Today, June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. It is a time to recognize diversity, cultural richness and heritage.
Did you know that the United Nations declared 2022-2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages?
So, as you take time to explore the natural wonders of the afforestation areas, discover more about our native flora and fauna as well as delving into our varied culture of the afforestation areas.
American Robin, Turdus migratorius, Le Merle d’Amérique Le français (French), pihpihciw nêhiyawak (Cree), roozh gorzh Michif
Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, La Couleuvre rayée Le français (French), kinepikos nêhiyawak (Cree), koolayv baarii Michif
Forest,la forêt Le français (French), sakâw nêhiyawak (Cree), li graan bwaa Michif
How would you say feather, insect, chickadee, turkey vulture or butterfly in another language from Treaty 6 territory? Email you answer to friendsafforestation@gmail.com
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), species at riskRanked S2 by SCDC
Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides
April 24 – 30, National Volunteer Week. Sign up for some amazing volunteer opportunities with the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.!
Help show the world what Saskatoon and area’s biodiversity looks like—grab your smartphone, the free @inaturalistorg app, & join this year’s #CityNatureChallenge from April 29–May 2! Great for all ages. City Nature Challenge has virtual events for citizen scientists, and in-person events to be out in nature using iNaturalist supporting global conservation efforts. Help out with this Challenge to place Saskatoon – a city you are all proud of- on the world stage!
There are follow up events to become intrigued by the rich and diverse heritage, awareness of the amazing biodiversity in the afforestation areas of Saskatoon. What is an afforestation area? Where are the two remaining afforestation areas in Saskatoon? Come out to the Jane’s Walk and Arbor Week events!
Join the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. find out more about what is happening!
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation area is 132 hectares [326 acres] in size. As the property lines rather follow the section lines from the Dominion Survey system, it is readily seen that this afforestation area is 2 miles long by and irregular 1/2 mile wide.
George Genereux Urban Regional park, the other afforestation area, is 60 hectare [148 acre] in size. Again, the property lines follow the quarter section boundaries, and Sk Hwy 7 lops off a corner of the 160 acre quarter section, so generally speaking George Genereux Park is about 1/2 mile by 1/2 mile square except for the land taken away by the chopped off corner.
There are woodlands to explore and discover; there is culture and history of Saskatoon’s past to marvel at; there are geological and 7 hectares [17 acres] wetlands treasures for wonder and curiousity.
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!
City Nature Challenge CNCYXE Saskatoon area versus YQRCNC Regina and area in a mini SK challengeGoldenrod Gall Fly Eurosta solidaginis Conservation Status: imperiled (S2S4) in Saskatchewan, CA (NatureServe)
World Health Day is amazing for April 7! By observing local nature, everyone can support vital conservation research while connecting with nature and enjoying the outdoors. Outdoor recreation is typically pursued for purposes of physical exercise, general wellbeing, spiritual renewal, and an opportunity to partake in nature whilst doing so.[source]
Download the free iNaturalist app, and practice looking for and taking pictures of nature. Between April 29 and May 2, 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.
Check out the afforestation areas in Saskatoon – Have you been to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area or George Genereux Park?
City Nature Challenge CNCYXE Saskatoon area versus YQRCNC Regina and area in a mini SK challenge
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Trees Need Not Walk the Earth, and, yet we as humans do, and partake of the beauty of the tree.
Take your pants for a walk day July 27, what a fantastic idea! A great way to get outside, and get some exercise after being cooped up with COVID protocols for so long.
Enjoy the afforestation areas, and have a great time.
Trees Need Not Walk the Earth
David Rosenthal
Trees need not walk the earth
For beauty or for bread;
Beauty will come to them
Where they stand.
Here among the children of the sap
Is no pride of ancestry:
A birch may wear no less the morning
Than an oak.
Here are no heirlooms
Save those of loveliness,
In which each tree
Is kingly in its heritage of grace.
Here is but beauty’s wisdom
In which all trees are wise.
Trees need not walk the earth
For beauty or for bread;
Beauty will come to them
In the rainbow—
The sunlight—
And the lilac-haunted rain;
And bread will come to them
As beauty came:
In the rainbow—
In the sunlight—
In the rain.
Take your pants for a walk day! Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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. Donate your vehicle to Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. to raise funds for afforestation areas. Click here to find out more. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date! Canada Helps
Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla Garrulus Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
American Red Squirrel Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
American Robin., Turdus migratorius
Downy Wwoodpecker Ddryobates pubescens
There are a few initiatives to check out. One is the EcoFriendly Sask Wildlife App. It is a great virtual online introduction to wildlife. What a perfect way to get familiar with what you have seen outdoors in the afforestation areas.
The other fantastic activity to take part in is to take pictures via your smart phone app while in the afforestation areas using iNaturalist. There is a fantastic community to help you make identifications of what you have seen in the forest, and the app uses a special recognition software package.
“To be standing together in a frosty field, looking up into the sky, marvelling at birds and revelling in the natural world around us, was a simple miracle. And I wondered why we were so rarely able to appreciate it.”
Lynn Thomson
“Creative expression, whether that means writing, dancing, bird-watching, or cooking, can give a person almost everything that he or she has been searching for: enlivenment, peace, meaning, and the incalculable wealth of time spent quietly in beauty.” -Anne Lamott
The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. is proud to partner with organisations taking action on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to take urgent action to combat Climate Change and its impacts around the world. We joined the global dialogue to magnify and intensify the voice through Satellite Events at the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021 hosted out of the Netherlands. We hosted our own satellite event delivering the theme of nature based solutions via afforestation with Richard St. Barbe Baker as a mentor. It is a great opportunity to interact and network with those groups who are exploring ongoing and future avenues to meet and support challenges world wide. The Climate Adaptation Agenda is truly a roadmap for a climate resilient future by 2030. We embrace this unique opportunity to act locally and think globally for climate led adaptations and solutions for transformation.
“I have learned you are never too small to make a difference.”
Greta Thunberg
“Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming whether you like it or not.”
Greta Thunberg
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
We forget that we owe our existence to the presence of Trees. As far as forest cover goes, we have never been in such a vulnerable position as we are today. The only answer is to plant more Trees – to Plant Trees for Our Lives.
“The future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. ” Wangari Maathai. “The science of forestry arose from the recognition of a universal need. It embodies the spirit of service to mankind in attempting to provide a means of supplying forever a necessity of life and, in addition, ministering to man’s aesthetic tastes and recreational interests. Besides, the spiritual side of human nature needs the refreshing inspiration which comes from trees and woodlands. If a nations saves its trees, the trees will save the nation. And nations as well as tribes may be brought together in this great movement, based on the ideal of beautifying the world by the cultivation of one of God’s loveliest creatures – the tree.” ~ Richard St. Barbe Baker.
“Calm soul of all things, make it mine, To feel amidst the City ‘s jar That there abides a peace of thine Men did not make and cannot mar. “ ~Richard St. Barbe Baker
And it is possible for afforestation to be carried out in ways that are healthy and restorative to local ecologies….the work of Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, …cultivates zones dense with native species that grow quickly and foster biodiversity. His plots respond to “human needs for … food, and medicine,” …offering flood and drought protection where little existed before.
Protecting the environment, taking action on climate change, conservation and restoration for species at risk, all while enjoying nature it doesn’t get better than this! Take part in the launch of “Our Forest Returns Saskatoon” – a campaign to kickstart the amazing wonders of winter in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and out at George Genereux Urban Regional Park.
What is a Saskatoon Wild Forest Angel for the Our Forest Returns Saskatoon campaign? How does becoming a steward or guardian make a difference for nature in the City of Saskatoon afforestation areas?
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
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 future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. ” Wangari Maathai.
“The science of forestry arose from the recognition of a universal need. It embodies the spirit of service to mankind in attempting to provide a means of supplying forever a necessity of life and, in addition, ministering to man’s aesthetic tastes and recreational interests. Besides, the spiritual side of human nature needs the refreshing inspiration which comes from trees and woodlands. If a nations saves its trees, the trees will save the nation. And nations as well as tribes may be brought together in this great movement, based on the ideal of beautifying the world by the cultivation of one of God’s loveliest creatures – the tree.” ~ Richard St. Barbe Baker.
“The world’s forest ecosystems provide environmental services that benefit, directly or indirectly, all human communities, including watershed protection, regional climatic regulation, fibre, food, drinking water, air purification, carbon storage, recreation, and pharmaceuticals.”
~ Ahmed Djoghlaf Executive Secretary Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Climate change is affecting the world’s ecosystems and threatening the economic system, livelihoods and availability of natural resources. Forest ecosystems can be carbon sources or sinks and are therefore integrated in international climate policy.
As the largest storehouse of carbon after the oceans, forests already absorb and store about 30 per cent of current levels of carbon emissions from fossil fuels and industry into their biomass, soils and wood products, and have the potential to store much more. At present, however, about 12 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to derive from deforestation, a process which is itself made more acute by the impacts of climate change. Forests can also help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change, stabilising and cooling local climates, including water flow and rainfall.
Duncan Brack Global Forest Goals – United Nations Forum on Forests
Canada plays an active and constructive role in the [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] UNFCCC negotiations and was a strong voice in the negotiations towards the establishment of the Paris Agreement.
Canada’s current NDC (PDF) adopts a target to reduce its economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. Canada is required to submit its next NDC by 2025.
Canada has also stated that it will set a target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
“Who plants a tree loves others than himself” Richard St. Barbe Baker. For the love of trees.
With the growth and expansion of the City of Saskatoon; there is a need to act locally and think globally and honour Canada’s commitment to the UNFCCC. “The projected total Saskatoon CMA population ranges from 406,209 to 496,083 in 2035. The surrounding municipalities’ populations will grow by between 20,000 and 34,000 people. The total population of the surrounding municipalities is projected to grow from 41,703 in 2015 to between 62,000 and 75,000 by 2035.” City of Saskatoon and Saskatoon Census Metropolitan Area Population Projection 2015 to 2035 The region’s population could reach one million by 2063 according to CBC News And. further to this, CTV reports that Saskatoon is one of the fastest growing places in Canada”
How can the 326 acre Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and the 147.9 acre George Genereux Urban Regional Park help with climate change during this period of City of Saskatoon and P4G greater Saskatoon growth? The P4G The P4G consists of the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, the Town of Osler and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park. There is no doubt about it, the afforestation areas are carbon sinks and help offset greenhouse gas emissions from the increased greyscape, urban population, and the attendant increase in greenhouse gases from this growth.
Did you know that one acre of trees produces enough oxygen to keep 18 people alive for one year! George Genereux Park at 147.9 acres would keep 2,662 persons alive per year. Richard St. Barbe Baker park at 326 acres would keep 5,868 persons alive each year. The current 2020 metro population of the City of Saskatoon is 325,000 persons. Of the Saskatoon census metropolitan area reaches 1/2 million by 2035 , then how many acres of trees would be needed?
One tree absorbs about 6 kilograms or 13 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. According to the University of Wisconsin; “One acre of trees absorbs 2.6 tons of CO2 per year”. That’s enough to offset CO2 produced by driving a car 41, 800 km (26, 000 mi) says “Trees in Trust” How many vehicles do an additional 500,000-325,000= 175,000 persons drive? How many acres of trees are needed to offset the CO2 produced by those vehicles?
Now what happens if the Saskatoon census metropolitan area reaches one million by 2063? Whereas the initial 660 acres of afforestation areas were preserved in perpetuity, there were planned in the afforestation policy another 2,200 acres in the long-term planting category. 660 acres- 330 acres – 147.9 acres=186 acres also preserved in perpetuity in Saskatoon.
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
Twitter: StBarbeBaker 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-mailfriendsafforestation 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 future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. ” Wangari Maathai.
“The science of forestry arose from the recognition of a universal need. It embodies the spirit of service to mankind in attempting to provide a means of supplying forever a necessity of life and, in addition, ministering to man’s aesthetic tastes and recreational interests. Besides, the spiritual side of human nature needs the refreshing inspiration which comes from trees and woodlands. If a nations saves its trees, the trees will save the nation. And nations as well as tribes may be brought together in this great movement, based on the ideal of beautifying the world by the cultivation of one of God’s loveliest creatures – the tree.” ~ Richard St. Barbe Baker.
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. George Genereux Urban Regional Park. 