trees – stbarbebaker

Family Forest Adventures!

Forest Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Parent’s Day – fourth Sunday in July 23, 2017
Family adventures to discover the forest!

Discover the Forest Start your own adventure!
Family Activities in Nature
Forest Theme and Activities
Walking in the Forest

What activity can your family find to do on Parent’s day?

Parenthood

The birches that dance on the top of the hill
Are so slender and young that they cannot keep still,
They bend and they nod at each whiff of a breeze,
For you see they are still just the children of trees.

But the birches below in the valley are older,
They are calmer and straighter and taller and colder.
Perhaps when we’ve grown up as solemn and grave,
We, too, will have children who do not behave!
~John Farrar

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
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Facebook: StBarbeBaker
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Facebook: South West OLRA
Contact the Meewasin Valley Authority as the MVA has begun a Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area trust fund. If you wish to support the afforestation area with your donation, write a cheque to the “Meewasin Valley Authority Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area trust fund (MVA RSBBAA trust fund)” .

See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence . . . We need silence to be able to touch souls. ~Mother Teresa

“I believed that God has lent us the Earth. It belongs as much to those who come after us as to us, and it ill behooves us by anything we do or neglect, to deprive them of benefits which are in our power to bequeath.” Richard St. Barbe Baker

Adrift with the Meadowlark

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.

Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

“The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” —Lady Bird Johnson

Cast adrift of the hustle and bustle of the city lights. Relax and meander in the wilderness of the forest.

The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved. Richard Rogers

Both Deepak Chopra and Richard St. Barbe Baker agree, in this. Immerse yourself in the forest, set yourself adrift, even if just for twenty minutes each day, refresh yourself, sing with the Meadowlards. “With spirit we are all children of the cosmos; Without it we are orphaned and adrift.” Deepak Chopra “Man must resuscitate his planet with trees, his heart with faith.”~Richard St. Barbe Baker

“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.

For more information:
You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

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

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

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

Facebook: South West Off Leash Recreation Area SW OLRA

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Tagged Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

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

Save

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

Quite Simply, the Forest

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

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:

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

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

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

Facebook: South West Off Leash Recreation Area SW OLRA

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Tagged Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Afforestation Workshop

“When the trees go, the rain goes, the climate deteriorates, the water table sinks, the land erodes and desert conditions soon appear” ~Richard St. Barbe Baker

“What do the forests bear? Soil, water and pure air–soil, water and pure air are the basis of life; this is the slogan of the Chipko (Hug to the Trees) women in India–those who work with Sunderlal Bahuguna to save the forests of the Himalayas. Sunderlal is my Guru”.~Richard St. Barbe Baker

The Wild About Saskatoon 2017 NatureCity Festival theme this year is ‘We are water: explore our prairie waterscape.’ The festival takes place with a wide assortment of events May 23-28, 2017. The Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area joins the festivities Thursday afternoon May 25, 2017 between 1:30 and 3:15. Situated in a low lying area classified as a “wetlands”, the afforestation workshop participants will be immersed in the forest and woodlands in the southwest sector of Saskatoon. The workshop was compiled from the books and teachings of Dr. Richard St. Barbe Baker, L.L.D., O.B.E., humanitarian, author, silviculturist and forester. In this way we embrace the teachings of this Baba Wya Miti ~ loving Father of Trees.

“Omitakoyasin. The Omitakoyasin are the spirits of all of humanity’s ancestors, since always and for always. “We are all related.” It is important to realize that every single person who enters into our lives, from the passing stranger to those nearest and dearest to us, is present because we dreamed them here. We made a mutual agreement with each of them to connect in this time and space for the purpose of enriching and empowering our individual and collective evolution.~Lynette Hopkin“

Arrive at the parking lot of the South West off leash dog park for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday May 25, 2017 should you wish to partake in this workshop activities. Directions and map are included below. Though the meeting place will be the SW off leash recreation area parking lot, the Afforestation Workshop will take place in the forest east of the dog park, and not in the dog park itself.

“The trees and vegetation, which cover the land surface of the Earth and delight the eye, are performing vital tasks incumbent upon the vegetable world in nature. Its presence is essential to earth as an organism. It is the first condition of all life; it is the “Skin” of the earth, for without it there can be no water and, therefore, no life.”~Richard St. Barbe Baker

Note

There will be no actual planting or “afforestation of trees” at the location of this workshop, this afforestation workshop is so named as it takes place within an “afforestation area” – the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area.

For more information:

You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

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

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

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

Facebook: South West Off Leash Recreation Area SW OLRA

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Tagged Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Save

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

Save

Climate Change and Afforestation

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, West Swale Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. West Swale Saskatoon, SK, CA

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK, CA

Climate change is being tackled by reducing the use of fossil fuels, limiting and reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases in an effort to mitigate atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. Changing to clean, renewable energy sources does indeed, reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Reducing emissions is just one side of the equation. Why do climate change discussions focus on reducing CO₂ emissions, and not the carbon harvest effected by trees?

This report looks at the method of alleviating climate change by increasing carbon sequestration. Tree planting is an option as afforested lands can sequester between 2.2 and 9.5 metric tons of CO₂ per year!^Gorte

“The dynamics can be understood using a bathtub analogy in which the water level represents the stock of atmospheric CO ₂. Like any stock, atmospheric CO₂ rises only when the inflow to the tub (emissions, E ) exceeds the outflow (net removal, R ), is unchanging only when inflow equals outflow ( E = R ) and falls only when outflow exceeds inflow ( R > E ).”^Sterman Reducing E Emissions or “the inflow into the bath tub” is truly important to affect climate change as can be seen from the “bath tub analogy.” Yet, it is vitally important to consider the “outflow out of the tub” or R, the net removal, which is expressed in the quantity of trees, forests, oceans, wetlands, marshes which act to absorb atmospheric carbon.

“Trees help by removing (sequestering) CO₂ from the atmosphere during photosynthesis to form carbohydrates that are used in plant structure/function and return oxygen back into the atmosphere as a byproduct. Roughly half of the greenhouse effect is caused by CO₂. Therefore, trees act as carbon sinks, alleviating the greenhouse effect”^UFN

“Afforestation, reforestation and other forms of conservational forestry methods are often thought to be used for stopping the effects of climate change by reducing atmospheric carbon.”^Pomerantz

“The Kyoto Accord on climate change requires developed countries to achieve C02-emissions reduction targets, but permits them to charge uptake of carbon (C) in terrestrial (primarily forest) ecosystems against emissions. Countries such as Canada hope to employ massive afforestation programs to achieve Kyoto targets.”^{van Kooten}

“The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change commits Canada to reducing its CO2 emissions to levels that are 6% below those in 1990. In addition to reducing industrial emissions, biologically-based carbon sinks can used to meet this target.”^Johnston

“The Kyoto Protocol is an international environmental treaty and requires ratified countries to commit themselves to an appropriate reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG), which contributes to global warming and potentially impacts human society in many ways. In contrast to reduce GHG by industrial sectors, afforestation on fallow farm land has obviously become an important alternative method to expand the potential pool of carbon stock in terrestrial ecosystems.”Lin

” Carbon sequestration is one of many beneﬁts of planting trees on land that has not been forested in a long time. Others include ecosystem health, economic health, and ultimately human health”^Bird

As a result, an answer is found for how is it possible to better climate change locally?

” We forget that we owe our existence to the presence of Trees. As far as forest cover goes, we have never been in such a vulnerable position as we are today. The only answer is to plant more Trees – to Plant Trees for Our Lives. ~Richard St. Barbe Baker.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Bird, Neil D. and Eric Boysen. The Carbon Sequestration Potential from Afforestation in Ontario Climate Change. Research Information Note. Note Number 5. 2007

Dabas, Manoj and Shubhra Bhatla. Carbon Sequestration through Afforestation: Role of Tropical Industrial Plantations. Vol. 25, No. 5 (Aug., 1996), pp. 327-330 Published by: Springer on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Stable URL

Gorte, Ross W. U.S. Tree Planting for Carbon Sequestration. Specialist in Natural Resources Policy. Congressional Research Service. 7-5700. R40562/ May 4, 2009

Johnston, M., S. Kulshreshtha, and T. Baumgartner. The potential for carbon sequestration through afforestation in Saskatchewan: An ecological-economic analysis. Forest Ecosystems Branch. Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management. Prince Albert, SK. Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Saskatchewan, Forest Ecosystems Branch, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management, Regina, SK.

Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC. IPCC, 2000 – Robert T. Watson, Ian R. Noble, Bert Bolin, N. H. Ravindranath, David J. Verardo and David J. Dokken (Eds.)
Cambridge University Press, UK. pp 375
Available from Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 2RU ENGLAND
Summary for Policymakers. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland. pp20.
Available from IPCC Secretariat in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian. The Nobel Foundation.

Lin, Chinsu and Chun-Hsiung Lin. Comparison of carbon sequestration potential in agricultural and afforestation farming systems National Chiayi University. Department of Forestry and Natural Resourcs. Taiwan. Scientia Agricola. Print version ISSN 0103-9016. Sci. agric. (Piracicaba, Braz.) vol.70 no.2 Piracicaba Mar./Apr. 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-90162013000200006

Ni, Yuanming et al. The Global potential for carbon capture and storage from forestry. Carbon Balance Management. 2016. Dec. 11 : 3 2016 Feb 6. doi: 10.1186/s13021-016-0044-y.

Pomerantz, Celeste and Jason Donev Afforestation. Energy Education. University of Calgary.

Schopfhauser, Wolfgang. Chapter 3 Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide Mitigation through Forestry and Wood Industry. 3.1 World Forests: The Area for Afforestation and their Potential for Fossil Carbon Sequestration and Substitution. Confederation of European Paper Industries. Belgium.

Sigurdsson, Bjarni D. and Arnor Snorrason. Carbon sequestration by afforestatin and revegetation as a measn of limiting net-CO₂ emissions in Iceland. Biotechnol. Agron. Soc. Environ. 200 4(4), 303-307.

Sterman, John D. and Linda Booth Sweeney. Understanding public complacency about climate change: adults mental models of climate change violate conservation of matter. Climatic Change (2007) 80:213-238 doi 10.1007/s 10584-006-91074-5. January 9, 2007. Springer Science and Business Media B.V. 2007.

Trees Improve Air Quality Urban Forestry Network (UFN).

van Kooten, G. Corenelius, et al. Economics of afforestation for carbon sequestration in western Canada. The Forestry Chronicle. Natural Resources Canada. Government of Canada.

Williams, Jeremy,et al Tree Canada Afforestation and Reforestation Protocol. Version 2.0. April 2015. Tree Canada.

“When the trees go, the rain goes, the climate deteriorates, the water table sinks, the land erodes and desert conditions soon appear”.~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
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Facebook: StBarbeBaker
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Facebook: South West OLRA
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
Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Shinrin-yoku Forest Bathing

World Healing Day

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area in the fog

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, south west sector, in the City of Saskatoon, SK, CA

Native species, Trembling Aspen or Populus tremuloides, quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, Quakies, mountain or golden aspen, trembling poplar, white poplar,, Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA

This World Healing Day, April 29, try Shinrin-yoku Forest Bathing, it is an amazing health activity. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, lay your hands on your favourite tree. Pass the word on, and invite the world to experience; Shinrin-yoku Forest Bathing

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

Forest-bathing describes the practice of taking a short, leisurely visit to a forest for health benefits. The practice originated in Japan where it is called shinrin-yoku. A forest bathing trip involves visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation while breathing in volatile substances, called phytoncides (wood essential oils), which are antimicrobial volatile organic compounds derived from trees, such as α-Pinene and limonene. Incorporating forest bathing trips into a good lifestyle was first proposed in 1982 by the Forest Agency of Japan. It has now become a recognized relaxation and/or stress management activity in Japan. According to Cassandra Szlaraski, ” the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, translates to “taking in the forest atmosphere.””

“Soon I was completely isolated in the luxuriant, tangled growth of ferns which were well above my head. In my infant mind I seemed to have entered a fairyland of my dreams.

“I wandered on as in a dream, all sense of time and space lost …

“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 wood. I sank to the ground in a state of ecstasy; everything was intensely vivid – the call of a distant cuckoo seemed just for me …

“The overpowering beauty of it all entered my very being.

“At that moment my heart brimmed over with a sense of unspeakable thankfulness which has followed me through the years since that woodland re-birth …~Richard St. BarbeBaker.

“I was in love with life: I was indeed born again, although I could not have explained what had happened to me then.”~Richard St. Barbe Baker My Life My Trees

“In Japan and Korea, forest therapy modalities are integrated into their medical system and are covered by insurance,” said Ben Page, a certified forest therapy guide who founded Shinrin Yoku Los Angeles. ” Meeri Kim, also notes that “phytoncides, which are antimicrobial organic compounds given off by plants. They argue that by breathing in the volatile substances released by the forest, people achieve relaxation… Phytoncides —are colloquially known in forest bathing circles as “the aroma of the forest.” Quing Li, senior Assistant Professor at Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, figures that the increase in people’s natural killer (NK) cells increase due to the Phytoncides which are the essential oils from trees. α-pinene and limonene are examples of tree “perfumes” which are antimicrobial volatile organic compounds.

“For years, I’ve charged my batteries on trees. You have to select a special tree friend. When I came out of hospital after a serious operation, I chose a Cedar of Lebanon. Cedar itself comes from the Arabic word meaning strength.”

“I used to do two minutes on and two minutes off, then two minutes again. After about four minutes, your hands begin to tingle. I wouldn’t recommend to a beginner to take more than a minute to start with.” ~Richard St. Barbe Baker speaks of laying the palm of hands on a tree trunk.

And just as Richard St. Barbe Baker attests, so, to does Dr. Li, lay your hands on the trees, touch the trees, and open yourself to the healing. The experience is enhanced, if one absorbs the sights, sounds, colours through all the five senses as one walks slowly and meditatively through the forest. An excellent day spent forest bathing would be to wander for about four hours while walking about 5 kilometers through the woods. Forest bathing can also be done for half this time, strolling 2.5 kilometers over 2.5 hours.

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.
—Robert Louis Stevenson

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Forest Bathing Wikipedia

Healthy Parks Healthy People Central. Forest Bathing

Kim, Meeri. ‘‘Forest bathing’ is latest fitness trend to hit U.S. — ‘Where yoga was 30 years ago’ Washington Post.

Li, Quing. Effect of Forest Bathing trips on Human Immune Systems. Environ Health. 2010 Jan. 15 (1) 9-17. Published online 2009 Mar 25 doi 10.1007/s12199-008-0058-3

Shinrin Yoku

Szlarski, Cassandra What is Forest Bathing? Global News.

What is World Healing Day About World Healing Day A Global Health and Healing Event.

World healing day Facebook

World Healing Day

Your Brain on Nature: Forest Bathing and Reduced Stress. Mother Earth News.

“A forest is a perfect example of the law of return in action. Trees give back to the earth more than they take, while building up humus, and enriching the soil by the minerals that have been carried up to the leaves in the rising sap. By nature man is

a forest dweller. He was cradled in the tropics. His food was the fruit of the trees. He possessed the secret of adaptation to his environment, so that health, gentleness, beauty and strength were enjoyed to the full. In his forest setting man was conscious of his relationship to God and of his unity with all living things.`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
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Facebook: StBarbeBaker
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Facebook: South West OLRA
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
Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Let TAWAMHWE-pull together-be our motto and I pray that we may give our active support to all efforts of desert reclamation by tree planting and I pray that I may be just to the Earth below my feet, to my neighbour by my side and to the light which comes from above and within, and this wonderful world of ours may be a little more beautiful and happy for my having lived in it.~Richard St. Barbe Baker

Call to Action!

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 temperate grasslands.

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.

Right now is the Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020. What are you doing to preserve Saskatchewan’ temperate grasslands, the world’s most endangered ecoystem? How are you caring for Canada’s Biodiversity? What can you do?

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 experience the 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 changes to 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.

Biodiversity. 1996-2017 National Geographic Society.

Bug Blitz. A biodiversity workshop for kinds (Australia) Bugs aren’t for squishing, bugs are for appreciating. Love thy bug! Facebook page.

Biodiversity for kids NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Biodiversity in Saskatchewan. | What you can do Saskatchewan EcoNetwork.

Canada Youth Action Guide for Agenda 21 designed for young people, parents and educators. Carla Doucet, National Round Table on the Environment and Economy, and Student focus groups across Canada.

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. ”

EcoLeague } Sustainability Classroom Resources at Resources for ReThinking Our Canada Project. 2017 Learning for a Sustainable Future. LSF

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.

Homes on the Range: Conservation in Working Prairie Landscapes. Prairie Conservation and
Endangered Species Conference and Workshop 2007.

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.

Kids Right To Know. One planet for all All for one planet. Environment Canada.

Gone Wild for Wildlife: Learning more about preserving Saskatchewan biodiversity | Gone Wild for Wildlife The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Global News.

Just for kids Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre.

KAWS Animal Rescue. Because Kritters are Worth Saving!

Lesson Plans and Teacher Resources through the Green Classroom. Ausable Bayfield Conservation.

Macdonald, Cam. Where do you want to go birding in Saskatchewan today?
Mitchell, Kathi. Biodiversity for Kids Mrs. Mitchell’s Virtual School

Morrisey, Beth MLIS Biodiversity and Nature. Quizzes, puzzles, and activities. Ecofriendly Kids

Nature at work. Why Biodiversity is important to you. Environment Canada. Government of Canada.

Northeast Swale Northeast Swale Watchers

Peart, Bob. Life in a Working Landscape: Towards a Conservation Strategy for the World’s Temperate Grasslands. 2008 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature declared temperate grasslands as the world’s most endangered ecosystem. A Record of The World Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative Workshop Hohhot, China – June 28 & 29, 2008 August 2008.

On the Prairie – Games 2017 by the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan.

Preserving Rare ecosystems and biodiversity in Canada. | Saskatchewan’s Underappreciated Trails Nature Canada.

Protecting Biodiversity. Endangered Species Legislation. Wildlife and Habitat. Issues. David Suzuki Organization.

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.

Saskatoon Nature Society Kids in Nature Grant Program

Saskatoon Zoo Society. | Young Naturalists. Events for kids.

Saskatchewan’s Ecoregions Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre

What is Biodiversity? Helping Biodiversity in your Own Backyard ~ create a Certified Wildlife Habitat! National Wildlife Federation.
What is biodiversity? Education and Awareness | What can you do? Biodiv Canada. The Canadian
Biodiversity Strategy. Government of Canada.

Dan Kraus, Dan. Why Canada’s Prairies are the world’s most endangered ecosystem. Land Lines The Nature Conservancy of Canada. October 24, 2016

Why is biodiversity so important Ted Ed 2011-2017 The Kid Should See This

Wild About Saskatoon Spring festival

Q: How is a dog and an ornithologist alike?
A: One wags a tail and the other tags a Gadwall (Waterfowl or Duck).

I 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

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
Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map
Facebook: StBarbeBaker
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Facebook: South West OLRA
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
Pinterest richardstbarbeb

Q: How did the herpetologist know he would be married soon? A: He caught the garter snake.

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

World Healing Day

Call to Action! United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020

Call to Action!
United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020