Well, the City of Saskatoon and Meewasin Valley Authority were right. Canvassing the afforestation areas does show that these semi-wilderness areas do provide habitats conducive to flora and fauna including species at risk. The count is up to around twenty species at risk at the current moment. Thank you to everyone using iNaturalist and helping to document the species in the 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
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
What do you think of a 175,218 square meter allocation for a YXE pollinator paradise?
For an urban city like Saskatoon planning to meet one million residents by 2063, it is wise to show environmental leadership. The City of Saskatoon cannot do it alone, residents have to come to the forefront to help with pollinator garden planting.
Wild About Saskatoon mentions that “the first 50 people to certify your back yard, garden, or school yard as a Pollinator Paradise will receive our beautiful Pollinator Paradise YXE sign (retail value $39.95) for free.”
Query? Should there be pollinator gardens planted in the two afforestation areas by making use of the Utility Right-Of-Ways? What would it mean? Checking out the ROW zones of the afforestation areas on Google Earth there would be:
There is the potential for a whopping 141,536 square meters of pollinator gardens at Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
AND
There is also potential for another 33,682 square metes of pollinator gardens at George Genereux Urban Regional Park
What do you think? Is 175,218 square meters of pollinator paradise something which would show good environmental and pollinator-friendly management practices? Is it a good idea?
Already from the closure of the east side of Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area to motorized vehicular traffic, the number of native plants is exponentially increasing without motorized vehicles using the urban regional park as a road bringing in invasive plants from everywhere. There is starting to be a rebound with an increase in native plants, and numbers of species already – without an anthropogenic management plan, just letting Mother Nature do the native flora plantings!
Pollinator
Pollinator
Pollinator
Bee
Bee
There are a few more resources included as follows:
Budburst: Budburst brings together researchers, horticulturists, and community scientists on a shared journey to uncover the stories of plants affected by human impacts on the environment. Budburst tells these stories through data collection, data sharing, education, and personal connections.
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
Sundays at Two! iNaturalist besides using smart id technology, also has an amazing team working behind the scenes helping to identify your photos. This is why 14,000 people helped me to document plants and animals.
Fraxinus_pennsylvanica Green Ash Opposite leaves which are pinnately compound with 7 to 9 serrate leaflets that are elliptical to lanceolate to elliptical in shape, entire leaf is 6 to 9 inches long, green on the top of the leaflets and silky smooth to silky-pubescent and paler below. Margins of the leaflets are either smooth or coarsely saw-toothed. Each leaflet has a short stalk or may be sessile and the leaf has a much longer stem. The little leaflets at the base are the teensiest of the leaflets
George Genereux Urban Regional Park, George Genereux Urban Regional Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in the autumn
Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), wetlands mammal enjoys the emergent vegetation around Chappell Marsh such as cattails
Every Sunday at Two we are meeting at the afforestation areas to document plants and animals, and we hope you will join us. Come with your smart phone, and download the iNaturalist app onto your smart phone before you come out.
While we are out there, we will give you a tutorial, and then we will find just how many plants, animals, insects and mushrooms we can photograph with the iNaturalist app! It is great fun, and this citizen scientist data collection is ever so helpful to figure out an ecological assessment of the afforestation areas.
All you have to do is register on Eventbrite, and we will send out the GPS coordinates of where we will meet up. Every Sunday at two, we will explore another section in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, or in George Genereux Urban Regional Park.
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
The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. were honoured to be contacted by CBC Saskatoon Morning host Leisha Grebinski to be added to their urban nature series named Open to Outdoors Saskatoon. This radio show airs from 6:00 to 8:30 am on CBC Radio One, and our particular piece may perhaps air on Tuesday March 23, 2021.
Robert White who knew Richard St. Barbe Baker provided a very intriguing talk about the legacy of Richard St. Barbe Baker founder of the Interational Tree Foundation (ITF). Baker, who By some estimates, organisations he founded or assisted have been responsible for planting at least 26 billion trees, internationally during his lifetime. The influence of Baker continues on today with many more people forming international organizations for tree planting with people inspired by St Barbe books, talks and radio shows.
Julia Adamson spoke to the formation of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area under the Green Survival Program, and how the afforestation area began. The benches and bird feeders installed for the Take it Outside Winter Staycation Outside Safely program were highlighted with a huge thank you and round of appreciation to the City of Saskatoon.
Two amazing bird feeder stations were installed and the numbers of families stopping and marvelling at the birds to the feeders is phenomenal. We are very appreciative of their advice from Early’s Seed and Feed and their guidance for success. People are coming out to the afforestation areas with pockets full of bird seed to hand feed the birds which are becoming accustomed to the bird feeders of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area.
Use the self-guided tour pamphlet winter bird checklist to learn which are the winter birds who frequent the bird feeders when you come out for a walk in the forest.
There have been many people appreciating and making use of the benches which were made by the Core Neighbourhood Youth Program CNYC. They did a dynamic job with the lettering “COVID bubble benches Keep 6 feet apart) which was so very helpful. This was a dire need to replace the old wooden picnic table which was 25 years old at least, the wood was rotten, and the table had collapsed creating a hazard in the forest. Now there is a safe means to sit, and socially distance while outside, so, all in all, a low risk activity during these weird COVID months for sure.
Stay tuned on Tuesday March 23 to hear about the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area on the Morning Show from 6:00 to 8:30 am on CBC Radio One.. Thank you to Leisha Grebenski and crew for coming out to see Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area.
During COVID inviting and welcoming citizens of Saskatoon and area to engage in low risk activity outside is the best holistic health and wellness that the city residents could dream of. Rather than having two best kept secrets in the city, and having loads of pressure and shoulder to shoulder people at our other city urban regional parks, it is a great time, for the residents of Saskatoon to find, discover, explore, and celebrate the afforestation areas – the 326 acre Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, and George Genereux Urban Regional Park, not only during COVID to comply with protocols of social distancing, but also to honour afforestation areas and the way nature based solutions take action on climate change, and to further honour healing forests in this time of truth and reconciliation.
This challenge throws down a gauntlet for you to overcome! It is without a doubt a formidable task! March 14 is International Day to Take Action For Rivers. With a theme, the Rights of Rivers, can you imagine now what the challenge is set before you?
Finally, the folks over at International Rivers is having their our own Day of Action event called “Life of a River: From Restoration to Protection and Rights“. This is a virtual online celebration (co-hosted with American Rivers) we will be hearing from movement representatives just like you to share and discuss emerging tactics and themes in global river protection and Indigenous rights work! For more information and click here to register if you are interested.
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
“I thought how lovely and how strange a river is. A river is a river, always there, and yet the water flowing through it is never the same water and is never still. It’s always changing and is always on the move. And over time the river itself changes too.
Aiden Chambers
Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.
World Wildlife Day is March 3! What an opportunity!
What are you most interested in today? Maybe birds? More than one kind of bird, and identifying them! That would be fantastic to be on a bird scavenger hunt. So instead of staying at home with your “Where’s Waldo?” puzzles, come into the forest, and find birds, bird nests, and bird tracks.
Look in the bushy areas, and the swampy areas. Come out to the woods and immerse yourself in the sights, smells, and sounds of nature, and take away an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime of memories!
Download the winter bird checklist pamphlet and see how many of the birds in the listing you can see in the forest, and at the bird feeders! That is the scavenger hunt for today. If you email your Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Bird sighting list to us or let us know your e-Bird user name, or iNaturalist user name for your afforestation area sightings, and you can be entered and be eligible for the prize draw taking place at the end of the month!
World Wildlife Day celebrates more than birds. Let us know the squirrels, or other animals, scat, footprints or animal signs you may see in the afforestation areas via email to be entered and be eligible for the prize draw taking place at the end of the month! Good Luck!
Richard St. Barbe Baker was the first person to be honoured with a lifetime membership in the World Wildlife Federation. Baker created and protected so many habitats worldwide in his tree planting endeavours.
“A simple act of kindness and compassion towards a single animal may not mean anything to all creatures, but will mean everything to one.” ― Paul Oxton
“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
“No matter how few possessions you own or how little money you have, loving wildlife and nature will make you rich beyond measure.” ― Paul Oxton
Here is another awesome decoration for the forest.
Save an orange rind. Then mix peanut butter and or suet with bird feed. Put the mixture into the orange rind. Hang your bird feeder with string on a tree branch.
Get a butternut squash, spaghetti squash, cut it in half and clean out the centre. Mix suet or peanut butter with bird feed. Place a wooden skewer stick through the the squash near the top of the cut edge. Insert another wooden skewer stick through the squash the other way to make a + sign across the squash. Tie a two strings to the four ends of the skewers, and hang on a branch in the forest!
“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
March 1 If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb
WinterCity YXE
Rime Ice at George Genereux Urban Regional Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. NE 21-36-6 W 3 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 NE 21-36-6
Thank you to Meghan Mickelson who added an eBird.org hotspot for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. This is greatly appreciated and will help people document the birds arriving at the bird feeding stations which are located in the woodlands. As you explore the 326 acre greenspace can you locate all four bird-feeding station areas this winter?
This area is so very very large, and not many people are familiar with its 326 acre size which is 2 miles east to west and an irregular 1/2 mile north to south.
Due to the massive extent, there is a choice of eBird hotspots to assist you in your bird watching adventure!
REGION 1 WETLANDS AREA – OBSERVATIONS FOR ANY WETLANDS BIRDS AND WATERFOWL USING DUCKS UNLIMITED CHAPPELL MARSH CONSERVATION AREA AND THE CHAPPELL MARSH WETLANDS NORTH IN RICHARD ST BARBE BAKER AFFORESTATION AREAS INC.
There are many naturalists who park on the Cedar Villa Road (Twp Rd 362-A) and make Chappell Marsh hot spot e-Bird observations of the waterfowl and wetlands birds on the north and south sides of the Chappell Marsh wetlands when they are not under ice. It doesn’t take much of a disturbance, and the birds fly to safety from one area of the water to the other across the roadway utilizing both sides of the wetlands.
The citizens of Saskatoon and area are so very lucky and fortunate for the environmental leadership shown by the City of Saskatoon Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area [north side] and by Ducks Unlimited Chappell Marsh Conservation Area in the RM of Corman Park 344 [south side] who are both preserving the wetlands of the West Swale.
The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. as a new environmental non profit charity has learned quite a lot from the Meewasin Conservation Authority and how they are guided by their mission and five guiding principles. As the Meewasin manages a small portion of the two afforestation areas it is great to have a role model that the non profit environmental charity, the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc., can look up to and receive guidance from.
Now, thanks to Mickelson there is also a eBird.org hotspot for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. This act of kindness will go a long way to support the new bird feeding stations located in the forest, and the bird lovers who venture out that way in the city.
So now for birders there is more than one great method to document birds at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area! An e-bird hotspot for the wetlands of Chappell Marsh, and an e-Bird hotspot for the woodlands of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Who could ask for anything more?
“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
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. George Genereux Urban Regional Park. 