spring – Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. George Genereux Urban Regional Park.

Countdown to City Nature Challenge: Join the Effort to Map and Protect Saskatoon and Area’s Biodiversity

Are you in love with the incredible nature of Saskatoon and Area? Do you want to contribute to the mapping and protection of its biodiversity? If so, mark your calendars for April 28 to May 1, 2023, and get ready to participate in the Saskatoon and Area iNaturalist City Nature Challenge (CNC) YXE 2023! With just a few days left until the challenge begins, nature enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds are invited to join this global citizen science initiative and make a difference for local wildlife.

Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) This is the brightly colored male. The female of the species will use the cattails, reeds or rushes standing above the surface of the water to weave a nest, and lay 2-5 eggs. — Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)

All you need to participate in the City Nature Challenge is a smartphone and the free iNaturalist app. Simply download the app, create an account, and start documenting the flora and fauna you encounter in Saskatoon and Area during the challenge period. It’s a fun and easy way to contribute to a global effort of mapping urban biodiversity and raising awareness about the importance of nature in our cities.

Last year’s City Nature Challenge was a huge success, with 52,000 people from 445 cities in 47 countries participating, resulting in over 1.69 million observations of more than 50,000 species including those participants who documented 2,244 rare, endangered, and threatened species. These observations provide valuable data for scientists, researchers, and policymakers to better understand and protect urban biodiversity.

One of the highlights of the City Nature Challenge is the opportunity to learn about species at risk or noxious invasive species in your area. The iNaturalist app has a built-in feature that will notify you with an icon if the species you observe is at risk or invasive. This allows participants to contribute to the conservation efforts by providing important information about the distribution and abundance of these species in Saskatoon and Area.

As the City Nature Challenge takes place in the spring, it’s the perfect time to enjoy the best of what the season has to offer. From blooming wildflowers to singing birds, the natural world comes alive during this time of the year. Participants are encouraged to share their observations (photos and sound recordings) on social media using the hashtag #CityNatureChallenge, #CNCYXE and tagging Friends Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc @Friendsareas or #FriendsAreas, the organization hosting the event. Let nature be heard, and let’s celebrate the beauty and diversity of Saskatoon and Area’s natural heritage together.

So, be the reason nature believes in humanity and join the Saskatoon and Area iNaturalist City Nature Challenge from April 28 to May 1, 2023. With just a few days left, it’s time to get ready, download the iNaturalist app, and start exploring the local parks, trails, and natural areas to document the incredible biodiversity that surrounds us. Together, we can make a meaningful contribution to the conservation of Saskatoon and Area’s precious natural heritage. Learn more at FriendsAreas.ca and be part of the City Nature Challenge!

Planned events

Please let us know of your business, school, classroom, or group’s City nature challenge planned events also!

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.com Facebook 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 )Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal 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!
Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.
United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities
“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

Join us for the Saskatoon and Area iNaturalist City Nature Challenge 2023: Be the Voice for Nature!

Are you ready to embark on an exciting adventure to explore and document the natural world in Saskatoon and Area? The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. are thrilled to invite the general public to take part in the Saskatoon and Area iNaturalist City Nature Challenge (CNC YXE) happening from April 28 to May 1, 2023. This worldwide initiative encourages citizens, researchers, school groups, and wildlife enthusiasts to join forces in a race against the clock to observe, document, and share information about the wildlife flourishing in our local areas.

What is the City Nature Challenge, you ask? It’s a friendly competition among cities and areas to engage the public in the collection of biodiversity data. Participants will use the free and user-friendly iNaturalist smartphone app to record observations of plants, animals, insects, and more in their neighborhoods and greenspaces. It’s a chance to connect with nature, contribute to vital conservation research, and be part of a global effort to document the incredible biodiversity found in our city.

Whether you’re an expert naturalist or a first-time observer, getting involved is easy. Simply download the iNaturalist app on your smartphone, head outdoors from April 28 to May 1, and start snapping photos of the nature around you. You don’t need to be a species expert – teams of experts will review and update the information submitted, so you can learn more about what you’ve spotted later on. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn about the diverse species that call Saskatoon and Area home and contribute to our understanding of local biodiversity.

By participating in the Saskatoon and Area iNaturalist City Nature Challenge, you’ll also be helping us compete for the title of the most Biodiverse City. The challenge awards cities and areas based on three criteria: the most observations, the most species found, and the most people engaged. It’s a chance to showcase the incredible biodiversity of our region on the world stage and put Saskatoon and Area on the map as a hotspot for nature enthusiasts.

To join in the fun and be the voice for nature, visit FriendsAreas.ca to learn more about the Saskatoon and Area iNaturalist City Nature Challenge (CNC YXE) happening from April 28 to May 1, 2023. Let’s come together as a community to explore, document, and celebrate the rich wildlife diversity that surrounds us. Download the iNaturalist app, make observations, and join us in this exciting global initiative to connect with nature and contribute to conservation research. Get ready to discover the wonders of our local nature and make a difference in the world of biodiversity science! CNC YXE DNU

Planned events

Rime Ice, as weather forecaster

For centuries, farmers have relied on their knowledge of the weather to ensure a successful harvest. Long before weather apps and TV meteorologists, farmers in many regions of the world had a unique way of predicting the weather: Rime Ice.

Rime Ice is a type of frost that forms on cold and humid days. It is a type of hoar frost, which is made up of tiny ice crystals that form on cold surfaces, like grass and trees, when there is fog or mist in the air.

On days when rime ice appears, farmers knew that six months later, they could expect plenty of rain. The signs of rime ice were used as a calendar by farmers to know when to plant their crops.

It was believed that if the rime ice was seen in the winter months, then there would be plenty of rain in the spring six months later. This allowed farmers to get their seeds in the ground at the right time, which was essential for a successful harvest. The tradition of using rime ice to predict the weather is still practiced in some regions of the world today. In Canada, for example, rime ice is still used by farmers to mark the calendar for the upcoming wet season. In the United States, rime ice is still seen during the winter months, though it is not used to predict the weather.

Rime Ice is a fascinating example of how people have used nature to predict the weather for centuries. Its use as a weather-forecasting tool is a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our ancestors. It is a reminder of how closely intertwined humans are with the natural world, and how important it is to pay attention to the signs that nature gives us.

Test this theory out for yourself. We have had several weeks lately of fog and hoar frost. Mark your calendars for six months from now and see what is the weather forecast. After six years of drought, a larger snow fall this winter, it will be interesting to see what spring has in store, and if, in six months time, there will be a large amount of rain.

Please email friendsafforestation@gmail.com for clarification or for further details

Weather Prediction

As the seasons change, so do our methods of predicting the weather.

But one forecasting tale has endured the test of time – the tale of rime ice.

For centuries, farmers across the globe have used the occurrence of rime ice to plan their planting and harvesting schedules. Rime ice forms on cold, winter days when temperatures drop below freezing. The formation of this majestic frost is usually accompanied with fog or mist, and can be seen coating trees, fences, and other outdoor structures. When the temperature drops below freezing, the fog turns to ice, creating a thin layer of crystalline frost.

Though seemingly insignificant, the formation of rime ice is actually a vital sign for farmers and gardeners. The occurrence of this frosty phenomenon is an indicator that the coldest days of winter have passed, and that a very wet spring will soon follow. When the first signs of rime ice appear, farmers know that in six months there will be plenty of rain for their crops.

This ancient weather forecasting tale has been a reliable indicator for centuries, and is still used today by many farmers and gardeners. So, if you’re a gardener or farmer, mark your calendars on days of rime ice, and know that in six months there will be plenty of rain. This ancient weather forecasting tale is a reliable indicator that a very wet spring is on the way.

Mark your calendars and see what will happen in six months from our weeks of rime ice we have had in January. After six years of drought, this is a great weather forecasting tale to look forward to.

Canada Geese West Swale Wetlands. Chappell Marsh. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK, CA

Please email friendsafforestation@gmail.com for clarification or for further details

World Health Day

This World Health Day April 7 remember the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15, and how many benefits we derive from trees and forests for our physical and mental health! Check out some of our amazing ways we are celebrating World Health Day!

April 12 A Webinar on how to create Citizen Science Events to support the Health of Our Planet!

April 13 Sorting out noxious invasives from beneficial pollinator species. City Nature Challenge Webinar.

April 25 Webinar City Nature Challenge Fungi and Lichen Observation Hints and Tips

April 26 Webinar City Nature Challenge Insect Hints and Tips

BIO blitz in person connect with nature George Genereux Park Friday April 29 at 7:00 pm

BIO blitz in person connect with nature Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area April 30 at 2:00 pm

BIO blitz in person connect with nature Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area May 1 at 2:00 pm

BIO blitz in person connect with nature George Genereux Park Friday May 2 at 7:00 pm

May 7 Wild Spring Fling George Genereux Park

May 8 It’s A Spring Thing! Richard St. Barbe Baker Park

Exposure to forests enhances our immune system and increases our natural killer cells.

Come out to the afforestation areas during the City Nature Challenge April 29-May 2 and take action for global biodiversity. Download the iNaturalist app and start practising taking photos of nature today!

Renew, and rejuvenate, recharge your batteries by connecting with nature

Let your children play and connect with nature also!

“Love is where attentiveness to nature starts, and responsibility towards one’s home landscape is where it leads.” – John Elder (1998)

City Nature Challenge CNCYXE Saskatoon area versus YQRCNC Regina and area in a mini SK challenge

YouTube

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 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!

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

“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

Little Known Facts About Edible Cattails – And Why They Matter

So, cattails and you, and why all parts of the cattail plant are amazing for a wild spring, summer or fall harvest. “The shoots or hearts, also known as “Cossack asparagaus,” are best harvested in spring or early summer, prior to the devlopment of the flower stalk” source So after harvesting the shoots, just rinse, soak in vinegar for 15-20 minutes and then rinse. <a href="http://<!– wp:paragraph –> <p>So, cattails and you, and why all parts of the cattail plant are amazing for a wild spring, summer or fall harvest. "The shoots or hearts, also known as "Cossack asparagaus," are best harvested in spring or early summer, prior to the devlopment of the flower stalk"<a href="https://wildfoodgirl.com/2013/cold-hearted-cattail-salads/"> source</a> So after harvesting the shoots, just rinse, soak in vinegar for 15-20 minutes and then rinse. </p> Cold Cattail and Tomato Salad is a great way to start out enjoying your Cattail harvest.

Remember to harvest your cattails alone, and without your puppy dog with you, as spring is nesting time for many waterfowl and animals. Humans are not the only animals who forage on cattails. “Wherever there are cattails, there’s food. The seeds, roots and shoots attract plant-eating animals, and predators that eat the cattail’s visitors. Ducks and Canada geese sometimes eat the tiny seeds, and geese dine on the plant’s new shoots and underwater roots…. Muskrats gnaw on the roots, and use the leaves to build a shelter, called a lodge, to keep themselves safe. It’s common to see red-winged blackbirds hanging around cattails. After the male finds a mate the birds use plants including cattail leaves to build their nest.” source

As you embark on the Cold Cattail and Tomato Salad, consider the nutritional benefits from Cattails, such as Manganese, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Iron, Vitamin B6 and Sodium. According to Health Benefits of Cattail, Uses And Its Side Effects, Cattails, help with mitigation of Anaemia, preventing cancer, controlling hypertension, reducing atherosclerosis risks, controlling diabetes, and is also a natural antiseptic.

Nature is the source of human subsistence but the transformation of nature into food is a cultural process that is not independent of power relations. The colonization of America comprised the systematic repression of indigenous ways of knowing and even after the elimination of political colonialism the relationship between European cultures and the others is still one of colonial domination. The colonial repression of different knowledges also affects the culinary epistemology that informs food preparation and consumption.
Xilkia Janer

Muskrat West Swale Wetlands. Chappell Marsh. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA

Chappell Marsh. West Swale Wetlands. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA — Muskrat West Swale Wetlands. Chappell Marsh. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA

Always be careful about safety when around water . So today, is another momentous day to celebrate Tourism Week In Canada. Pop out for a visit to the afforestation areas, enjoy the delightful spring weather, and enjoy this man-made forest on the prairies.

Send in a comment on how you succeed with your foraging adventure! Stay tuned throughout tourism week for more Cattail recipes for your outdoor foraging foray.

“All of these things are food for insects, for birds, for bears, deer, elk and moose, and if we compromise that by our foraging … it won’t be long before these things are no longer here,” … Julie Walker recommends people plant some of these species in their backyard gardens — or at least stop the war on weeds and let and nature take its course. Many native species have qualities that can benefit a home garden, like requiring little to no maintenance and being drought-resistant, she added. People can also forage on public lands, as long as they learn to recognize healthy populations of wild plant species.
Jessica Barrett. Edible Forest: Guided Walks teach which weeds and wild greens you can eat.

YouTube

Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date! Canada Helps

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

““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

Everyone Loves Cattail Recipes for Tourism Week

Today, the Sunday of the long weekend of May marks the beginning of Tourism Week across Canada! We agree with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), that “We encourage all Canadians this #TourismWeek, to take the pledge, and when you are able, plan and travel in Canada this year!“

To that point, we encourage you to have a “staycation” at Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area or George Genereux Urban Regional Park in Saskatoon! In 326 acres, and 147.8 acres, there is lots of room to socially distance, and enjoy the mixed woodlands, meadows, wetlands and wildlife.

Autumn picture of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas supported by the non profit group Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. Please join now, like, support, share. — C

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan — C

For an activity, this spring, the spikes or stems are amazing to eat, as are the roots, and the pollen-covered cattails heads are also wonderful. Off the Grid News recommends that after harvesting your cattails, to rinse, them at home, and then soak in vinegar for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse again. The little shoots make a delightful spring vegetable to eat with your favourite dip!

Don’t forget to try the Marinated Cattail Hearts recipe. Right now is the best time to forage for your cattail leaf hearts. You may want to wander out to the wetlands with a pair of rubber boots on for the best and tastiest morsels. This delicious Marinated Cattail Hearts recipe makes a divine relish that is very delicious.

Send us a comment on how you succeed with your foraging adventure! Stay tuned throughout tourism week for more Cattail recipes for your outdoor foraging foray. Remember to be safe around the water. Try to forage for your cattails without puppy dogs in tow as spring is when waterfowl are nesting. Pied-billed Grebes, for instance, “build floating nests of cattails, grasses and other vegetation…..look for Pied-billed Grebes on small, quiet ponds and marshes where thick vegetation grows out of the water.” Cornell University All About Birds.

Foraging for food is a little like a mythic quest. You may think you know what you want and expend a lot of energy and dogged determination making lists and plans for obtaining it — losing a lot of sleep and garnering no small amount of heartache along the way — only to find it shimmering elsewhere, like a golden chalice, just out of reach.
Risa Nye

YouTube

Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date! Canada Helps

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

““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

Earth was not built for six billion people all running around and being passionate about things. The world was built for about two million people foraging for roots and grubs.
Douglas Coupland

Take the first step

Today is the first day of Tourism Week.

Before the development of tourism, travel was conceived to be like study, and its fruits were considered to be the adornment of the mind and the formation of judgement.

Paul Fussell

Permanent wetlands in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area with cattails and emergent vegetation in the summer

Autumn picture of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas supported by the non profit group Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. Please join now, like, support, share.

Richard St. Barbe Baker AFforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK

Arbor Day Safe Forests Go Fund Me Page to support our trees in the afforestation areas!

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

Canada Helps

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)

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

Canada Helps

Take the first step, the rest will follow. Book the ticket, apply for the job, send the email, jump into the water. The rest gets easier from there. – Abi

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land G. K. Chesterton

Life, as the most ancient of all metaphors insists, is a journey; and the travel book, in its deceptive simulation of the journey’s fits and starts, rehearses life’s own fragmentation. More even than the novel, it embraces the contingency of things.” Jonathan Raban

Meewasin Valley Authority managed and City of Saskatoon owned

Grandfather, Look at our brokenness.

Please educate yourself about the seasons when deer – vehicle collisions occur – the peak months (Nov-Dec rut and May-July fawn rearing)

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

White-tail Deer

Mule Deer Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

The number of vehicles on Valley Road and Township Road 362A (Cedar Villa Road) has increased exponentially. There is a greenspace at Chappell Marsh Conservation Area, and right across the road is the forest at Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. It is wise to slow down; if a deer jumps out from between the trees of the forest to the farmers field, or to the conservation area, it is best to take precautions, and be safe. The number of deers killed on Valley Road and on Township Road 362A (Cedar Villa Road) is taking its toll on the animal population over the last few months, and can be disastrous for drivers.

Please be careful out there! See also Deer – Vehicle Accidents

“The human cost of vehicle collisions with wildlife is substantial. On average 387 people are injured and 4 killed in animal related collisions on Saskatchewan roads…The peak times for collisions are dawn and dusk. Yellow wildlife warning signs indicate areas of high risk. No matter the season or time of day, it’s important to watch for signs of wildlife and reduce your speed accordingly. Slowing down reduces the distance required to stop and decreases the force of impact in the event of a collision. ”

“Reduce Speed

Speed is one of the most common factors in vehicle collisions.

Speed:Reduces the drivers ability to steer away from objects in the roadway

Speed: Extends the distance required to stop
Speed: Increases the force of impact, in the event of a collision
With good road conditions, drivers tend to increase their speed. Some studies suggest that wildlife vehicle collisions occur more than expected on clear nights, on dry road conditions and on long straight stretches. Drivers may tend to be more cautious on curves or in poor weather“ Wildlife Collision Prevention Program.

“It happens so quickly. It’s just like somebody cutting you off or something like that,” Jordan Goodlad told CBC News in describing his encounter with a deer on the road… “You almost don’t realize it ’til it’s done.” CBC News

If we are willing to be still and open enough to listen, wilderness itself will teach us. Steven Harper

“If you’ve driven on North American roads, you’ve seen roadkill – animals that have been killed by passing traffic. At some time, you may have run over a small animal on the road. You may even have had the harrowing experience of striking a large animal. “ Canada Safety Council

“Roads attract wildlife because they provide a travel corridor, easy access to vegetation and in the winter, a source of salt. ..[Fish and Wildlife] Officers advise drivers to reduce their speed at night and around water or on tree-lined roads. Scan the road and ditches for animals and use high beams when possible; deer eyes glow when struck by light. “ Tim Evans.

“The fall/winter season is a busy time of year for wildlife. While we always recommend keeping an eye out, your chances of colliding with a wild animal increase from October to January. (In the spring, wildlife collisions also increase between May and June.)

Think it can’t happen to you? Check out the statistics:
Every 38 minutes in Canada, there’s 1 collision between a motor vehicle and a wild animal.
89% of collisions with wildlife happen on two-lane roads just outside cities and towns.
86% of wildlife collisions happen in on warm weather days.” SGI Canada 2017

“While a vehicular collision with a deer can be very costly and sometimes cause personal injury, a collision with a moose can have very dire consequences” says Darrell Crabbe. “That’s why we engage in this annual campaign. It is our hope that the message will save lives, both human and wildlife.” Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation

Please be careful out there! Save a deer, and protect yourself.

Grandfather,
Look at our brokenness.
We know that in all creation
Only the human family has strayed from the Sacred Way.
We know that we are the ones who are divided.
And we are the ones who must come back together,
To walk in the Sacred Way.

Grandfather,
O Sacred One,
Teach us love, compassion and honor
That we may heal the earth
And heal each other. Ojibway Prayer

Bibliography:
Caution: Animals Crossing Traffic Safety Canada Safety CouncilCollisions involving deer, semi carring hazardous materials shut down highway south of Saskatoon. CBC News October 27 2018
Oh, deer: What to do if there’s an animal on the road Tim Evans. Oct 24 2017
Stay safe during wildlife collision season SGI Canada. Nove 27 2017
Collisions with wildlife up in Saskatchewan 980 CJME
Spike in Vehicle – Wildlife collisions causes concern Chelsea Walters. Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.
Wildlife Collision Prevention Program
When Do Collisions with Wildlife Occur? Reducing the Risk
Wildlife Collisions SGI
Wildlife collisions rising:SGI CBC News
Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions in Canada: A Review of the Literature and a Compendium of Existing Data Sources Traffic Injury Research Foundation.

I always thought of deer as solitary animals that weren’t very interesting. But my goodness, that was very wrong. The big eye-opener for me was that they’re social. They have family groups. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

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.com Facebook 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

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity

Make it your own

Spread the word about the UN Decade

Let’s Bring Back Forests

Let’s Green Our Cities

““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

“The future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. ” Wangari Maathai.

“The science of forestry arose from the recognition of a universal need. It embodies the spirit of service to mankind in attempting to provide a means of supplying forever a necessity of life and, in addition, ministering to man’s aesthetic tastes and recreational interests. Besides, the spiritual side of human nature needs the refreshing inspiration which comes from trees and woodlands. If a nations saves its trees, the trees will save the nation. And nations as well as tribes may be brought together in this great movement, based on the ideal of beautifying the world by the cultivation of one of God’s loveliest creatures – the tree.” ~ Richard St. Barbe Baker.

Birds!

Well it is now the Great Canadian Birdathon, beginning noon Friday May 8 and ending at noon the next day, May 9th, which also matches up with a major event in the bird world: eBird’s Global Big Day. Register now for the Great Canadian Birdathon, or sign up to Cornell Birds for the e-Bird Global Big Day.

The wetlands at Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area are shared with Chappell Marsh Conservation Area. The water body is in the West Swale and is called Chappell Marsh. On eBird there is the Chappell Marsh “Hot Spot” where birders record birds which are spotted on either side of Cedar Villa Road (Township Road 362A)

There are also folks recording on iNaturalist the biodiversity and birds which are found at Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park. All you have to do is download the smart phone app on your phone. Go out, and use the app to take pictures, and it will be your field guide to help in the identification! Take part in the iNaturalist Project: “The Social Distancing BioBlitz of 2020! Mar 17, 2020 – May 31, 2020”, or the project “Phenology Test”, or perhaps the “Observations from Isolation” project.

e-Bird also has a mobile App for download to make bird sighting easier.

What else are you going to do during this era of social isolation? Come on out and have some fun!

Northern Shoveler

Gadwall

Scaup

Blue-winged mallard

“I think the most important quality in a birdwatcher is a willingness to stand quietly and see what comes. Our everyday lives obscure a truth about existence – that at the heart of everything there lies a stillness and a light.”
― Lynn Thomson

Canada Helps

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

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: ^***

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

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” — Vincent Van Gogh

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands. Douglas Adams

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