Saskatchewan’s 19th Native Prairie Appreciation Week June 18-24, 2017!
Richard St. Barbe Baker AFforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK
Black Capped Chickadee. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. SAskatoon, Sk, CA
“Everyone can play a role in the conservation of prairie landscapes and a great first step is learning more about them,” Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan’s manager Carolyn Gaudet said. “We are encouraging all Saskatchewan residents to explore and experience what native prairie has to offer.paNOW”
“When the adventurers, who first penetrated these wilds, met, in the centre of the forests, immense plains, covered with rich verdure or rank grasses, they naturally gave them the appellation of meadows. As the English succeeded the French, and found a peculiarity of nature, differing from all they had yet seen on the continent, already distinguished by a word that did not express any thing in their own language, they left these natural meadows in possession of their title of convention. In this manner has the word “Prairie” been adopted into the English tongue. ~J. Fenimore Cooper”
“There’s nothing like going out into a patch of native prairie and seeing the birds, the wildlife and the grasses that have been around for a thousand years,” Gaudet said. “The winds blowing through the grasses. The birds chirping.620 CKRM”
I’ll pack with care our fragile dawn—
The dawn we laughed to greet;
I’ll send the comfort of the grass
That once caressed your feet.
No yearning love of mine I’ll send
To tear your heart in two—
Just earth-peace—home-peace—still and strong—
These things I’ll send to you.” A Box from Home By Helen Cowles LeCron
Grasses can, and do occupy wide tracts of land and are evenly distributed worldwide. As grasses do not like shade, they are not usually abundant within the forests, however grasses do indeed occur in open spaces, occupying every type of soil, in all kinds of situations and under all climatic conditions. For those living on the prairies, it is evident that grasses are usually successful in occupying large tracts of land to the exclusion of other plants, and yet, though the actual number of individuals of any species of grass, will far out-number those of any species of any other family of flora, they are very difficult to readily distinguish from one another. What an amazing life comes forward when looking at the grass flower through a magnifying lens upon closer investigation. For the prairie grasslands resident, it may indeed be clearly interesting to see where and how grasses vary.
As with flora species, grasses may perhaps fall into categories and be classified as native; annual, biennial or perennial; or introduced invasive, and endangered. Though true Grasses fall into the order Graminaceae (Gramineae) the word grass may signify any old plant of small ribbon-like leaves. With a bit of attention, and observation, it may come about, that the study may elicit those native grasses from agricultural cultivated species or those considered invasive. At this time of year, when the grasses are awash in blossom, is one of the best, quickest, and sure way of capturing the species of grass under observation.
Within the grasslands, are native flowers, starting out in the spring low to the ground as crocus and spring avens with furry coats. As spring evolves to summer, the flowers are higher and higher in stature to peek out over the top of the emerging grassland cover.
Snowberry bushes, trembling aspen, buffaloberry ofttimes line the perimeter of the grasslands affording nesting areas off the ground for species of birds for the avid bird watcher.
The flora may bring along invertebrates, which, themselves are interesting and important. Be they butterflies, pollinator insects such as bees or flies, herbivore or predator insects spiders, grasshoppers, and beetles.
It is with such diversity of species and functions, that an ecosystem is resilient in times of drought, fire, or flood. As Chris Helzer – the prairie ecologist – says the “little things are going to save the world.”
To get involved, look for #NPAW17 on Twitter, and check out weblinks below.
I believe in the Oneness of Mankind and all living things and the interdependence of each and all. Richard St. Barbe Baker
“By simplifying our lives, we rediscover our child-like stalk of innocents that reconnects us with the central resin of our innate humanity that knows truth and goodness. To see the world through a lens of youthful rapture is to see life for what it can be and to see for ourselves what we wish to become. In this beam of newly discovered ecstasy for life, we realize the splendor of love, life, and the unbounded beauty of the natural world.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls
Caragana arborescens, the Siberian peashrub, Siberian pea-tree, or caragana
Planet Earth, the World, is in our Hands
Cross Country Skiing at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Sasktachewan
Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
South West Off Leash Recreation Area. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Meewasin Valley Authority, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus),
Pelican Preenning
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands in the fog
White-Tailed Deer Fawn
Canada Goose Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands, Saskatoon, Sk, CA
“Every trail can’t be all things to all people but all trails can play beneficial roles. Trails play roles in the economy, play roles in the environment and perhaps most importantly, play roles in our health.*” Trails have the capacity to provide connectivity, economic benefits, education potential, environmental interpretation, health, heritage, and recreation. Trails can also focus on just interpretive trails. Trails may be made solely for recreation without awareness of the environment. Those people focusing on the lack of Vitamin “N” in the urban population, may construct trails for education and health, and not focus on a wide variety of recreation. Then there are those trails which with planning and foresight have the capacity to combine many features for an audience of skiiers, classrooms of snowshoers, groups of fat bicycle riders, and nature enthusiasts who come to the forest to band birds. Trails invite people and increase the human footprint. Is it at all possible for trails to provide health benefits of recreation and to conserve the footprint of birds and wildlife at the same time?
Trails can be constructed to encircle biospheres, and trails can loop around and create length for an exercise workout. Ecosystems in the afforestation area vary widely. Prairie gives way to permanent class IV wetlands, in turn cycles to Aspen Parkland bluffs, which at the next turn reveals implanted and afforested trees. Native grasslands mix with modified grasslands. Native trees combine with afforested mature tree plantings. Shallow temporary floodplains flow with intermittent streams between marsh areas.
Abandoned roadways in the afforestation area formerly allowed motorized vehicle travel east and west. Newly created trails create greenways through the forest biome itself.
“‘Planning Trails with Wildlife in Mind’ helps trail planners and builders balance the benefits of creating trails with being stewards of nature and wildlife habitat.” How does one make a bicycle path appropriate for a semi-wilderness wildlife habitat? What are some guidelines for being aware of wildlife, aquatic areas, and environmental impacts and consequences? Can trails be designed in the winter months without an awareness of the spring, summer and fall biosphere? How can trails enrich greenways, and the wildlife, while still providing a recreational experience? Are there impacts of trails on the nesting site of deer families, and fawns? What is the view from the bird’s nest with an increase of trail users in a forest?
Is it possible that a greenway concept or trail design, that the flora and fauna of wetlands and woodlands can thrive alongside people in nature? What types of design considerations and awareness of the biodiversity are required? Trail and corridor planning has the capacity to provide ecologically sustainable trails for a city urban footprint. Trails can protect environmental resources, if the natural eco-system is e
Fat Bike bicyling at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Horseback Riding
Canada 150 km walk
valuated, and considered.
However, that being said, trails can focus only on recreational aspects, and those benefits. Trails can be indeed fantastic ways to enjoy winter recreation. Once built, the same trails over the spring, summer and fall months, have opened up the wildlife habitat to people. There is no doubt about it, the winter recreation trails don’t disappear along with the snow melt.
Do these trails bring people into the environment with minimal environmental impact? What happens on a winter trail in the summer? Do the trails provide the tourist with the capacity for educational, scenic or interpretive opportunity year round? Can all vegetation be linked with a greenway corridor, or are there species which do not thrive around a trail? Similarly what species of animals will make homes, reproduce, and live in the same habitat as trails? Can this be accomplished, or does it become an either or? Is it a choice to choose between trails and a variety of fauna, or can they exist together? Do trails include the biosphere of flora and fauna species and therefore enhance the environment?
How do challenging bicycling and hiking trails compare to a shorter interpretive or nature trail? Is the area only large enough for recreational trails, and the park should only be open in the winter, and close up for the other seasons? Can recreational winter trails, afford environmentally friendly trails during other seasons?
Trails dig deep into a woodland, when a trail transects through a forest what are the impacts on the woodland animals, and birds? Do botanists work alongside trail planners to know which areas are sensitive and which would thrive with trails?
Trails are amazing things, a well-designed trail has minimal devastation to the vegetation, are easy to hike, bicycle, ski and snowshoe. However it may possibly be that protecting the vegetation, is not the sole responsibility when trail planning when providing a minimum impact onto an eco-system. Again, trails are truly amazing things, providing people with an opportunity to bicycle in nature, hike, showshoe, ski, or band birds. Alongside the vegetation, good trail planning will consider the seasons and the urban footprint all year round. If a winter ski trail is created in one area of a biome, will this impact where a deer gives birth to a fawn in the spring? When a winter trail loops through a forest, will that have a ripple effect on species of birds nesting over the summer?
Eco-tourism is wonderful. A healthy and active outdoor lifestyle is absolutely marvelous. Having the capacity to celebrate a semi-wilderness habitat in the city is remarkable. What is the way to make these concepts mutally inclusive? How can winter trail networks live in harmony with semi-wilderness wildlife habitats? This question begs the need to know what wildlife habitats exist, which species live where. Where do the nature enthusiasts band their birds? Where do the deers nest their fawns? If these questions are answered, the biosphere, is truly enhanced with trails, and the next generation of skiiers, snowshoers, hikers, and bicyclers will also be handed a glimpse of a deer, and the grandchildren of the bird-banders, will also be able to band birds alongside the same trails. Wouldn’t that be fantastic if many generations of recreational enthusiasts, could have a grand time celebrating winter, and that their great grandchildren may also see a deer in a city forest? Is it possible and how can it be accomplished? The question now is how?
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, SK, CA north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 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
We feel that our greatest victory remains to be won when man will realize his oneness with the trees, the creatures and with all living things, not ours to destroy, but to be handed on for the enjoyment of future generations”. – Richard St. Barbe Baker.
Trembling Aspen grove Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CA
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
Black Capped Chickadee West Swale Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA
“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 Saskatoon Nature Society Past-President, Marten Stoffel, who is familiar with the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation area, along with Sara Byrson who has a background in forestry will lead a field trip to the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area on the evening of June 14, as follows. For several years Marten Stoffel has been banding birds at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area.
Wednesday June 14, 2017 7:00 pm – 9:00 pmRichard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area.
“We will walk through this afforestation area next to
Chappell Marsh to search for native plants and songbirds.
Meet by the Grain Elevator at the Western Development
Museum parking lot on Lorne Avenue. Bus: Route 1
Exhibition departs downtown terminal at 6:31 p.m. and
arrives on Lorne Avenue adjacent to museum about 6:50 p.m.
Leaders Sara Bryson (306 261 6156) and Marten Stoffel
(306 230 9291)
Guide to Nature Viewing Sites Page 122.”
Everyone is welcome to participate in any Saskatoon Nature Society field trip. Bring your friends. Carpooling for out-of- town trips is arranged at the meeting place; there is no charge other than to share gasoline costs. Phone the trip leader if you have any questions (as above). Participants are free to depart early if they wish. Saskatoon Nature Society Members with FRS radios should bring them on out of town trips. Family Radio Service (FRS) is an improved walkie-talkie radio system. Check the website at Saskatoon Nature Society for last minute changes or cancellations and to download checklists. Bus Information: 306-975-3100.
It is with grateful appreciation that the Stewards of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area acknowledge this wonderful program acknowledging the semi-wilderness wildlife habitat of the West Swale, and associated woodlands. Though this two hour walk through will not be as extensive as a two day bio-blitz, it will be intriguing to discover what nativeplants are discovered at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and which song bird species come to roost for the evening.
As Saskatchewan Tourism says; “With over 350 species to be observed, birdwatching in Saskatchewan is a year-round activity. However, the fall and spring migration seasons present fantastic opportunities for viewing as species both rare and plentiful cross the Land of Living Skies.”
The Prairie Birder, Charlotte Wasylik, has listed the arrival dates for spring migratory birds in Alberta, to check how these dates correspond to Saskatchewan Species, compare to E-Bird historic sightings. The prairie provinces are vast land areas, and she mentions, that “with a variety of habitats and species arrival dates will vary based on your location in the province”, the typical dates of spring migration are March through May.
What are some of Saskatchewan’s prairie songbirds? Sibley and Alquist divided songbirds into two “parvorders”, Corvida and Passerida which include shrikes, vireos, crows, magpies, jays, waxwings, chickadees, larks, swallows, martins, warblers, wrens, nuthatches, thrushes, true sparrows, finches, pipits, buntings, American sparrows, longspurs, buntings for example. Will it be possible from the above family listing to perhaps sight any of the species of these families on the Saskatoon Nature Society Check List which may offer a spotting of the following example species; Sprague’s pipit, Chestnut-collared longspur, Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, McCown’s Longspur, Bobolink, and Purple Martin.
“Grassland songbirds evolved with specific needs that restrict where and how they can obtain food and build nests. Most of them can only nest in certain types of grass and will not tolerate trees in the landscape….The Baird’s Sparrow is one of the least flexible grassland songbirds…they’re really fussy about how tall and sparse the vegetation is. They have to have finely stemmed grasses to nest in. So the heavy, thick stems and leaf blades of invasive and non-natives like smooth brome are a problem for them.Hanson
The former natural area screening study conducted surveys in native grassland, modified grasslands and wetlands plant communities throughout the west/southwest sector of Saskatoon. Locating native grassland communities in and around trembling aspen bluffs. Mixed grasslands, however will show examples of smooth brome, alfalfa, and sweet clover. “Grasslands have undergone habitat conversion including cultivation, grazing, suburbanization, and industrialization. Murphy A listing of native plant species is included at the end of this article or click here [pdf].
The south west sector afforestation areas were started as tree nurseries in 1972, and when the trees matured, this use as a tree nursery is not longer viable. So the grasslands have had years to recover, and begin the conversion back to their natural state. However, “in addition to the threat of development, native grasslands are being degraded due to weed invasionWilliams. So it will be intriguing to see the level of native plants left intact at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area.
Looking back now, to the afforestation methods employed in 1972, “The following tree species were used: American and Siberian Elm, Manitoba Maple, Green Ash, Poplar, Willow, Colorado Spruce, Scotch Pine, and Caragana. Rows weaving in and out as much as forty feet from the centre line was used. This produces a natural forest effect. The proposed planting area consisted of four and one-half adjacent quarter sections. We divided this two and one-half mile long area into five planting areas, with strips of fifty to sixty feet left bare, as fire guards between each planting area.”Ligtermoet So these means that there are areas which have been native prarie biome for 57 years since the land was purchased by the City of Saskatoon in 1960 without development of any form at all, so it may, indeed be promising to find belts of native grassland, and associated songbirds during this Saskatoon Nature Society nature field trip.
Whereas the West Swale has numerous small scattered wetland areas, the focus of this nature study walk, will be not the aquatic vegetation, nor waterfowl, but the belts of native plants, and any associated songbirds.
Louie Schwartzberg states that “Nature’s beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude.” Thank you to the Saskatoon Nature Society to help all the field trip participants become aware of nature’s beauty which abounds at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Your planning of this nature field trip on June 14, 2017 is gratefully appreciated! Words cannot express our feelings, nor the thanks for all your help.
“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly”~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hanson, Kim. Fire is for the Birds in Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie. Fire Science. he information for this Manager’s Viewpoint is based on JFSP Project 01-3-2-09, Prescribed Fire for Fuel Reduction in Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie: Influence on Habitat and Populations of Indigenous Wildlife and Future Forest Flammability; Principal Investigators: Robert K. Murphy, Todd A. Grant, and Elizabeth M. Madden.
“We feel that our greatest victory remains to be won when man will realize his oneness with the trees, the creatures and with all living things, not ours to destroy, but to be handed on for the enjoyment of future generations”. – Richard St. Barbe Baker.
“Healing the broken bond between children and nature may seem to be an overwhelming, even impossible task. But we must hold the conviction that the direction of this trend can be changed, or at least slowed. The alternative to holding and acting on that belief is unthinkable for human health and for the natural environment. The environmental attachment theory is a good guiding principle: attachment to land is good for child and land.” `Richard Louv
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, SK, CA north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 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
If you wish to support the afforestation area with your donation, write a cheque please to the “Meewasin Valley Authority Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area trust fund” (MVA RSBBAA trust fund) and mail it to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area c/o Meewasin Valley Authority, 402 Third Ave S, Saskatoon SK S7K 3G5. Thank you kindly! Twitter: St Barbe Baker
It is not a farce.…”To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.” ~Terry Tempest Williams
I learned early to regard the forest as a society of living things, the greatest of which is the tree. ~St. Barbe
Spring Sunset Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Spring Sunset Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Spring Sunset Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Fresh New Spring Afforestation Images
“We depend on nature not only for our physical survival. We also need nature to show us the way home, the way out of the prison of our own minds. We got lost in doing, thinking, remembering, anticipating – lost in a maze of complexity and a world of problems.” ~Eckhart Tolle
How can one possibly describe the evenings? The mild yet beautiful evenings, when the whole wide-spread scene of crystal waters, forest, and prairie illumined with almost celestial radiance. Bird songs filled the air. The prairies crowded with all the varieties of animal life in peaceful enjoyment. No sights of violence or suffering met the eye. No discordant sound fell upon the ear. All was beauty, harmony, and joy. The landscape resembled our imaginings of the world before the fall, when it came fresh from its Maker’s hands, and all the morning stars hailed its birth. The region was beautiful. There was no continuous forest, but extended, well-watered plains, interspersed with groves of a great variety of majestic trees. John Stevens Cabot Abbott would reflect on prairies thus.
“Ts’ui Pe must have said once: I am withdrawing to write a book. And another time: I am withdrawing to construct a labyrinth. Every one imagined two works; to no one did it occur that the book and the maze were one and the same thing.” ~Jorge Luis Borges
And of the forest, St Barbe would write, “Has any one of us ever really seen a Tree? When we become aware of trees we may each glimpse of them to moments of spiritual vision and, identifying ourselves with the trees, become conscious of the rising of the sap; the upward thrust of life, leaf burgeoning, their consciousness of the changing seasons; we may share their passionately boisterous exuberance of life in the height of the storm, and their tranquility when at rest; with them we will enjoy the glad murmur of the ripening seed clusters when after weeks of drought the steady warm rain brings relief to thirst; and we will know that these creatures, our elder brethern, are intimately related to us in their love and hunger for life. We may even catch their enthusiasm and aspire heavenwards while still rooted in our Mother Earth and in communion with our fellow man and, tree-wise, strive to make the Earth more fruitful again.
The glorious rich, colourful, quilted covering of trees and vegetation is not there merely to feed and please us, its presence is essential to earth as an organism. It is the first condition of all life. It is the skin of the earth.
I learned early to regard the forest as a society of living things, the greatest of which is the tree.~Richard St. Barbe Baker ”
For more information:
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, SK, CA north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 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
If you wish to support the afforestation area with your donation, write a cheque please to the “Meewasin Valley Authority Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area trust fund” (MVA RSBBAA trust fund) and mail it to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area c/o Meewasin Valley Authority, 402 Third Ave S, Saskatoon SK S7K 3G5. Thank you kindly! Twitter: St Barbe Baker
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
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
South West Off Leash Recreation Area. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Meewasin Valley Authority, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
A teeming life goes on in the forest without any of the problems that confront mankind in similar circumstances. There are no dustbins, no water-borne sewage, no town clerks or city councilors or armies of officials, with more and more rates to pay, no ever-growing burden of debt.
The forest solves its own sanitary problems by direct action while man evades them. The forest has been described as the perfect sanitarian, the supreme chemist. In its economy it perfectly combines Capitalism, Communism and Social Credit and instead of building up a burden of debt it stores up real wealth of the woods.~Richard St. Barbe Baker
Your pet may travel outdoors, and bring home ticks attached to them. If it is the beginning of the tick season, ie early spring around Easter, the ticks are small. These ticks will take a blood meal, drop off the host animal, and enlarge in size. Next time they attach to a host animal, it is probably a larger species, and again the now larger tick will take a blood meal. The tick will either stay on the host animal and breed, or drop off and begin again to find another host animal.
When a tick lays eggs, there are several thousands of eggs, which then hatch, and feed on the host animal. Or the eggs may drop off infesting the new locality.
One method to keep your home and yard safer is to sprinkle diatomaceous earth (de). “Diatomaceous earth is composed of tiny organisms known as diatoms which have the ability to lacerate the exoskeletons of various types of insects and kill them through dehydration.How” “Make sure you buy food grade diatomaceous earth, NOT the pool filter grade which is heat and chemically treated and is TOXIC if ingested.Food” Food grade de is non toxic to humans and pets. One way to subvert a tick infestation in your living environment. Within 2-3 weeks the tick problem should be eradicated at your home. In this era of climate warming, and phenology changes be knowledgeable in the application of diatomaceous earth outside as it effects a number of insects. Use of diatomaceous earth outdoors is defeated with a rain storm, and a re-application is needed.
Sprinkling your shoes, socks and pants with diatomaceous earth is another way to protect yourself from ticks. Likewise sprinkling your pets will serve to be a natural tick repellent, it will dry out their skin also, so apply it in a fine layer only using an applicator such as a salt or sugar shaker filled with diatomaceous earth. “Diatomaceous Earth is very useful as a detox solution, digestive aid and colon cleanser. For dogs, use one tablespoon per day of food grade Diatomaceous Earth in his food for dogs over 55 lbs. and one teaspoon per day for small dogs and puppies.benefits For the human diet diatomaceous earth “(1) helps move things out of your intestines and (2) helps promote healthier hair, skin, bones, and joints.” The silica content in diatomaceous earth will help the body absorb calcium, and enrich skin collagen, bones, nails and hair. For pets and their owners, diatomaceous earth has been recommended for colon cleansing, parasite control, and as a form of detox.
“You should treat your dog’s bedding with diatomaceous earth twice a week, leaving it for about 3 days. Repeat this process whenever your dog spends time in the woods, tall grasses, or around rodents. Insect infestations are usually eradicted in 2-3 weeks.
One possible reason for tick population surge, is phenology. Insect life cycles react to “degree days” local daily sun and moon cycles reacting with great rapidity to climate change and milder winters. Bird life cycles rely on the amount of available sunlight seen to change in seasonal monthly and earth rotational cycles. If migrating birds arrive in the northern hemisphere too late to feast on small grubs and insect larvae. It is known that bird migratory patterns are changing, so “bird migration, breeding, and nesting are timed every spring to coincide with the peak availability of critical food sources.<a href="Wildlife.org” Until these phenological cycles balance, the populations of insects are on the rise, and populations of birds are declining. For those who are trying to control tick populations on acreages and large land areas, the Guineafowl or poultry may come in handy.
For people walking in long grass or in woodlands, a precaution is to carry a tweezer or “tick twister” on the walk and wear light coloured clothing, tucking pants into socks, and shirts into waistbands. The light coloured clothing helps to sight ticks on their slow journey upwards. Tucking in your clothing thus keeps the ticks on top of the clothing, and not underneath on your skin. People who are not using the non-toxic natural remedy of diatomaceous earth those folks can spray with an insect repellent containing deet. When you arrive home, pop into the shower, to wash off any ticks unseen and unspotted. Throw your clothing directly into the washing machine, so any undetected ticks do not end up infesting the household. Don’t wander around “blindly”, but arm yourself with a bit of knowledge to have a safe walk with your four-legged friend.
For your pet, fill up a child’s wading pool in your yard when the weather is warmer. Then go for a walk with your dog. When you arrive back home, the sun will have warmed the chilly water from the hose. It will be easier to pop your dog into the warmer water of the wading pool outdoors, and this quick bath may rid your pet of any ticks your eyes have missed. The slicking down of the fur in the water may also help to reveal the missed ticks.
Dogs which have been out and about in a tick area should be immediately checked for ticks when leaving the site. Using tweezers or a “tick-twister” remove the tick without placing a lot of pressure on the tick body. With tweezers, secure the tweezer ends at the tick mouth where the tick has entered the skin and pull straight up and out. To keep your pet safe, walk on mowed paths, dirt, asphalt, concrete or wooden walkways. Avoiding long grass and shrubbery will help your pets not arrive home with ticks.
Pets can also be treated with any number of over the counter “tick ointments and sprays.” Many products are applied to the back of the neck with an effectiveness of about 21 days, being strongest in efficacy at the beginning, and waning towards the end of the treatment cycle. These applications may help your dog from infestation, however on personal experience, attending to ticks on your pets with a tweezer or “tick twister” is the most effective method. Relying on tick products may still reveal tick eggs and fully mature ticks burrowed into your pet even with tick applications. Tick ointments also become diluted and less effective when your pet gets wet, ie a dog shower or bath, or an outdoor swim. However, don’t reapply tick applications without your vet’s knowledge, as the dog’s immune system can usually handle one application every 21 days, as the application is mildly toxic to your pets as well as containing poisonouse substances to the tick.
If you are bitten, record the date, keep the tick on hand in a sealed bottle and take a picture of it. Watch for a “bull’s eye” rash, one of the early warning signs for Lyme disease. With early medical intervention, serious bodily reaction to the tick bite can be averted.
In Saskatoon, food grade diatomaceous earth can be purchased from a store such as Early’s seed and feed. Be safe, arm yourself with knowledge. If you walk in the grasslands or in the woods where ticks may be present, take precautions for yourself and your pet.
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
will have nothing to do with this destruction of life. I will play no part in this devastation of this land. I am destined to live and work for peaceful construction for I am morally responsible for the world of today and of the generations of tomorrow. ~Richard St. Barbe Baker.
LeContes Sparrow Ammodramus leconteii
Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
Song sparrow Melospiza melodia
Savannah sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
What, now, about these sparrows, which are which?
“I believe that this generation will either be the last to exist in any semblance of a civilized world or it will be the first to have a vision, a daring and a greatness to say:
“I will have nothing to do with this destruction of life. I will play no part in this devastation of this land. I am destined to live and work for peaceful construction for I am morally responsible for the world of today and of the generations of tomorrow. ~Richard St. Barbe Baker.
So when might you see a sparrow, or little brown bird? As the Nature Study Publishing Company aptly relates; “Of all animated nature, birds are the most beautiful in coloring, most graceful in form and action, swiftest in motion and most perfect emblems of freedom. They are withal, very intelligent and have many remarkable traits, so that their habits and characteristics make a delightful study for all lovers of nature. ”
Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) is seen in a migratory pattern, watch for the Lincoln’s Sparrow in late April to the end of May, and again mainly in September. There are sightings in August and October as well, though one may be luckier in early May and September.
The Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana), another migratory sparrow, arrives in May and can be spotted throughout this month. Again, keep a look out in September and early October.
The American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) is another little brown job more commonly seen in a migratory pattern, with the majority of sightings in March through May, and again in September and October, though the rare sighting occurs in February, throughout the summer, and between October to December.
Fox Sparrows ( Passerella iliaca ) are another migratory bird through this area. Watch for this little brown bird between April and beginning of May, and again in September and early October. There may be the occasional sighting in July or August.
Baird’s sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii) is seen through April and August, with the best of luck in August.
The Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)i is similarly seen through April and mid-August.
LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii) is most commonly sighted as well through April all they way to July, however a few folks record seeing them in August and September.
Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni) can be seen mid May to middle of August, with the rare sighting occuring in September.
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) is another summer arrival coming in May and seen throughout June as well. The sightings taper off between July to rarely seen in November, and never seen across the winter months.
The Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow and Lincoln’s Sparrow arrive in the spring, stick around all summer, and leave in the fall. Look for the Vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) as early as late April, with the majority of the Vesper Sparrows arriving in May, sightings trail off in late August through October. The Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) will arrive in very late April, and again the main sightings are between May and August. Sightings of the Savannah Sparrow trail off in September and October, though rare sightings occur in December. The Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) arrives earlier, beginning of April, and ornitholgists can see the Song Sparrow through the fall, with sightings trailing off in October, and none after this till next spring.
Clay-coloured Sparrow (Spizella pallida) is very similar, arriving In May, and also seen heavily through June and early July, with sightings tapering off through the summer and early fall, with rare sightings occurring in November, and none in the winter months.
The Harris’ Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) is easiest to sight end of April, beginning of May, and again there are regular sightings in starting end of August, and through September and October. A few avid bird watchers have found the Harris’ Sparrow end of February, and beginning of July.
One has to be a most excellent bird watcher to catch a glimpse of a Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) , which may occur at the end of July, beginning of August.
Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri) also require a bird watcher of some skill, and sightings are best around the middle of May.
The White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) is easiest to spot end of April and beginning of May, and again in September and October. There are regular sightings of the White-crowned sparrow between January to May, and the occasional sighting at the beginning of July.
The White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), is mainly seen end of April through May, with the occasional sighting through the summer months. Again bird watchers find this little brown job in September and October, with a few stragglers sticking around November through February.
The Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) is much harder to spot with minimal sightings, keep your eyes open in May.
From sights we pass to the consideration of sounds, and it is unfortunate that the two subjects have to be treated consecutively instead of together, since with birds they are more intimately joined than in any other order of beings; and in images of bird life at its best they sometimes cannot be dissociated;—the aërial form of the creature, its harmonious, delicate tints, and its grace of motion; and the voice, which, loud or low, is aërial too, in harmony with the form. So as you wander the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, or the Afforestation Area formerly known as George Genereux Park, please try to sight a sparrow, or perhaps, with a small bit of delight try to hear a sparrow. Compare the language, the shrill, the chirp, or the musical tune. Each has a melody unique to its own kind.
Do you not have the curiosity to know the songs of the marsh and woodlands? The story that is told from winter visitors, migrants, the summer breeders, and is there a season when the woodlands are silent? So pop out during the months outlined above, and see when the voices burst out altogether, hear the spring calls marking out the territory, the voices singing one to another. Which melodies are mysterious, and which are persistent? What is the charm which you find in nature? Find what happiness the ornithologist may derive from these shy creatures, very small and private, which fly from hikers when approached. Can you say that the pleasure of seeing and hearing them was purer, and much more lasting than pleasures of excitement. Can you picture the loveliness, the sunlit colours, and the grace of form motion, and melody which the brief glance into this world sends forth?
We know that as with sights so it is with sounds: those to which we listen attentively, appreciatively, or in any way emotionally, live in the mind, to be recalled and reheard at will.
The clouds are my family.
When you cannot find me,
it is because my sisters
and brothers have called me.
We are singing circles of prayers
about the earth…
~James McGrath
pray to God that I remain to be just to the earth under my feet, to my neighbour, and my inner conscience”. Richard St. Barbe Baker
Call to Action!
United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020
Baby Deer ~ Fawn
Downy Wwoodpecker Ddryobates pubescens
Pelican Preenning
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands in the fog
“Ask any Canadian kid to name the world’s most endangered ecosystem, and chances are you’ll hear one of the following answers: 1) rainforests; 2) coral reefs; 3) leave me alone.by Dan Kraus” However, the answer, from The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, declared temperate grasslands as the world’s most endangered ecosystem. Bob Peart Saskatchewan in the middle of Canada’s plains, is the home of the temperategrasslands.
What is biodiversity anyways? “Bio” is a prefix meaning life as in plants and animals or flora and fauna. Diversity means a variety. Biodiversity, therefore is a mix of flora and fauna which includes species diversity, ecosystem diversity, and genetic diversity, and their interrelationship with each other as they don’t live in a vacuum.
The Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is unique with riparian afforested mixed woodlands, native aspen bluffs, the Chappell marsh wetlands eco-system, and tall grass prairie ~ an amazing semi-wilderness wildlife habitat rich in biodiversity within the City of Saskatoon. And check out the neighbouring afforestation area formerly named George Genereux Park, and its bio-diversity.
1./ “Biodiversity education begins with learning. Discover the names of the trees, birds, native plants and insects that share” the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation area.1
2./ “Once you know a little more, get out and experiencethe wonders of life’s diversity. Visit a local park. Take an afternoon hike through the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. 2
3./ “Do Something: Finally, get involved! Make changesto your lifestyle which reduce your impact on the planet, or become a ‘citizen scientist’ and join others in contributing to our collective understanding of the world around us!”3 Included in the bibliography are a plethora of sites ~ a literal swarm of activities to get youth involved as a parent or a teacher, or perhaps you are a kid or citizen scientist interested in saving the world around you.
Have you ever hugged a tree?
Hug a tree, and one day you will come to know
that it is not only that
you have hugged the tree
but that the tree also responds,
the tree also hugs you.
– Osho
BIBLIOGRAPHY: What can you do? Here are a few ideas…. Biodiversity. Environment. Government of Saskatchewan.
Children and Youth. Global Youth Biodiversity Network, Youth, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development Goals, Join the Green Wave One School, One Tree, One Gift to Nature! CBD Secretariat Convention on Biological Diversity.
Earth Rangers Saskatchewan initiatives. “Earth Rangers is a registered Canadian charity whose mission is to educate kids about the importance of biodiversity and empower them to protect animals and their habitat. ”
Ecology for Kids. Summer kids Camps. ” Kids will visit scientists, study rocks, fossils, plants, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and Saskatchewan Endangered Species, and then undertake environmentally friendly projects to help them! ” University of Saskatchewan.
Kids Activities. “Water Watchdog Activities! Water Watchdog Origami Activity. Water Watchdog Word Find. Water Footprint, Water Detective. Play Catchment Detox! ScienceSeekers: Wetlands. Wetlands Activity! Biodiversity: A Data Discovery Game.” Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin.
Resources for Educators “Wetland Centres of Excellence. Project Webfoot. Earn Wetland Hero Status. Duck Detectives.” Ducks Unlimited.
Resources. School Ground Greening resources, Teacher’s Corner, Community greening resources, food growing resources, native plant database. Evergreen Canada.
Robin, Michael. Responsible pet ownership crucial to saving salamander and newt biodiversity “The fate of the world’s richest biodiversity of salamanders and newts is in the hands of pet owners across North America, said Natacha Hogan, an environmental toxicologist specializing in amphibians at the University of Saskatchewan. ” May 30, 2016. University of Saskatchewan.
Sage Grouse Initiative SGI Wildlife Conservation Through Sustainable Ranching. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) initiative.
