Dog Days of Summer

National Dog Day
Saturday, August 26th, 2017

Dog waiting for a walk at South West Off Leash Dog Park

Dog Friendship

Dog running off leash

How can you participate in National Dog day?

“The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them.” – Stanley Coren

Go for a walk with your dog at the South West Off Leash Recreation Area. Perhaps, if you don’t own a dog, you might want to offer your services as a dog walker.

“Write this down: My life is full of unlimited possibilities.” ― Pablo

Consider the health benefits of walking your dog, for both yourself and the pooch! What a win-win situation. Take a photo of your dog and post it on the Facebook page: South West OLRA

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” – Gilda Radner

For more information:

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′
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 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. 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)”. Please and thank you!
Twitter: StBarbeBaker

“We are alone, absolutely alone on this chance planet; and amid all the forms of life that surround us, not one, excepting the dog has made an alliance with us.” – Maurice Maeterlinck

K.I.S.S. keep it so simple

Simplify your Life Week => First week of August

August 6-12, 2017

Richard St. Barbe Baker AFforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK

Spring Sunset Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

Trembling Aspen grove Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CA

Canada Goose Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale Wetlands, Saskatoon, Sk, CA

West Swale Wetlands (Chappel Marsh) Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK, CA

To me, as a lover of Nature, the waving of a tree conveys thoughts which are never conveyed to me except by seeing a tree wave. Stephen Leacock

“This increasing feeling culminated in the resolve which becomes the subject of this narrative. The thought came to me suddenly one night. I woke from my sleep with a plan fully matured in my mind. It was this: I would, …cast off all the travail and cares of civilized life and become again the wild man of the woods that Nature made me. … To a trained woodsman and crawler like myself the thing was simplicity itself. For food I knew that I could rely on berries, roots, shoots, mosses, mushrooms, fungi, bungi—in fact the whole of Nature’s ample storehouse; for my drink, the running brook and the quiet pool; and for my companions the twittering chipmunk, the chickadee, the chocktaw, the choo-choo, the chow-chow, and the hundred and one inhabitants of the forgotten glade and the tangled thicket.” ~Stephen Leacock

Is this simplicity to you? Try a visit to the afforestation areas in Saskatoon.

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”
― John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril

For more information:

Sainte-Terrer,” a Saunterer

July 27 Take Your Pants for a Walk Day

Take your pants for a walk day! Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks—who had a genius, so to speak, for SAUNTERING, which word is beautifully derived “from idle people who roved about the country, in the Middle Ages, and asked charity, under pretense of going a la Sainte Terre,” to the Holy Land, till the children exclaimed, “There goes a Sainte-Terrer,” a Saunterer, a Holy-Lander. They who never go to the Holy Land in their walks, as they pretend, are indeed mere idlers and vagabonds; but they who do go there are saunterers in the good sense, such as I mean.~ Henry David Thoreau

Puppy dog paw prints

“Hear and attend and listen; for this befell and behappened and became and was, O my Best Beloved, when the Tame animals were wild. The Dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild—as wild as wild could be—and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.” ~Rudyard Kipling

For it matters not how you walk, by your self, with your dog at the South West Off Leash Recreation Area, or as a saunterer like Henry David Thoreau. Come out today, and do, take your pants for a walk!

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)” .

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”
― John Burroughs

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

Out for a Festival Walk

Jane’s Walk

Yorkshire Terrier

Boxer Dog

“The dog alone, of all the brute creation, seems capable of a disinterested, self-sacrificing affection; and this, united with his usefulness and adaptedness to all climes and countries, has made him a favorite in every quarter of the globe.”~ Richard L. Allen

Celebrating: Be Kind To Animals Week 4th-10th, Pet Week 5th-11th, Pet Month, Wildflower Week – May 2 -8 Year, Jane Jacobs 101st Birthday!!! (May 4, 1916 – April 25, 2006) Birthday party!!!

Who is Jane Jacobs? What is a Jane’s Walk?

South West Off Leash Recreation Area
D.O.G. YXE

Meet Sparky . Dog Walkers Off-leash Get-together. Celebrate pets. Discover Richard St. Barbe Baker legacy, Swale & Afforestation Heritage
Led by Julia Adamson, , Sparky Saskatoon Fire Department Mascot, Chelsie Schafer
May 5, 2017, 10:00 AM, 1-1/2 Hour
D.O.G. YXE ~ South West Off Leash Recreation Area
Led by Julia Adamson, , Sparky Saskatoon Fire Department Mascot, Chelsie Schafer

Sutherland Beach Off Leash Recreation Area
D.O.G. YXE

Meet Sparky @ D.O.G. YXE~ Dog Walkers Off-leash Get-together Celebrate pets at a 101 birthday party! Discover Sutherland Beach History
Led by Julia Adamson, Chelsie Schafer, Sparky Saskatoon Fire Department mascot.
May 5, 2017, 2:00 PM, 1.5 Hours
D.O.G. YXE Jane’s Walk ~ Sutherland Beach Off Leash Recreation Area
Led by Julia Adamson, Chelsie Schafer, Sparky Saskatoon Fire Department mascot.,

“D.O.G. YXE ~ Dog Walkers Off-leash Get-together Gala in Saskatoon YXE.”

This 90 minute festival will begin with a kick-off celebration first; meet “Sparky” the Saskatoon Fire Department mascot . The (1.7 km) walk will include information on Saskatoon’s off leash recreation areas, an insight into the wildlife habitat, health benefits of dog walking, celebrating special occasions in the city you love and providing opportunities for participants to share their own stories. This walk will surely be fun and informative. Representatives from the City of Saskatoon Animal Services Dog Parks will speak to the City’s off leash recreation areas,, the Saskatoon Fire Department will talk about keeping your dog safe around the water.

Bring your pooch, or borrow one from your neighbour and join us for a walk around the South West Off Leash Recreation Area at 10:00 a.m. Friday May 5, 2017 (this walk) OR the Sutherland Beach Off Leash Recreation Area at 2:00 p.m. Friday May 5, 2017! Dress for the weather ~ on average 11.2 Celsius~ please bring a collar, and leash, insect repellent and a bottle of water, and wear proper footwear for walking along a packed dirt roadway…. However, you do not need a pooch to participate! … D.O.G. YXE Jane Walks are free and designed for all residents of Saskatoon and community members. Join us for a walk and be eligible for some give-aways. (while quantities last).

“A city street equipped to handle strangers, and to make a safety asset, in itself, our of the presence of strangers, as the streets of successful city neighborhoods always do, must have three main qualities:

First, there must be a clear demarcation between what is public space and what is private space. Public and private spaces cannot ooze into each other as they do typically in suburban settings or in projects.

Second, there must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street. The buildings on a street equipped to handle strangers and to insure the safety of both residents and strangers, must be oriented to the street. They cannot turn their backs or blank sides on it and leave it blind.

And third, the sidewalk must have users on it fairly continuously, both to add to the number of effective eyes on the street and to induce the people in buildings along the street to watch the sidewalks in sufficient numbers. Nobody enjoys sitting on a stoop or looking out a window at an empty street. Almost nobody does such a thing. Large numbers of people entertain themselves, off and on, by watching street activity.”
~Jane Jacobs

The dog is peculiarly the friend of man. ~ Richard L. Allen

SW OLRA JANES WALK D.O.G. YXE Friday May 5 2017 10:00 a.m.

Sutherland Beach DOG YXE Friday May 5 20172:00 p.m.

For more information:

South West Off Leash Dog Park Jane’s Walk D.O.G. YXE

Sutherland Beach Off Leash Dog Park Jane’s Walk D.O.G. YXE

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

The dog we have always with us; if not active in the garden or passive on the best bed, then gracing or disgracing himself in other domestic capacities. For the dog is a curious combination, wherein heredity constantly opposes culture; and therefore though your dog be a woolly dog or a smooth dog, a large dog or a small dog, a house-dog, yard-dog, hunting-dog or farm-dog, he will be ever a delight and a scandal according as he reveals the complexities of his character. Just as soon as you have decided that he is almost human, he will straightway unmistakably indicate that he is still very much dog.~Edward L Sabin

Take a Walk in the Park Day March 30

DOG WALKING

Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias 42-52″ (105-130 cm) four feet standing.

Clean Up Volunteers at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestaton Area, Saskatoon, SK 2016 Community Clean Up

White-tailed Deer. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA

On March 30, 2017 please celebrate “Take a Walk in the Park Day.” Before you head out, take a moment to plan a family activity to care for Canada’s rich biodiversity, and to increase the education and awareness of conservation, eco-systems, and Canada’s living resources.

Download a BioKit before going on your family outing at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. It is very fortunate that the BioKits are developed by the Biosphere, Environment Museum. These nature observation guides are designed for youth over six years old to become aware of the environment and natural treasures as you explore. the West Swale wetlands and associated riparian woodlands. Become immersed in the mysteries of nature, and take part in the activities outlined in the variety of Bio-Kits available.

“Biodiversity, or biological diversity, means the multitude of living beings, ecosystems and their interrelationships, in space and in time. It is divided into three components: genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.”^Source

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bio Kit Activity Guide for Educators

Bio-Kit FAQ Government of Canada. About Environment and Climate Change. Canada Services. The Biosphere. BioKits. Explore the Bio-Kits. Pan-Canadian BioKits. Bio-Kit Frequently Asked Questions

Explore Canada The Great Trail PhoneApp

Nature Bio Kit Government of Canada. About Environment and Climate Change. Canada Services. The Biosphere. BioKits. Explore the Bio-Kits. Pan-Canadian BioKits. Nature BioKit

Trans Canada Trail Bio-Kit Government of Canada. About Environment and Climate Change. Canada Services. The Biosphere. BioKits. Explore the Bio-Kits. Pan-Canadian BioKits. Trans Canada Trail Bio-Kit.

Urban Bio Kit Government of Canada. About Environment and Climate Change. Canada Services. The Biosphere. BioKits. Explore the Bio-Kits. Pan-Canadian BioKits. Urban Bio Kit.

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: Off leash dog park Valley Road Saskatoon!

Facebook: South West Off Leash Recreation Area SW OLRA

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

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

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I believe in oneness of mankind and of all living things and in the interdependence of each and all. I believe that unless we play fair to the Earth, we cannot exist physically on this planet. Unless we play fair to our neighbour, we cannot exist socially or internationally. Unless we play fair to better self, there is no individuality and no leadership. ~Richard St. Barbe Baker.

National Dog Day Saturday, August 26th, 2017

Simplify your Life Week => First week of August

August 6-12, 2017

July 27 Take Your Pants for a Walk Day

World Healing Day

National Dog Day
Saturday, August 26th, 2017