Embracing Nature’s Symphony: Participating in the City Nature Challenge Rain or Shine

Rain patters against the windowpane, a rhythmic dance of droplets painting the world outside in shades of gray. But amidst the storm, there lies a hidden opportunity, a chance to connect with nature in its most elemental form. Yes, even in the rain, you can be a part of the City Nature Challenge, unlocking the wonders of the natural world from the comfort of your own home.

Picture this: you’re nestled indoors, cozy and dry, yet your spirit yearns for adventure. Fear not, for the wild awaits just beyond your window. With the simple flick of a wrist and the tap of a screen, you can embark on a journey of discovery that transcends weather and time.

Enter the iNaturalist app, your gateway to a realm of biodiversity teeming with life. As raindrops cascade outside, open your window and listen closely. Can you hear it? The soft serenade of birdsong echoing through the air, a melody as old as time itself. Grab your phone, launch the app, open the windows and let the magic unfold.

Begin with your front yard, a canvas painted with the colors of urban flora and fauna. Record the chirps and trills of feathered friends perched among the branches, their songs a testament to resilience in the face of adversity. Then, venture to the back yard, where hidden treasures await beneath the cloak of rain-soaked foliage. Capture the symphony of bird calls that reverberate through the damp air, each note a thread in nature’s intricate tapestry.

It’s that easy, stay indoors, open that window, it is that enchanting. With each recording, you become a citizen scientist, contributing to a global effort to document and preserve the wonders of our natural world. Every tweet, every chirp, is a voice heard in the chorus of conservation, a reminder of the beauty that surrounds us even in the most unexpected of moments.

Then if you are adventurous, pop into the car, drive somewhere in Saskatoon and area, open the windows, and record the sounds again! Cool hey?

So, as the rain continues to fall outside, let us embrace the opportunity to connect with nature in all its splendor. Let us open our windows, our hearts, and our minds to the wonders that lie just beyond our doorstep. For in the midst of a storm, there is beauty to be found, and in the act of discovery, there is hope for a brighter, greener tomorrow.

Wow, indeed. Rain or shine, let us heed the call of the wild and embark on this adventure together. #CityNatureChallenge #EmbraceTheRain #NatureIsCalling 🌧️🌿

Then when the rain abates, get a bit of exercise outdoors just in case a little mushroom has emerged, as they love the rain! The Saskatoon Mycological Working Group or the NPSS mentions that we need a lot more people recording Fungi around Saskatoon to determine which ones are species at risk, and which are common.

With thanks to our sponsors and supporters SaskPower, SaskTel, Saskatoon Nature Society, Wild About Saskatoon, Caswell Hill Community Association, SOS Trees Inc., Rosewood Varsity View Community Association, Nutana Varsity View Community Association, Montgomery Place Varsity View Community Association. City Nature Challenge Saskatoon CNC YXE 2024 led by Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas. Reach if you would like to sponsor the City Nature Challenge, or share the City Nature Challenge information as a collaborator!

Find it

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Certificates

Ready for my closer up

Tip No 1. Flower leaves bark habitat

Check captive cultivated

Make sure to record photo or sound

Click the + sign add another photo of the same organism

For directions as to how to drive to “George Genereux” Urban Regional Park

For directions on how to drive to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

For more information:

Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits

NEW P4G District Official Community Plan

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A

Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A

S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A

NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063

Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot

Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com

Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map

Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)?with map

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

Tumblr friendsafforestation.tumblr.comFacebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker Afforestation Area

Facebook for the non profit Charity Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. FriendsAreas

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

Facebook: South West OLRA

Reddit: FriendsAfforestation

Twitter: St Barbe Baker Charity Twitter:FriendsAreas

Mix: friendsareas

YouTube

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

Donate your old vehicle, here’s how!  

Support using Canada Helps

Support via a recycling bottle donation

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

““Be like a tree in pursuit of your cause. Stand firm, grip hard, thrust upward. Bend to the winds of heaven..”

Richard St. Barbe Baker

Embark on a Nature Adventure with the New Nature Walk Song on YouTube!

Join us on an exciting journey through the wonders of nature with our new song, Going on a Nature Walk!, inspired by the rhythm of “Going on a Lion Hunt.” 🌿🎶 Follow along as we explore the beauty and biodiversity of the natural world, from tall grasses to serene wetlands, and everything in between!

Going on a Nature Walk song on YouTube perfect for a nature walk

Experience the thrill of discovery as we encounter butterflies, pond snails, and frogs hiding in the mud. 🦋🐌🐸 Let your imagination soar as we navigate through swirling snowstorms and peek into the secrets of the forest, discovering a Robin’s Nest along the way! 🌳🥚

With each verse, you’ll be transported to a new landscape, filled with excitement and wonder. And as we journey back to our starting point, you’ll feel a sense of joy and accomplishment, knowing that you’ve explored the great outdoors and made unforgettable memories along the way. 🌟

So grab your family and friends, and let’s go on a nature walk together! 🌳🚶‍♂️ Don’t forget to share your own nature discoveries with us at Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas. 📸🌿 Let’s celebrate the beauty of nature and the importance of conservation in our community! #NatureWalkSong #NatureAdventure #ExploreWithUs @FriendsAfforestationAreas

For directions as to how to drive to “George Genereux” Urban Regional Park

For directions on how to drive to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

For more information:

Blairmore Sector Plan Report; planning for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, George Genereux Urban Regional Park and West Swale and areas around them inside of Saskatoon city limits

NEW P4G District Official Community Plan

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A

Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A

S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A

NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063

Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot

Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com

Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map

Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)?with map

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

Tumblr friendsafforestation.tumblr.comFacebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park

Facebook: StBarbeBaker Afforestation Area

Facebook for the non profit Charity Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. FriendsAreas

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

Facebook: South West OLRA

Reddit: FriendsAfforestation

Twitter: St Barbe Baker Charity Twitter:FriendsAreas

Mix: friendsareas

YouTube

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

Donate your old vehicle, here’s how!  

Support using Canada Helps

Support via a recycling bottle donation

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

““Be like a tree in pursuit of your cause. Stand firm, grip hard, thrust upward. Bend to the winds of heaven..”

Richard St. Barbe Baker

Songs to Enchant the Forest and Soul

When we have learned how to listen to trees

A song of enchantment I sang me there
In a green green wood by waters fair
Just as the words came up to me
I sang it under a wild wood tree
~ A song of enchantment

It was fitting and magical that the afforestation area with the namesake Richard St. Barbe Baker, was truly blessed with the repertoire of the Sacred Web Singers SWS singing tree songs in the forest. The Sacred Web Singers sing in the style of Carolyn McDade. The lyrics pay tribute to Gaia, and the verses adapted to the afforestation allowing the pure and encompassing spirit of the moment to resonate

The song Drift like a breath and learn your way down through the trees captured the essential elements of the forest. Imagine sitting within the canopy of the forest, hearing the breeze tickle the Trembling Aspen leaves, smelling the fresh woodland Rose bloom, listening to We of EarthYou Tube or You Tube caressing the branches by the singing circleYou Tube as the Black Capped Chickadees kept time. The melody, O Beautiful Gaia ~ Love Songs to Earth truly captured the essence of St. Barbe Baker’s mystical experience.

“I became intoxicated with the beauty all around me, immersed in the joyousness and exultation of feeling part of it all….I had entered the temple of the woods. “Richard St. Barbe Baker.

The forest and the trees capture the enchantment of the moment, and the songs celebrate and rejoice. To immerse oneself and listen to the Sacred Singers’s songs, brings one home again to the forest no matter where the journey takes you.

“We wait, starving for moments of high magic to inspire us, but life is full of common enchantment waiting for our alchemists eyes to notice.”
― Jacob Nordby

 

Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life….
So the tree rustles in the evening, when we stand uneasy before our own childish thoughts: Trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours. They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.”
― Hermann Hesse

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!

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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

 

 

Songs enchant the breeze.
Songs enchant the breeze rhythm
Songs bring souls together
Witnessing the world was never easier.
Its the songs that make it easy.
~Satish Chandra