Bombus terricola

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

“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

City Nature Challenge Saskatoon 2022

CNC YXE 2022 DNU – City Nature Challenge : 2022 Saskatoon, SK : Défi nature urbaine

Results coming soon! Thanks to everyone for taking Part!

Saskatoon and Area City Nature Challenge April 29-May 2, 2022 #CNCYXE

Now is the time to get all your observations from April 29 to May 2 uploaded and work on identifying: May 3 – 8 • Results announced: May 9

YouTube Channel City Nature Challenge Playlist Hints and Tips

Thank you to everyone who went outside in Nature between April 29 – May 2 for the #CNC2022! This was a great undertaking to join the International initiative to collect information about the wildlife flourishing in Saskatoon and area. It was the very first year for the City Nature Challenge Saskatoon and Area.

Send in your cool/unusual/rare sightings!

New finds! Species that haven’t been recorded in particular areas before. Important finds of rare/endangered/threatened species. Observations that have a great story that go along with them. Really cool photos. Fun finds!

Send your photos of yourself, your friends or your family taking images in nature with iNaturalist! friendsafforestation@gmail.com

Of course, one can always use the iNaturalist app, or eBird to document nature and help conservation efforts even now that the City Nature Challenge is over.

Researchers, school groups, citizens and wildlife enthusiasts across the world did indeed tak part in this race against the clock to put nature on the map, submitting photos and observations of wildlife in their neighbourhoods and greenspaces through the free, easy to use iNaturalist smart phone app.

By observing local nature, everyone can support vital conservation research while connecting with nature and enjoying the outdoors.

Whether you are an expert, a seasoned #BioBlitz participant or getting involved for the first time, it couldn’t be easier to join in.

Simply download the iNaturalist app, take a photograph of nature in your local area – whether that’s a tree, plant or insect or animal – and upload. You don’t even have to know anything about the species you are observing. Teams of experts will be reviewing and updating the information that’s submitted, so you can log back in later and learn more about what you’ve spotted.

Help put the City of Saskatoon on the world nature scene! Using iNaturalist take photos of plants, animals, insects and mushrooms between April 29 – May 2, 2022! Saskatoon will compete for the title of the most Biodiverse City. We need your help.

Saskatoon and area will compete for the title of the most Biodiverse City. We need your help. The goals are to engage the public in the collection of biodiversity data, with three awards each year for the cities and areas that 1/ makes the most observations, 2/ find the most species, and 3/ engage the most people. We’re so excited to have this fun friendly competition with a chance to place Saskatoon and Area on the World Stage for the City Nature Challenge 2022! #CNCYXE

Get all your observations uploaded and work on identifying: May 3 – 8 • Results announced: May 9

This is the first year Saskatoon and Area has taken part in the City Nature Challenge Worldwide event. We need your help!

Share via social media toolkit pamphlets, posters, images, sample write ups

CNC YXE Pamphlets for download

Short link to this page bit.ly/381g29B

CNC YXE 2022 DNU -website link

Regina City Nature Challenge 2022 – if you are around Saskatoon document nature here, if you are around Regina and area, document nature there! Maybe more cities in SK will join in next year

Nature Lover Observation Recorders wanted!

Challenge ID Party

End of Day 2 Results.

So, the City Nature Challenge has come halfway, day 2 of 4 days.

What a ride it has been! Let’s recap again about some highlights.

So when you want to check out how Saskatoon and area is faring there are two counters. One is on iNaturalist here. The other scoreboard is here, as the Saskatoon City Nature Challenge signed up to BioSmart.

What is the difference? Well BioSmart shows the addition of both iNaturalist and eBird observations! In two days this is how Saskatoon and area has fared on BioSmart;

598
Observations

419
Identifications

217
Species

38
People

So that is pretty sweet! Hats off to everyone.

The ever beautiful Crocus Pulsatilla nuttalliana has been recorded today as an observation!

There has been an observation of a “Puccinia monoica (Rust Fungus) that infects prairie plants in early spring, usually species of Rock Cress (Boechera/Arabis)” (the description given by Glen Lee)

There are no more white rabbit sightings, only brown White-tailed Jackrabbits *whew*.

Some very beautiful Wintergreens are making a carpet of green which is ever wonderful to see.

If you have never seen a wondrous Spring Avens, well they are in bud now, so that is pretty cool!

But besides saying what is recorded, we should mention what is NOT recorded. There are NO pelican sightings recorded yet! And yet we know they arrived April 21! NO beaver nor muskrat sightings. So now the race is on, to see who can get the first pelican, beaver and muskrat sighting! Can you do it? Check on eBird Saskatoon for end of April usual bird sightings, and then it will be discovered what there may be to look for still 😉

Out of all the potential birds of prey around and about Saskatoon which may be sighted such as hawks, owls, vultures, only two have been registered to date = a Turkey Vulture, and a Merlin.

You know what is a rather unique and interesting happenstance of the City Nature Challenge? iNat user svetlana-bogdanovich out of Ukraine has made the most observations! So in the middle of war-torn Ukraine, svetlana has made 505 observations in 2 days! That is pretty incredible.

User eduardoramirez-anapri from Madrid Spain has made 444 observations in the first 2 days.

American Pelican Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK, CA — Pelican Preening

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

“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

Three Days Away

Send in your cool/unusual/rare sightings! What is way interesting during the City Nature Challenge April 29- May 2? That is only three days away! Wow

For rare sightings during the City Nature Challenge CNCYXE don’t place your iNat observation on private but do protect your rare sightings with obscured! And do let us know, so that the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County can run a press release!

In Saskatoon and area we are taking part in #CNC2022! Join us between April 29 – May 2 as we take part in this International initiative to collect information about the wildlife flourishing in Saskatoon and area.

Researchers, school groups, citizens and wildlife enthusiasts across the world will be taking part in this race against the clock to put nature on the map, submitting photos and observations of wildlife in their neighbourhoods and greenspaces through the free, easy to use iNaturalist smart phone app.

Send your photos of yourself, your friends or your family taking images in nature with iNaturalist! friendsafforestation@gmail.com

Taking a photo of mushrooms (fungi) with iNat on a smart phone

City Nature Challenge CNCYXE Saskatoon area versus YQRCNC Regina and area in a mini SK challenge — Taking a photo of mushrooms (fungi) with iNat on a smart phone

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday! We have some cool events planned coming up!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

“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

A focus on insects this spring

City Nature Challenge ID Party – Insects! Help for insect IDs/questions Tue, May 3, 2022 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CST

What is it? Help to convert the unknown observations! With an insect specialist – entomologist – to answer questions

About this event

Help discover the answer to “what is it?”

About this event

Get together virtually – in attendance will be an insect specialist by the name of Sydney Worthy Entomologist from the City of Saskatoon City of Saskatoon to help with I.D.s on insects which is fantastic!

Join together to make identifications on iNaturalist for the Saskatoon and Area City Nature Challenge.

EVERYONE is welcome to join, you absolutely DO NOT need to be an expert to help with IDs! And it is a great time to learn more about insects, and our insects in Saskatoon and get any insect questions answered as well.

We’ll start off with an introduction on how to identify and will go through some observations together, so join in if you’d like to learn more about how to help with IDs! After that, folks can jump off if they’d like to work on IDs on their own, but we’ll stick around if people would like to share some of the observations they’re coming across or just want to chat more about the City Nature Challenge or insects in general.

We would concentrate on the observations that “require ID” depending on how many people are online.

People can identify something, or ask some questions on various id’s.

Ask for others to confirm an id so that it can be listed as a “Research Grade”

also to help correct false ID’s.

Need assistance identifying your observations or eager to learn how to identify?

Pre-requisites: You will need a computer, laptop, tablet signed into your user name on iNaturalist to take part! or…If you want just to help by watching the zoom screen with your shout outs and questions that is fine also!

It may be easier if you have done some iNaturalist observations on your smartphone ahead of time, but as an someone with questions about insects, as an iNaturalist observer, a beginner, or an experienced specialist scientist all are welcome!

iNaturalist Connect with nature for the City Nature Challenge Saskatoon and Area Défi nature urbaine hosted by the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

City Nature Challenge Insect Hints and Tips Tues, April 26, 2022 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CST

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

“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

Volunteering is Empathy in Action

Celebrate National Volunteer Week April 24 – 30

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.”
~Author Unknown

iNaturalist does have staff who keep the programming running on iNaturalist, and deal with the coding of the computer vision artificial intelligence. However the soul, the heart and blood of iNaturalist runs on volunteers who have a love for nature and biodiversity.

In love with Saskatoon and area’s incredible nature? You can help map & protect it by joining this year’s #CityNatureChallenge, April 29–May 2! All you need to join is a smartphone and the free @inaturalist app.

iNaturalist volunteers are Citizen Scientist or naturalists! They are members of the general public who collect data in the form of photographs and sound recordings of organisms by using the iNaturalist app. The volunteers may be identifiers who analyze these observations and the collected data relating to biodiversity. Specialist or professional scientists also have a love of biodiversity who are involved in both the observation and identification stages of inaturalist.

Become a citizen scientist or naturalist volunteer by helping us observe and identify wild organisms in Saskatoon and Area using the free iNaturalist app on your smart phone: https://www.inaturalist.org/. iNaturalist combines the magic of artificial intelligence image recognition technology with crowdsourced postings from around the globe. Your participation does help scientists know and understand where and when organisms occur. You may also take pictures using any kind of digital camera then upload the images to inaturalist via your desktop computer.

How Do Young Community and Citizen Science Volunteers
Support Scientific Research on Biodiversity? The Case
of iNaturalist in the journal “Diversity”.

YouTube iNaturalist webinars “What is it?” “Identifications for iNaturalist ” “City Nature Challenge History” “Event planning“

Upcoming events for the City Nature Challenge virtual and in-person

#CNYXE Saskatoon City Nature Challenge project page on iNaturalist

Planet Earth, the World, is in our Hands — Planet Earth, the World, Biodiversity is in our Hands

Loving nature and volunteering to preserve biodiversity — Planet Earth, the World, Biodiversity is in our Hands

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

“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

George Genereux Nature Canvass

CITY NATURE CHALLENGE George Genereux Nature Canvass Mon., 2 May 2022 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Central Standard Time

What a great time of year to go out and about as spring is in the air, and the birds are migrating into the willows, and the meadow grass is sweet.

Did you know that….

“iNaturalist is a social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its website or from its mobile applications. As of February 2021, iNaturalist users had contributed approximately 66 million observations of plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms worldwide, and around 130,000 users were active in the previous 30 days.

iNaturalist describes itself as “an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature”, with its primary goal being to connect people to nature. Although it is not a science project itself, iNaturalist is a platform for science and conservation efforts, providing valuable open data to research projects, land managers, other organizations, and the public. It is the primary application for crowd-sourced biodiversity data in places such as Mexico, southern Africa, and Australia,and the project has been called “a standard-bearer for natural history mobile applications.””[source]

It will be a pleasure to meet you, and the willows would love to meet you. There are no river willows in George Genereux park, they are full sized tree willows.

Caragana Flower Blooom FRichard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK CA — Caragana Flower Blooom Saskatoon, SK CA

Thermopsis rhombifolia flowers - Buffalo Bean Nadiatalent CCx4 — Caragana Flower Blooom Saskatoon, SK CA

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

“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

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CNC YXE 2022 DNU – City Nature Challenge : 2022 Saskatoon, SK : Défi nature urbaine

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