Tag: Indigenous knowledge

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps

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

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

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

Conserving Health and Heritage Through Medicinal Plants

On this third day of March, when the nations of the world pause to honour wild creatures and untamed forests, we are reminded that humanity does not stand apart from Nature, but within her sacred circle. United Nations World Wildlife Day is not merely a date upon the calendar; it is a summons to conscience.

The theme for 2026 — Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods — calls us back to an ancient truth: the forest is our first pharmacy, our oldest teacher, and our enduring provider. Long before laboratories and dispensaries, it was the leaf, the bark, the root, and the resin that soothed fever, calmed the spirit, and restored vitality. The fragrance of cedar, the healing balm of spruce and balsam poplar, the quiet strength of herbs gathered with reverence — these are gifts woven into the story of humankind.

Yet what we harvest must be guarded with gratitude. The reckless axe and the careless flame silence more than birdsong; they extinguish remedies not yet discovered and wisdom not yet recorded. Each medicinal plant lost to destruction is a library burned, a heritage erased, a livelihood diminished.

The preservation of wildlife — plant and animal alike — is therefore not sentimentalism. It is sound stewardship. Forests regulate the waters, shelter the soil, call the rains, and cradle biodiversity. In their shade dwell species known and unknown, each bearing a thread in the intricate tapestry of life. To protect them is to protect ourselves.

In the lifetime of Richard St. Barbe Baker, he saw barren lands restored by trees planted with faith and fellowship. Baker learned that when communities unite — young and old, rural and urban — the desert can bloom again. Reforestation is not only an act of ecology; it is an act of hope. It affirms that humanity may yet choose guardianship over greed.

So let this World Wildlife Day be more than ceremony. Let it be covenant. Plant trees whose leaves may heal future generations. Safeguard the aromatic herbs whose oils carry culture and craft across centuries. Support livelihoods that gather from the wild without despoiling it. Teach children that the forest is not a warehouse of commodities but a cathedral of living wonders and homes to our brethern in the wild.

When we conserve medicinal and aromatic plants, we conserve health. When we honour traditional knowledge, we conserve heritage. When we sustain ecosystems wisely, we conserve livelihoods. And in doing so, we rediscover a deeper truth — that the well-being of people and planet is indivisible.

May we walk gently upon the Earth, tending her green mantle with reverence, so that the wild may flourish and humanity may endure in harmony beneath the sheltering trees.

Baker was recognized as the first inaugural Honorary Life Member of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for his global efforts in reforestation. An amazing testimonial to wildlife worldwide.

Colorado Blue Spruce Cone. Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, 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

Part SE 23-36-6 – Richard St. Barbe Baker 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 or

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

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

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

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps

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

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

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

Voices from the Afforestation Frontlines: Sustainable Human–Animal Interactions

In a world that grows louder with human industry and quieter with the fading calls of the wild, there are still voices—clear, compassionate, and resolute—rising to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Voices from the Afforestation Frontlines – Advancing Sustainable Solutions for a Resilient Planet gathers such voices from across the globe, reminding us that coexistence with the natural world is not merely a dream of idealists, but a necessity for our shared survival.

On Monday, November 3, at 10 AM EST, an extraordinary panel of international leaders will come together to discuss Sustainable Human–Animal Interactions—an urgent conversation about how we, as stewards of the Earth, might reimagine our relationship with both wild and domestic life in an age of ecological uncertainty.

Each speaker brings a story shaped by empathy and action:

🌍 Adeline Lerambert, Born Free Foundation, offers a vision of freedom rooted in compassion, where policy and advocacy serve the living beings behind the statistics.

🐘 Femke den Haas, Jakarta Animal Aid Network & Ellis Park Wildlife Sanctuary, brings courage from the field—rescuing, rehabilitating, and restoring dignity to those caught between human expansion and wilderness retreat.

🦒 Isaac Maina, Africa Network for Animal Welfare, bridges the worlds of people and wildlife, working to nurture coexistence that sustains communities and ecosystems alike.

🌳 Julia Adamson, Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc., grounds the discussion in the living landscapes of urban nature—reminding us that even within city limits, forests breathe and teach us of resilience.

🥦 Dr. Kimmy Cushman, Plant Based Treaty, invites us to consider food systems as moral and ecological choices, pathways to planetary health that begin on our plates.

🐯 Pei F. Su, ACT Asia, advocates for education and cultural transformation, planting seeds of kindness in the next generation.

🕊 Tozie Zokufa, Coalition of African Animal Welfare Organizations, speaks for a continental movement toward justice—where compassion becomes policy and stewardship becomes identity.

🐾 Wolf Gordon Clifton, Animal People Inc., helps us see how science, journalism, and public discourse together shape the moral architecture of conservation.

🌱 Varda Mehrotra, Samayu and A Just World, challenges us to connect animal welfare with broader movements for equity, ethics, and planetary well-being.

Together, these thought-leaders remind us that sustainability is not only a matter of carbon or conservation—it is a question of relationship. The way we live with animals, wild or domestic, mirrors how we live with one another. Whether in the forests we replant, the cities we inhabit, or the choices we make at the table, every act of empathy echoes outward through the web of life.

This dialogue is not about opposition—between development and preservation, between human need and animal welfare—but about transformation. The transformation of systems, yes, but more profoundly, the transformation of the human heart.

As we stand at the edge of ecological tipping points, the path toward a resilient planet will not be forged through domination, but through understanding. The future will belong to those who listen—to the rustle of leaves, the whisper of wings, the wisdom of those who remember that we are all kin in this intricate, fragile web of being.

🔗 Register for this global conversation:
Eventbrite Registration
🌐 Or via the UNEP INDICO Portal

#VoicesFromTheAfforestationFrontlines #Sustainability #AnimalWelfare #Afforestation #Biodiversity #HumanWildlifeCoexistence #UNEP #ClimateAction #Conservation

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Richard St. Barbe Baker 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 or

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

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

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

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps

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

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

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

Richard St. Barbe Baker

Still Waters Run Deep: Wetlands and the Quiet Work of Survival

Out in the long grass of August, where the sun presses its heat into the soil like a branding iron and the wind moves with the low groan of age, Saskatchewan’s wetlands are still doing their quiet work.

They’ve done it for centuries — long before we gave names to their function, long before we cut fences through the marsh, or tried to drain their bellies for crops and cattle. And still, they stay. Not for us, exactly, but with us.

This year, from August 9 to 17, Saskatchewan marks the third annual Wetlands Appreciation Week, carrying the theme: Thriving Together: Wetlands and Communities — a phrase that rings both as a hope and a reminder.

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

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

A Landscape of Memory

Consider the West Swale, where the bones of ancient ice carved their story into the land. What we now call a wetland — rich with cattail, bulrush, muskrat, and frog-song — was once a glacial spillway. A restless, roaring channel creating Yorath Island, born from meltwater in the last ice age. That ghost river’s path now hosts Chappell Marsh, a jewel in the crown of the Swale. It is a place where time seems suspended in reed and reflection, and the land’s memory lies just beneath the surface.

Wetlands like this one are more than soggy ground. They’re lungs. They’re sponges. They’re cradle and coffin for countless species. And in a time when climate’s heartbeat grows erratic, these places are also something else — carbon vaults.

The Burden They Carry

Scientists will tell you that wetlands sequester carbon — that they hold it close in deep, anaerobic soils, preventing its release into the warming sky. But the way a farmer in the Qu’Appelle Valley might say it is this: “They soak up more than water.” They soak up heat, drought, and hunger. They shelter birds on thousand-mile migrations and buffer towns from spring floods that no one expected.

But what they give, they do not give without limit.

For every wetland that disappears under gravel or concrete or corrugated pipe, a thread unravels in the cloth of community. Not just for the waterfowl or salamanders or insects that lose a home, but for us — the people who live by water without noticing how it holds us upright.

A Quiet Celebration

So what does it mean to celebrate something that asks nothing for itself?

During Wetlands Appreciation Week, across Saskatchewan, please walk around a wetlands, download iNaturalist and Merlin and take part in citizen science efforts, and moments of shared learning. Communities will come together to listen — not to speeches, necessarily, but to the low thrum of the dragonfly, the dry rustle of sedge, the plop of a frog startled by a passing footstep. Children may build bug hotels. Elders may share stories of when beaver dams meant trouble, or salvation. All of it, a small way of saying: we’re still here. We still see you.

Thriving, Together

The wetlands of Saskatchewan don’t scream. They don’t split open the ground like wildfire or send towering clouds to warn us of their power. Instead, they keep holding on — thick with duckweed, water lilies, and the cool breath of patience.

And if we are to thrive together, as this year’s theme reminds us, then we must not look away from the places that ask so little and give so much. We must remember that resilience is quiet, and that the land remembers everything — the spillways, the droughts, the glacial whisper, and whether we chose to notice.

So go. Walk into the marsh. Watch the heron lift its slow wings into the heat. Breathe. And say thank you — softly, so the cattails can carry it.

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Richard St. Barbe Baker 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

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

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

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps

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

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

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

Richard St. Barbe Baker

Meewasin Needs You: Help Shape Saskatoon’s Future National Urban Park

Meewasin Needs You: Help Shape Saskatoon’s Future National Urban Park 🌿

Picture this: Miles of trails weaving through native grasslands, along the riverbank forests alongside the waterway. A welcoming visitor centre that brings people together through storytelling, learning, and community events. Spaces designed for cultural ceremony, environmental learning, and year-round recreation. That’s the vision for the new Meewasin National Urban Park—and now is your chance to shape it.

The Meewasin Valley is already one of Saskatoon’s most cherished gems. But becoming a National Urban Park through Parks Canada is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

The community survey is open now—and your voice is essential. Whether you visit Meewasin (including the east half of RSBBAA) daily or just once a year, this is your park. It should reflect your values, your needs, and your dreams for the future.

📝 What’s in the Survey?

The Meewasin National Urban Park survey is designed to hear directly from you, the people who live, learn, play, and reflect in the Valley. It takes about 10–15 minutes and covers topics that matter:

🌿 Your Experiences

Do you walk, bike, picnic, canoe, or simply unwind by the river? The eastern half of Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation area is included- share how you use the afforestation area. Do you use forest trails to walk quietly among the trees, unwind from daily stress, and reconnect with nature through peaceful reflection and fresh air. Share how you use the Valley across the seasons and what matters most—be it birdwatching, community events, or accessible trails for everyone.

🎯 Focus Areas

From wellness and education to reconciliation and conservation, weigh in on six core priorities. Are these ideas on the right track? What’s missing?

🌎 Vision Statement

Read the draft vision for the park and let the team know—does it reflect your hopes for a healthy, inclusive, vibrant future? Do you think forests and trees should be part of the vision – or only grasslands and water?

🗺️ Park Boundaries

Explore the proposed boundaries along both sides of the South Saskatchewan River. Support them—or suggest where to include more.

🏛️ Visitor Centre

What should this future hub feel like? Welcoming and earthy? Innovative and bright? Should it host educational programs, storytelling, food services, or co-working space?

🚶 New & Improved Trails

Imagine themed Discovery Routes with interactive signs, play areas, art spaces, and river access. What changes would make Meewasin’s trails more accessible, exciting, and meaningful to you?

🤝 Reconciliation & Indigenous Leadership

This is your chance to comment on key Truth and Reconciliation priorities like outdoor gathering spaces, Indigenous governance, and intergenerational knowledge sharing. Do you see a way of blending All Nations with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit ways of knowing?

🌱 Conservation & Nature Protection

Choose where to start: protecting endangered species, expanding the seed bank, or promoting eco-tourism? Every decision helps Meewasin grow greener and stronger. Do you think degraded areas should be restored and revitalized as healthy ecosystem habitats?

📌 Top Priority Investment

If you had to choose just one place to start—what would it be?

Cultural gathering space?
Species at Risk habitats?
New visitor centre?
Greenhouse and seed bank?
Safety?
Trail upgrades?
Forests and Tree planting?

💬 Why Your Input Matters

This isn’t just a bureaucratic form—it’s a direct invitation to co-create a legacy.

The final design of the park will reflect the feedback gathered from this very survey. It will guide what gets built first, how the park supports learning, conservation and reconciliation, and what it feels like for families, students, Elders, tourists, and everyone in between.

Whether you’re passionate about prairie ecology, Indigenous heritage, fitness, bird watching trails, river access, or year-round access for all abilities—your input is powerful.

📅 Take the Survey Today!

Don’t wait for someone else to shape this space.
👉 Take the Meewasin National Urban Park Survey here:
🔗 meewasin.com/urbanpark

The survey is open for a limited time – till September 12, 2025—so act now and help Meewasin become a flagship for what National Urban Parks can and should be.

🧭 Meewasin Means “It’s Beautiful” — Let’s Keep It That Way

This is your chance to help Meewasin grow as a sanctuary for wildlife, wisdom, and wellness. A place where generations gather, stories are shared, and nature thrives—all within Saskatoon’s heart.

📣 Your Valley. Your Voice. Your Future Park.
Let’s build it—together.

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Richard St. Barbe Baker 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

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

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

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps

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

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

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

Richard St. Barbe Baker

Local Action in the Dialogue for Climate Ambition

A Planet in Dialogue: Climate Week 2025 from Panama to the Prairies

In the warm equatorial winds of Panama City, where the Pacific Ocean meets the tropical rainforests of Central America, the world will gather under the leadership of the UNFCCC Secretariat for May Climate Week 2025 May 19 to May 23, 2025, Under the canopy of ceibas and palms, diplomats, scientists, and citizens sit side by side—engaged in a theme as vital as the air we breathe: “Dialogues for Ambition and Implementation.” The UNFCCC Secretariat refers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat, which is the administrative and coordinating body that supports the implementation of the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement.

Sign up for the virtual webinar “Accelerating Climate Solutions” with Jonathan Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director of Project Drawdown.

Sign up for the virtual webinar Extreme Heat Events: Media Communication with Impact May 29, 2025 2:00 – 3:00 PM CST with Rebecca Goulding, Ph.D. of the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health for a vital webinar on how to effectively communicate during extreme heat events.

This is not merely a conference. It is a chorus of voices—a planetary conversation. And though the stage is global, the echoes of this dialogue reach as far as the boreal edge of the Canadian prairies, to the city of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan. Here, half a world away from the Panama Canal, the reality of climate change is no longer a distant scientific projection. It is now part of the lived experience.

As glaciers retreat and weather patterns shift, the Canadian plains—once home to endless grasslands and rich carbon-storing soils—face hotter summers with forest firest, earlier springs, deeper droughts alternating with major flooding events. Yet in the face of these mounting challenges, there is hope. Not from the top down, but from the ground up.

Grassroots as Guiding Roots

In Saskatoon, a quiet revolution is unfolding.

Local organizations like Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas are receiving advice. Advice to turn forgotten lands into carbon sinks, restore and protect native grasslands, wetlands, and afforested spaces once dismissed as marginal. Citizen scientists document phenological shifts in blooming times and bird migrations. Volunteers advocate for trees not just for shade or beauty, but to combat atmospheric carbon.

It is here, among these hardy community hands, that the essence of “dialogue” truly flourishes. Climate action is not solely the domain of policymakers in suits. It belongs to those who monitor spring runoff, who attend neighbourhood workshops, who teach school children and community groups to love the land. This is implementation in its purest form.

Global Ambition, Local Reality

Panama’s Climate Week aims to push forward the intergovernmental process with urgency and coordination. But such processes, though critical, risk detachment from the people most affected.

Enter local actors—those in Saskatoon who transform ambition into measurable change. Their work speaks not of pledges, but of praxis: citizen science pond dipping, advocating for native pollinators, habitats and corridors, upgrading through civic engagement and public policy campaigns supporting city plans to reflect climate resilience. These are actions that scale.

Indeed, what the international community needs is not only more agreements—but more Saskatoons. More communities where a conversation becomes a campaign. Where ambition is rooted in action, not rhetoric.

Bridging the Equator and the Arctic

So what connects Panama to the prairie? A shared vulnerability, yes—but more importantly, a shared opportunity. Climate Week 2025 encourages the showcasing of innovative solutions, and Saskatoon has many: stormwater wetlands, community carbon budgeting, green infrastructure overlays, pollinator habitats and urban afforestation.

These are not experiments. They are templates for transformation.

From Panama’s tide-fed mangroves to the Saskatchewan River Basin, the global conversation must now evolve from talk to task, from promise to plan. The lessons of the tropics must meet the lived truths of the north. And the grassroots must be welcomed to the policy table.

In the end, the Earth does not distinguish between north or south, between conference or community. It knows only the sum of our actions.

So as the world dialogues in Panama, let us all—wherever we are—listen. And more importantly, let us act.

For the planet. For the future. For the delicate, interconnected web of life we share.

June 5 Tree Planting Ceremony University of Saskatchewan World Environment Day 50th Anniversary Celebration — SDG 13 Climate Action

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Richard St. Barbe Baker 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

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

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

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps

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

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

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

Richard St. Barbe Baker

Walking through Time and Terrain

WALKING THROUGH TIME AND TERRAIN: A Pilgrim’s Journey Into the Heart of the Wild City

Forest Gathering Walk 50th Anniversary #NationalForestWeek and the 30th anniversary of Maple Leaf Day and #NationalForestWeek

People walking and talking in the forest

Today, at one o’clock sharp, the soul of Saskatoon will stir.

There in the whispering grass and willow-thick shadows of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, people will gather—not to build, pave, or take—but to listen and talk and join the conversation. We’ll join the walk called “Walking Through Time and Terrain”, one thread in the great tapestry that is the Jane’s Walk Festival. It’s a festival born not of fanfare or flash, but of principle—Jane Jacobs’ principle—that cities are most alive when we, the people, are fully present in the places we call home.

We’ll be there, boots dusty, journal in hand, walking not just through the marshes and woods of the West Swale, but through eras, stories, and ice age adventures. This is no idle stroll—it is a pilgrimage through past and present: a chance to hear how glaciers sculpted our land in the Pleistocene, how leaders like B.T. Chappell and Richard St. Barbe Baker shaped its meaning, and how, even now, a moose once quietly moved through the trees, as if summoned by our collective memory.

Yes, moose.

Because alongside our musings on infrastructure, wetlands, and community planning, we will take time to honor the silent sentinel of our woodlands. She had no voice in meetings or maps, yet she reminds us, more eloquently than any city planner, what it means to coexist. Meadow, Shadow, Maggie—what shall we name her to retain her memory? The people will decide. The children will dream. And together, we’ll remember how to live with wildness at our doorstep.

That is the gift of this Jane’s Walk: not just movement through space, but a deepening of place. You’ll leave not only with wind-kissed cheeks and soil on your shoes, but with a new sense of belonging. Of stewardship. Of awe.

So pack your repellent. Tie your laces. Bring your questions and your reverence.

And if you should meet the moose? She is gone. Bow your head a little. She was the keeper of an ancient truth we’ve nearly forgotten:

We are not the masters of this land. We are its guests.

📍 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
🕐 Today – Saturday, May 3, 2025 – 1:00 PM
🌐 Learn more: janeswalkyxe.org | friendsareas.ca
📬 Name the Moose entries & moose encounter stories: friendsafforestation@gmail.com

Let’s walk together, and remember what it means to be human in a living world.

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Richard St. Barbe Baker 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

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

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

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps

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

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

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

Richard St. Barbe Baker

A Resilient Planet: Exploring the Wisdom of Nature and Canada’s Path to Sustainability

🌍 Legacy of Leadership: Advancing Sustainability for a Resilient Planet 🌱

🗓️ Date: February 23, 2025 | 2:00 PM
📍 Location: The Spot, Market Mall, Saskatoon

As we commemorate Black History Month, we are excited to present an event that blends history, nature, and a vision for a sustainable future. Legacy of Leadership: Advancing Sustainability for a Resilient Planet brings together two visionary speakers to elevate important conversations around climate action, environmental justice, and sustainability.

🌿 Why We Should Listen to the Plants! 🌿
Prakash Venglat, Researcher
Plants have been Earth’s silent witnesses for millions of years. While we rely on them for sustenance, medicine, and materials, we rarely stop to listen. Prakash Venglat will delve into the untold stories that plants have to tell—stories of survival, resilience, and adaptation. Discover how listening to nature’s wisdom can guide us toward more sustainable practices.

🌎 How Canada Can Address Climate Change and Achieve Sustainability 🌎
Jason MacLean, Faculty Member
Jason MacLean will guide us through Canada’s critical role in global climate action. How can we meet our commitments under the UN Paris Climate Agreement? What legal and policy barriers stand in the way of our environmental future? This talk is a must for anyone invested in understanding how Canada can shape a more sustainable tomorrow.

Wangari Maathai: A Visionary for Environmental Change and Peace

Chief Josiah Njonjo: A Champion for the Environment and Co-Founder of Men of the Trees — Wangari Maathai: A Visionary for Environmental Change and Peace

💬 The Intersection of Black History and Climate Action 💬
In Saskatoon, we take time this month to reflect on the contributions of Black communities to global sustainability efforts. This event will highlight the powerful voices of Black leaders in the environmental movement, from Wangari Maathai and her partnership with Richard St. Barbe Baker, to Chief Josiah Njonjo co founder of the International Tree Foundation. This is an opportunity to learn about the critical work being done to fight environmental racism and bring climate justice to those most affected.

🌱 Join us as we reflect on our collective legacy and take actionable steps toward a resilient planet. 🌱

👥 Mark your calendars, invite your friends, and get ready for an afternoon of engaging discussions and meaningful change!

#SustainableFuture #ClimateAction #BlackHistoryMonth #EnvironmentalJustice #UNSDG #LegacyOfLeadership #SaskatoonEvents #AdvancingSustainability #CommunityEngagement

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

For more information:

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

NEW P4G District Official Community Plan

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

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Richard St. Barbe Baker 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

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Twitter: St Barbe Baker Charity Twitter:FriendsAreas

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps

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

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

Canada Extends Charitable Donation Deadline: A Critical Move in the Fight for Our Planet’s Future

In an act of rare urgency, the Government of Canada has extended the deadline for 2024 charitable donations to February 28, 2025, in response to a disruption caused by the four-week Canada Post service stoppage. The change, announced by Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and National Revenue Minister Élisabeth Brière, provides a critical lifeline to charities—many of which depend on year-end donations to fuel their missions and deliver essential services.

For charities like the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas, this extension means more time to ensure that generous contributions are properly processed, helping fund the restoration of urban forests and critical ecological work that contributes to both local and global sustainability goals. The holiday season is a pivotal time for these organizations, and this extension guarantees that donors’ contributions will continue to support efforts in biodiversity conservation, sustainable land use, and community well-being.

2023 Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inspirational Calendar. Landscapes courtesy Vivian Allan. Sample January Month showing. Support Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park in Saskatoon — Come to Nature Come to Life

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

But the issues go far beyond logistical delays. Canada’s charities, are integral to the fabric of society—helping to address health increasingly, environmental protection. With an accelerating biodiversity crisis and ecosystems on the brink of collapse, the need for sustainable practices is now urgent. Temperate grasslands—home to irreplaceable species—are among the world’s most endangered ecosystems, and the afforestation areas in Canada are no exception. These crucial habitats are shrinking as cities sprawl outward, threatening biodiversity and climate stability.

Quick Facts:

Support via Zeffy

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

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

Support using Canada Helps

Saskatoon, a city on the cusp of major population growth, faces the impending challenge of preserving natural habitats amidst the expansion of urban areas. By 2060, the metro population is expected to reach 1 million, increasing pressure on the city’s green spaces, including its cherished afforestation areas.

This extension of the donation deadline is not just an administrative decision; it’s a recognition that protecting nature isn’t merely about conservation—it’s about survival. Canada’s commitment to supporting these charities aligns with global momentum toward “Nature-based Solutions” (NbS)—approaches that restore degraded ecosystems, protect vital habitats, and mitigate the effects of climate change. From wetland preservation to urban tree restoration, these NbS are gaining traction in global policy conversations, and Canada’s charities are at the forefront of this movement.

As urban areas expand, wetlands are disappearing at a rate three times faster than forests. The coming decade will see the world’s cities swell, further encroaching on biodiversity-rich regions. But with the right support, the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas can turn the tide. Through education, collaboration, and advocacy, these initiatives offer hope for the future of both the planet and the communities that depend on it.

The need to support these efforts is clearer than ever. As the world faces unprecedented ecological decline, Canadian charities remain crucial agents of change. This extension is a reminder that, together, we have the power to protect the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. Join us in supporting nature-based solutions and safeguarding the future. Time is running out.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our shared vision of a greener tomorrow. 🌱🌟
—

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

For more information:

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

NEW P4G District Official Community Plan

Addresses:

Part SE 23-36-6 – Richard St. Barbe Baker 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

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

Blogger: FriendsAfforestation

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

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

Twitter: St Barbe Baker Charity Twitter:FriendsAreas

Support via Zeffy

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

Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!

Support using Canada Helps