The circle of compassion

World Wildlife Day ~ March 3

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

American Red Squirrel Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Branta canadensis Canada Goose

Rabbit

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Blue heron

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided to proclaim 3 March, the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as World Wildlife Day.

“The preservation of animal and plant life, and of the general beauty of Nature, is one of the foremost duties of the men and women of to-day. No man has a right, either moral or legal, to destroy or squander an inheritance of his children that he holds for them in trust.

Wild life can be saved! The means by which it can be saved are: Money, labor and publicity.

Every possible means of preservation,—sentimental, educational and legislative,—must be employed. It is an imperative duty, because it must be performed at once, for otherwise it will be too late, speaks William T. Hornaday Sc.D., Director of the New York Zoologial Park, Author of “The American Natural History” and ex-president of the American Bison Society.

Do you know what Saskatchewan endangered wildlife species look like? Do you know what their habitat looks like? Do the flora and fauna listed here require wetlands, tall grasslands, arid plains, riparian woodlands, or mixed zones? Do you know the range in Saskatchewan where you may see these endangered species of Saskatchewan ~ north, south central, east, west? Today is the day for you, personally, to find out before it is too late! Can you identify the flora and fauna in the semi-wilderness wildlife habitat of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan?

Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia

Piping Plover Charadrius melodus

Sage Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus

Whooping Crane Grus americana

Swift Fox Vulpes velox

Sand Verbena Abronia micrantha

Western Spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis

Tiny Cryptanthe Cryptantha minima

Hairy Prairie-clover Dalea villosa

Saskatchewan Wildlife at Risk:

Biodiversity; Species at Risk Government of Saskatchewan. About Environment, Programs and services.

Biodiversity Saskatchewan Species at Risk. Saskatchewan Econet.

Ecology Camps for Kids University of Saskatchewan.

Fauna of Saskatchewan Wikipedia.

Floraof Saskatchewan Wikipedia.

List of Mammals in Saskatchewan Wikipedia.

Outdoor Education : Species at Risk Regina Public Schools

Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference. Feb 16 17 18 2016 Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan
(SK PCAP)

S.O.S. Stewards of Saskatchewan Nature Saskatchewan.

Wildlife Viewing Tourism Saskatchewan.

Wild plants and animals protected. Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management Minister Lorne Scott. Government of Saskatchewan. March 3, 1999

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.

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

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

For more information:

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

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

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

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

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

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

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

Facebook: South West OLRA

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

You Tube Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

You Tube George Genereux Urban Regional Park

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

Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!

QR Code FOR PAYPAL DONATIONS to the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. — Paypal

Payment Options

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

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

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

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

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

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

Do One Thing

We no longer destroy great works of art. They are treasured, and regarded as of priceless value; but we have yet to attain the state of civilization where the destruction of a glorious work of Nature, whether it be a cliff, a forest, or a species of mammal or bird, is regarded with equal abhorrence

Northern Leopard Frog

Prairie Dog

Red Fox

Rabbit

“The preservation of animal and plant life, and of the general beauty of Nature, is one of the foremost duties of the men and women of to-day. It is an imperative duty, because it must be performed at once, for otherwise it will be too late. Every possible means of preservation,—sentimental, educational and legislative,—must be employed.” William T. Hornaday Director New York Zoological Park, Author American Natural History President American Bison Authority.

What is the one thing that you could do for wildlife today?

“I know of no way of judging the future, but by the past.” Patrick Henry

“We no longer destroy great works of art. They are treasured, and regarded as of priceless value; but we have yet to attain the state of civilization where the destruction of a glorious work of Nature, whether it be a cliff, a forest, or a species of mammal or bird, is regarded with equal abhorrence”~William T. Hornaday

What are some things you could do for wildlife today?

Parents take your children out to explore, and be creative in nature. Learn the name of a new flower.
Teachers grow gardens, and plant trees with classes of children, and conduct field trips to the zoo to learn “It is your Duty to protect all harmless wild things, and you must do it” ~Hornaday.
Science subjects embrace local nature, students learning the study of nature, the name of the flora and fauna in their neighbourhood.
Art classes seek to draw from nature, learning the botanical structure of plants, seeds, flowers and leaves.
Local and family celebration of World Wildlife Day, World Migratory Bird Day with hands on nature activities to protect wildlife and birds.
Provincial and national efforts to observe Arbor Day, Earth Day, and other special days with events and celebrations.
Boys and girls clubs, scouts, girl guides, brownies, and youth groups celebrate tree planting ceremonies, and nature watch activities.
A trip to the zoo, the park, the afforestation area to devote time for the observation and preservation of flora and fauna.
Clean up your local environment, your school yard, street, or park.
Do you know the local animals and plants on the endangered species list, and what they look like? Do you know which plants are necessary to which animal?
Have you planted a pollinater’s garden or a native flower garden bed?
What can you think of? Can you add more to the list?

The fate of wildlife, hangs today by a very delicate thread.

“Will the millions of men commanded by General Apathy now arouse, before it is too late to act?

Will the true sportsmen rise up, and do their duty, bravely and unselfishly?

Will the people with wealth to give away do their duty toward wild life and humanity, fairly and generously?

Will the zoologists awake, leave their tables in their stone palaces of peace, and come out to the firing-line?

Will the lawmakers heed the handwriting on the wall, and make laws that represent the full discharge of their duty toward wild life and humanity?

Will the editors beat the alarm-gong, early and late, in season and out of season, until the people awake?

On the answers to these questions hang the fate of the wild creatures of the world,—their preservation or their extermination.~ Hornaday”

“People take the longest possible paths, digress to numerous dead ends, and make all kinds of mistakes. Then historians come along and write summaries of this messy, nonlinear process and make it appear like a simple, straight line.” Dean Kamen

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

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)

Payment Options

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

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

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

“Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain.” Hugh Mackay

What are Ents?

“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 are Ents? What are Huorns?

Who shepherds the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area?

An Ent. Treebeard artwork by Ttthom Tom Loback CC b SA3.0 cc by 2.5

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area in the fog

Robert White, 2016 Clean UP Photographer, Personal Friend of Richard St. Barbe Baker, Baha’i representative, SOS Elms, Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, south west sector, in the City of Saskatoon, SK, CA at the Volunteer Community Clean UP 2016

The Ents are called “the Shepherds of the Huorns”, while a Huorn are the trees of the forest. The Elves refer to Ents as Onodrim meaning “Tree-host”. Both Huorns and Ents are fantasy creatures created by J.R.R. Tolkien A diversity of races and beings resided in Middle Earth, the setting for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

An Ent is a fictional being ~ with the appearance of a walking and talking tree. The evolution of the Ents is thought to have occurred rendering them more and more tree-like from their shepherding duties and their desire to care for the trees (Huorns). The race of the Huorns are the those trees of “Fangorn forest,” the old forests of Middle Earth which have become animated with the ability to walk and talk.

While Ents can speak to the other races in Middle Earth, Huorns can only speak to Ents. Huorns, like Ents are capable of locomotion, and can create darkness to hide the fact that they are moving. An Ent is envisioned to be 14 feet in height, and their appearance varies depending on the trees or “Huorns” in their flock, as Ents have the height, and size specific to the type of tree that they guarded. These Ent “giants” were immortal, with the character Treebeard being the oldest creature anywhere living in Middle Earth.

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and] look well to thy herds. Proverbs 27:23

As a bit of whimsy, there is even a Ent name generator online perfect to name any fantasy animated or anthropomorphic tree creatures. To view a depiction of Treebeard Tree, I am not tree, ~ Treebeard The Last March of the Ents. or Ents attack Isengard from the movie trilogy Lord of the Rings directed by Peter Jackson; The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003).

In Saskatoon, SOS Elms Coalition are “concerned about the health of Saskatchewan’s community tree population”. Robert White personal friend of Richard St. Barbe Baker is one of the SOS Elms Coalition members at the forefront in shepherding the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. With his keen eye, and years of experience he immediately recognized the outlook for Elms and placed a grove of Elms on his personal watch list. SOS Elms Coalition undertakes “public education and action projects designed to involve individual citizens as well as provincial and municipal governments in the active care of community trees.” Reaching out and teaching people to care for trees and forests is similar to the Ents in the Lord of the Rings who shepherd the Huorns.

The Urban Forestry Program implemented by the City of Saskatoon has initiated a tree inventory at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area beginning in October of 2016. “Saskatoon’s urban forest is healthy and growing –it is up to everyone to protect it. Trees help to make our communities beautiful and improve our quality of life by helping to modify our climate, reduce air pollution, protect our soil and water resources, and provide habitat for wildlife.” Tree inventories help to establish any spring and fall tree planting programs which may be required, and identify any dead or hazardous trees for removal. By doing tree inventories, the City’s Urban Forestry Program is able to asses its ongoing maintenance program and implement the planning process to determine site analysis, species selection, and planting site determination for successful planting of trees (afforestation) in the upkeep of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. The Urban Forestry Program is better able to manage and caretake the urban forest of the Afforestation Area with a tree inventory. The inventory contains data and information regarding not only the number of trees and empty tree wells, but also the tree diameter, tree size, species of trees, recent plantings and self generating saplings, and vulnerability of the forest and the individual trees to invasive insects and disease. This information enables the Urban Forestry Program to better manage and assess the health of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area riparian woodlands.

The Saskatoon Nature Society watches over the environment for wildlife to support ” nature conservation projects” and they are “an active advocate for the preservation of plant and animal habitats”. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is included in the new edition “Nature Viewing Sites in and around Saskatoon (3rd edition).”

The Meewasin Valley Authority is a “conservation agency dedicated to conserving the cultural and natural resources of the South Saskatchewan River Valley”, and “one of Meewasin’s primary goals is to help maintain a vibrant & healthy river valley”. The Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area has a large area within the MVA jurisdiction, The West Swale Wetlands, and Chappell marsh of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area drain into the South Saskatchewan River.

It is thus that the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area does indeed have shepherds watching over the trees of the afforestation area preserved in perpetuity in 1972, as well as guardians of the semi-wilderness wildlife habitat, and a watchdog for the conservation and preservation of the environment.

This March 3, World Wildlife Day, and everyday, please take an active role personally as a shepherd of the biodiversity in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Thank you kindly.

“Every flock of the sheep of God which is protected under the shadow of the Divine Shepherd will not be scattered, but when the sheep are dispersed from the flock, they will necessarily be caught and torn by the wolf.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon you to flock together! It is incumbent upon you to be united! It is incumbent upon you to expose yourselves to the fragrances of God at every time and moment!” ~ Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v1, p. 184

“What do the forests bear? Soil, water and pure air–soil, water and pure air are the basis of life.”~ Richard St. Barbe Baker the Chipko Andolan slogan

“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 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

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

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

Payment Options

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

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker presented by Paul Hanley

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

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

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Hoar Frost

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Saskatoon

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park

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.

“Kind people have been expressing superlatives on my work. But I can assure you that anything which I have been able to achieve has been team work. We have a motto in the Men of the Trees. TWAHAMWE. It is an African word meaning ‘pull together’ and I pass this on to all those concerned with conservation in this country. I would like to call you to silence for a moment with the words of Mathew Arnold:

“Calm soul of all things, make it mine,
To feel amidst the City ‘s jar
That there abides a peace of thine
Men did not make and cannot mar. ”
~Richard St. Barbe Baker

“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

I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine ~ John 10:14

If Trees Were Ents

“if a man loses one-third of his skin he dies; if a tree loses one third of its bark, it too dies. If the Earth is a ‘sentient being’, would it not be reasonable to expect that if it loses one third of its trees and vegetable covering, it will also die?” ~ Richard St. Barbe Baker

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

The Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) West Swale Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA

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

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

“if a man loses one-third of his skin he dies; if a tree loses one third of its bark, it too dies. If the Earth is a ‘sentient being’, would it not be reasonable to expect that if it loses one third of its trees and vegetable covering, it will also die?” ~ Richard St. Barbe Baker

Can you imagine what would happen if trees were to come alive, as did the Ents and Huorns in J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. “You must understand,… it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say. … ‘Beneath the roof of sleeping… leaves and dreams of trees untold, When woodland halls are… green… and cool, and the wind is in the west, Come back to me… Come… back… to me, And say my land is… best.’ ” sayeth Treebeard, Ent.

Ulmus americana, American elm will live with prime conditions between 200 – 300 years if it does not succumb to Dutch Elm Disease. The American Elm will produce seeds after the age of 15, and becomes fully mature in about 150 years. Dutch elm disease has shortened the life of elm trees. In contemporary times, it is very,very hard to locate an American Elm over 100 years old.
Ulmus pumila, the Siberian elm, rarely reaches a lifespan in temperate climates of around 50- 60 years of age, but in its native environment may live to between 100 and 150 years and has been known to live over 250 years.
Populus balsamifera, commonly called balsam poplar, on exception some trees can be found as old as 200 years. In native woodlands, the Balsam poplar may be the dominant species for about 50 years, giving way to perhaps White Spruce or other tree species.
Populus tremuloides or quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen is a species which grows in “clonal colonies”, the oldest living poplar bluff is over 80,000 years old. This is a curious tree, as one stem may only “live” 50-60 years, however as the quaking aspen is part of a poplar bluff, the root system may live tens of thousands of years!
Pinus sylvestris L. or the Scots pine has a lifespan usually between 150–300 years, however has been recorded at over 760 years in age.
Picea pungens Colorado Blue Spruce has a usual life span as a windbreak or horticultural tree of about 40 – 60 years. After this age, the tree starts to deteriorate. The Blue Spruce has been known to live over 200 years.

These, then are the main trees which make up the native and planted trees in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. A few Green Ash, and Willows rather round out the forest along with bushes, shrubs and undergrowth. Planted in 1972, this makes the age of the forest 45 years old. What would these trees have to say, if they were Ents? What will they say in the future of their time spent living in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area?

Would the Elm ask the Saskatchewan Woodpecker to peck just a little to the left, or desire that the itch up and to the right were attended to?

Could you imagine the Scots pine giggling as the squirrels run up and down the length of its trunk and branches.

Can you just see the Balsam Poplar, regal and sedate holding the tadasana yoga post for the Great Blue Heron Ardea Herodias as it roosts safely in the crook of its arms. Not only would the Great Blue Heron desire such a safe roosting site, but so would the Black Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax ).

And the butterflies, it is wonderful to speak to the Monarch Butterfly and efforts to preserve this endangered species. Did you know that the Balsam Poplar is a treat for the Admiral butterfly caterpillars, and Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. The Trembling Aspen, similarly also is delicious for these same caterpillars, as well as the Mourning Cloak caterpillar. So can you imagine the Trembling Aspen, the aspen bluff being one large organism growing as a clonal colony from a single root, awakening in the spring, and sending messages over to the butterfly larva to get a move on, and come out of the chyrsalis as it will soon be time for the poplar to trees to pollinate.

Can you just see the Colorado Blue Spruce calling out to the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) and the Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) when the temperatures in the winter get a little chilly, offering these little birds shelter from the winter winds? And though the Bohemian Waxwing takes shelter in the boughs of the Colorado Blue Spruce, its cousin the Cedar Waxwing, enjoys flying around in large flocks over the summer breeding months in the afforestation area.

What would the Ents say about the neighbouring human civilization? Would the trees say of humans, as they say of orcs, “They come with fire, they come with axes… gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning! Destroyers and usurpers, curse them!”…or of Saruman! the wizard .”There is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the tongues of men for this treachery”. ~Treebeard, Ent.

The trees, if they were alive as Ents, would be able to relate and regale us with stories and tales, of the harmony between woodlands and wildlife. On March 3, World Wildlife Day, and every day, consider how to preserve and conserve the environment and its rich biodiversity.

Consider a donation to the SOS Elms Coalition, Nature Conservancy Saskatchewan, Partners in Flight, Saskatoon Nature Society, Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan, Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation, National Audobon Society or Should you wish to help protect / enhance the afforestation areas, please contact the City of Saskatoon, Corporate Revenue Division, 222 3rd Ave N, Saskatoon, SK S7K 0J5…to support the afforestation area with your donation please state that your donation should support the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, or the George Genereux Urban Regional Park, or both afforestation areas located in the Blairmore Sector. Please and thank you! Your donation is greatly appreciated.

“What do the forests bear? Soil, water and pure air–soil, water and pure air are the basis of life.”~ Richard St. Barbe Baker the Chipko Andolan slogan

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Naturescapes for Educators. Butterfly Gardening. Welcoming Butterflies
Into your Schoolyard

“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 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

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

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

Payment Options

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

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker presented by Paul Hanley

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

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

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Hoar Frost

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Saskatoon

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park

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.

“Kind people have been expressing superlatives on my work. But I can assure you that anything which I have been able to achieve has been team work. We have a motto in the Men of the Trees. TWAHAMWE. It is an African word meaning ‘pull together’ and I pass this on to all those concerned with conservation in this country. I would like to call you to silence for a moment with the words of Mathew Arnold:

“Calm soul of all things, make it mine,
To feel amidst the City ‘s jar
That there abides a peace of thine
Men did not make and cannot mar. ”
~Richard St. Barbe Baker

“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

World Wildlife Day ~ Conservation

Wildlife Montage. Red Winged Blackbird, White Tailed Deer Fawn, Garter Snake, JackRabbit, Mallard Ducklings, Black Crowned Night Heron

Gifford Pinchot centered on conservation as follows; ” The principles which the word Conservation has come to embody are not many, and they are exceedingly simple. I have had occasion to say a good many times that no other great movement, has ever achieved such progress in so short a time, or made itself felt in so many directions with such vigor and effectiveness, as the movement for the conservation of natural resources.

Forestry made good its position in the United States before the conservation movement was born. As a forester I am glad to believe that conservation began with forestry, and that the principles which govern the Forest Service in particular and forestry in general are also the ideas that control conservation.”

Gifford Pinchot; BA degree from Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University (1899), MA (1901) and LLD (1925) degrees from Yale, MA degree (1904) from Princeton University, ScD degree (1907) from Michigan Agricultural College, LLD degree (1909) from McGill University, LLD degree (1923) from Pennsylvania Military College, and LLD degree (1931) from Temple University. Pinchot was forester and chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry, founded the School of Forestry at Yale University, and also the Society of American Foresters and the National Conservation Association of which he became President. Author of A Primer of Forestry (1899), The Fight for Conservation (1909), The Training of a Forester (1914), and Breaking New Ground, an autobiography (1947).

Pinchot continues about conservation, “In addition to the principles of development and preservation of our resources there is a third principle. It is this: The natural resources must be developed and preserved for the benefit of the many, and not merely for the profit of a few.

The conservation idea covers a wider range than the field of natural resources alone. Conservation means the greatest good to the greatest number for the longest time. One of its great contributions is just this, that it has added to the worn and well-known phrase, “the greatest good to the greatest number,” the additional words “for the longest time,” thus recognizing that this nation of ours must be made to endure as the best possible home for all its people.

Conservation advocates the use of foresight, prudence, thrift, and intelligence in dealing with public matters, for the same reasons and in the same way that we each use foresight, prudence, thrift, and intelligence in dealing with our own private affairs. It proclaims the right and duty of the people to act for the benefit of the people. Conservation demands the application of common-sense to the common problems for the common good.

We are prosperous because our forefathers bequeathed to us a land of marvellous resources still unexhausted. Shall we conserve those resources, and in our turn transmit them, still unexhausted, to our descendants? Unless we do, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day. When the natural resources of any nation become exhausted, disaster and decay in every department of national life follow as a matter of course. Therefore the conservation of natural resources is the basis, and the only permanent basis, of national success.

The conservation issue is a moral issue, and the heart of it is this: For whose benefit shall our natural resources be conserved—for the benefit of us all, or for the use and profit of the few? This truth is so obvious and the question itself so simple that the attitude toward conservation of any man in public or private life indicates his stand in the fight for public rights. ”

Saskatoon community volunteers all came together three times for major trash clean ups in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area in the southwest sector of Saskatoon in 2015 and 2016 to better the environment and promote conservation practices. On March 3 World Wildlife Day, honour the afforestation areas, and continue to monitor, and conserve the semi-wilderness wildlife habitat at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Though the volunteers were elated to see 13,100 kilograms (28,875 pounds) 1 2 3 of trash removed from the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and did, indeed come out more than once to clean up the environment, the woodlands and Chappell Marsh West Swale Wetlands. It would surely be wonderful to engage in conservation practices and center community efforts to maintain the wetlands and associated riparian woodlands, and thus honour the semi-wilderness wildlife habitat corridor and not have a repeated need to engage in costly volunteer clean ups.

The vanishing wildlife, its extermination and preservation came to the forefront in the article World Wildlife Day March 3. How can conservation efforts continue past March 3, continue onward after World Wildlife Day to conserve the habitats, forests, wetlands and resources? Find out what you can do.

For More Conservation Information

Compliance and Enforcement Environment. Government of Saskatchewan.

Conservation Provincial Parks System.

Conservation Learning Centre | School Program

Ecosystem services (ES) Toolkit and Assessment for Decision Making “nature’s benefits” For Decision making

Government of Canada Publications.

HABISask stands for Hunting, Angling and Biodiversity Information of Saskatchewan

Ludlow, Sarah. How we can save our songbirds. Nature Conservancy of Canada. February 22, 2017

K-9 unit plays important role for Sask. conservation team
Cpl. Jamie Chartrand and partner Jaks help track people, evidence for Ministry of Environment Feb 11, 2017

Managing Saskatchewan’s Wetlands

Ministry of the Environment Government of Saskatchewan.

Nature Conservancy of Canada. Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre Citizen Scientist observations required; Report a Woodland Caribou Sighting. Giant Lacewing Observations. Red Lily Beetle Observations. Species list and Species Conservation Rankings

Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan

Sask Tip Turn in Poachers and those who violate resource and environmental laws.

Serving People and Wildlife ~ Protecting Saskatchewan’s resources. Saskatchewan Association of Conservation Oficers

DeFranza David. How conservation helps people too. Tree Hugger April 4, 2011

What you can do to help Government of Canada. Climate Change.

Wildlife Conservation SACO| Wildlife Species at Risk. Government of Saskatchewan.

Take Action WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund)

Take Action Government of Canada. Environment Canada. About Environment and Climate Change Canada Services The Biosphere BioKits Take Action

What can you do? Government of Canada. BiodivCanada. Education and AwarenessWhat Can You Do?

What you can do WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund)

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

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Pinchot, Gifford USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.

Seeking the Greatest Good. Pinchot Institute for Conservation. M^{“The mission of the Pinchot Institute is to strengthen forest conservation thought, policy, and action by developing innovative, practical, and broadly-supported solutions to conservation challenges and opportunities.”}

Gifford Pinchot. National Parks.

Gifford Pinchot

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.

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

Pinterest richardstbarbeb

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

Facebook: StBarbeBaker

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

Facebook: South West OLRA

Twitter: StBarbeBaker

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

Payment Options

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

1./ Learn.

2./ Experience

3./ Do Something: ^***

You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker presented by Paul Hanley

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

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

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Hoar Frost

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park Saskatoon

You Tube Video George Genereux Urban Regional Park

“I believe that if children fall in love with wildlife they will grow up wanting to protect it.”
― Imogen Taylor

. We have a motto in the Men of the Trees. TWAHAMWE. It is an African word meaning ‘pull together’ and I pass this on to all those concerned with conservation in this country. I would like to call you to silence for a moment with the words of Mathew Arnold:
“Calm soul of all things, make it mine,
To feel amidst the City ‘s jar
That there abides a peace of thine
Men did not make and cannot mar
~Richard St. Barbe Baker

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

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