Arbor Day!

Today!  Today is Arbor Day, May 22.  Celebrate!!!

For our virtual Arbor Day activity today is to consider your unique story.  (besides planting trees privately at your home 😉

Consider the many ways in which trees have impacted your life, besides supplying life giving oxygen for you to breathe, and purifying the air.

Your story adventure could be happiness is strolling through the forest with your puppy.

Or perhaps you story will be sinking your teeth into a juicy apple, or some yummy Saskatoon berries fresh from the tree.  Have you found the Saskatoons and apple tree at the afforestation area yet?

Another great story may be the willow catkins you find which herald that spring arrives alongside the arrival of Robin and Meadowlark.

Another great forest story may be the time hiking through the woods and you discover deer or rabbit, fawn or duckling.  Did you know many ducks nest on the ground, so be careful with your puppies in the spring nesting season.

There is so much to be grateful to forests about.

What is your story about why trees and forests are special to you?

There are three amazing ways you can show your appreciation for the afforestation areas:

1) Download theiNaturalist app on your smart phone, and take pictures of the plants and animals.  This shows the amazing value of the forests, and is a wonderful way to increase your love of the forests as it increases your observation skills to the wonders which about in nature.

2) Support the 2020 Green Vision master plan. If you are unable to make a financial gift during these weird crazy, and uncertain times, please know that there are many ways you can help. You can advocate for us by sharing our vision and our purpose with a family member or friend. Even a quick mention or a share on your social media would be every so awesome.

3) The other thing is that with SARCAN closed right now, we can pick up your bottles and recycling on our virtual bottle drive.   We cannot come to you door to door, but if you call us, we can arrange a safe pick up, and it is a win-win! So many are taking part in COVID-19 cleanups around their home and yard, and what a better time to save the environment, and recycle safely and remove the stinky piles and piles of bottles, while saving the afforestation area too for students, and classrooms, and endangered species!!!  Wow!  We are so close to installation of Jersey Barriers, with just a little more fundraising, we can level the ground under them!! Can you help, please?

Thank you for however you appreciate forests and trees, and the habitat they provide for all kinds of animals, and forbes.

And, here is another free arbor day pdf file for download!

The Trembling Aspen is also referred to as the Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx) May 25, 2019

Earth Day April 22, 2020 tree planting

Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF

“I am going to try to pay attention to the spring. I am going to look around at all the flowers, and look up at the hectic trees. I am going to close my eyes and listen.” — Anne Lamott

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

P4G Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth The P4G consists of the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, the Town of Osler and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park; planning for areas around the afforestation area and West Swale outside of Saskatoon city limits

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SW 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Facebook: South West OLRA

Instagram: St.BarbeBaker

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

You Tube Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

You Tube George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Please help protect / enhance /commemorate your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers)

Canada Helps

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.
Martin Luther

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”

Alice Walker

The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

White stripes and spots ~ Spring arrives

 

Baby Deer ~ Fawn

White-tailed Deer Fawn

Baby Deer ~ Fawn

White-Tailed Deer Fawn

“From Our Hearts With Our Hands For The Earth All The World Together”

~Richard St. Barbe Baker

The fawn trembled on legs so new and untried

A tiny fawn no more than two hours old, sighed;

awakening to the world with  wide-eyed wonder.

Opening, grasping the golden light

Which weaves its way through caragana leaves

To my heart’s delight

Soft as a cloud, the fawn surrendered to the new day.

The fawn trembled on legs so new and untried,

Soon to gracefully arrive, noble astride

The ablest spirits fleet of foot. stay then away.

White stripes and spots mark the young of all white-tailed deer

press closer to its mother, abating all fear

If innocency herself should write,

Soft orange-brown coats spotted with white,

The fawn’s  story would  unfold

soft and sweet to behold

Is ever there an emblem of innocence so appropriate as a fawn

That my love has dawned and rose again,

There was no doubt about it, the transcendent charms

They were pretty creatures, these baby deer, gentle and meek.

A touch so keen, to wake such love of life

As stirs the frail and careful being, who here,

full of grace and timidity and cast around with beauty.

And come around  those innocent great brown eyes.

the slender legs, the swinging stride

Was nought but graceful beauty personified.

In this state of innocency did I but see

Some gracious thought may be;

the fawn and doe, enveloped in care and tenderness

to follow  only the prompting of innocent nature

playful and innocent, and tenderness  which bound all hearts.

Oh the love that knows no end; with drops of dew,

The weary heart’s faithful friend.

Teach me more clearly of Thy life and love anew.

The Baby Deer.  A Fawn so dear.

“In the wealth of the woods since the world began
The trees have offered their gifts to man.”~Henry Van Dyke

 

White-Tailed Deer Fawn

White-tailed Deer Fawn

Baby Deer ~ Fawn

Baby Deer ~ Fawn

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

P4G Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth The P4G consists of the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, the Town of Osler and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park; planning for areas around the afforestation area and West Swale outside of Saskatoon city limits

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

Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Facebook: South West OLRA

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

Please help protect / enhance /commemorate your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)

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!

Paypal

Payment Options

Membership : $20.00 CAD – yearly Membership with donation : $50.00 CAD Membership with donation : $100.00 CAD

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker presented by Paul Hanley

You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale wetlands

You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area – Saskatoon’s best kept secret.

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Hoar Frost

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Saskatoon

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park

 

 

Our task must be to free ourselves … by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.~Albert Einstein

“This generation may either be the last to exist in any semblance of a civilised world or that it will be the first to have the vision, the bearing and the greatness to say, ‘I will have nothing to do with this destruction of life, I will play no part in this devastation of the land, I am determined to live and work for peaceful construction for I am morally responsible for the world of today and the generations of tomorrow.’” ~ Richard St Barbe Baker

 

“Man has lost his way in the jungle of chemistry and engineering and will have to retrace his steps, however painful this may be. He will have to discover where he went wrong and make his peace with nature. In so doing, perhaps he may be able to recapture the rhythm of life and the love of the simple things of life, which will be an ever-unfolding joy to him.” ~ Richard St. Barbe Baker

Saskatoon’s Semi-Wilderness Urban Forest

Urban Forest Semi-Wilderness Area

A celebration of wildlife seen at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands!

Clockwise from top NW corner.  Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides), White tail Deer Fawn (Odocoileus virginianus),  Barred Tiger Salamander or western tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Stay thy soft-murmuring waters, gentle Rill;
Hush, whispering Winds, ye ruflling Leaves, be still;
Rest, silver Butterflies, your quivering wings;
Alight, ye Beetles, from your airy rings;
~Erasmus Darwin

Ah, it is a wild, sweet land
Where the coming May is planned,
Where such influences throb
As our frosts can never rob
Of their triumph, when they bound
Through the tree and from the ground.

I sat beside the elm-tree,
I watched the long, long, shade,
And as it grew still longer,
I did not feel afraid;
For I listened for a footfall,
I listened for a word,—
But the beating of my own heart
Was all the sound I heard.

“The aim of the Men of the Trees is briefly  ‘ to develop a tree sense in every citizen, and to encourage all to plant, protect and love their native trees; for forestry is among the oldest and most honourable of the peaceful arts of men, and in its practice is unselfish and constructive service.’ ”
In the words of Henry van Dyke, America’s greatest tree poet,
He that planteth a tree is a servant of God;
He provideth a kindness for many generations
And faces that he hath not seen shall bless him. ~Richard St. Barbe Baker

 

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

P4G Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth The P4G consists of the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, the Town of Osler and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park; planning for areas around the afforestation area and West Swale outside of Saskatoon city limits

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

Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Facebook: South West OLRA

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)

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!

Paypal

Payment Options

Membership : $20.00 CAD – yearly Membership with donation : $20.00 CAD -monthly Membership with donation : $50.00 CAD Membership with donation : $100.00 CAD

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

What was Richard St. Barbe Baker’s mission, that he imparted to the Watu Wa Miti, the very first forest scouts or forest guides?  To protect the native forest, plant ten native trees each year, and take care of trees everywhere.

“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

 

 

“St. Barbe’s unique capacity to pass on his enthusiasm to others. . . Many foresters all over the world found their vocations as a result of hearing ‘The Man of the Trees’ speak. I certainly did, but his impact has been much wider than that. Through his global lecture tours, St. Barbe has made millions of people aware of the importance of trees and forests to our planet.” Allan Grainger

“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 nation 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.