When I went to the woods, it was not to escape, but to engage—to meet Nature on her own terms, to inquire, observe, and bear witness to the great pageantry of life that unfolds quietly, daily, under our very feet. And it is with this same spirit that I beckon you, dear reader, to take part in the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Big Backyard BioBlitz from July 28 to August 4, 2025.
This is no idle stroll nor fleeting pastime. It is an invitation to return to the elemental—to become a student once more of the chickadee, the wild strawberry, the tiger beetle, and the trembling aspen. The BioBlitz, now in its fifth year, is a great gathering of curious minds and earnest hearts. It calls upon citizens of field and city alike to explore, observe, and record the living things that share their corner of the Earth.
The poet listens; the naturalist records. In this endeavor, you shall do both.
Equipped with nothing more than a keen eye and a modest tool—a camera or a smartphone—one may walk the familiar trails with new intention. Each beetle scuttling over a stone, each moss-covered log, becomes a chapter in the great, unwritten natural history of this land. iNaturalist, the platform upon which your sightings will be shared, becomes your ledger, your field book, your connection to a nation of fellow observers.
There is no wilderness too small. A backyard garden, a roadside ditch, a lakeside thicket—all are cradles of life deserving of our gaze and our gratitude. For who is to say where wonder resides? It may well be that the caterpillar inching along your front porch holds the secret to tomorrow’s ecological insight.
By lending your eyes and ears to the BioBlitz, you become part of something vaster than yourself. You contribute to a living library of knowledge that helps scientists track shifting species ranges, identify rare and endangered flora, and take the pulse of ecosystems under pressure.
But perhaps more than data, what you collect is reverence.
This weeklong celebration is not merely scientific but soulful. It reminds us that we are not separate from nature, but of it. That to know a place is to love it. And that true conservation begins not only in grand protected parks but in the wild patches of our own daily lives.
So, wander slowly. Look closely. Listen deeply. Let the chickadee instruct you in cheerfulness, and the milkweed in patience. And in these humble acts of noticing, become again part of the wild family of life.
As Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” During the Big Backyard BioBlitz, may you discover both.
Join the BioBlitz:
Sign up today and become a steward of wonder from July 28 – August 4, 2025. Ready, set, snap!
And stay tuned also for
A clean up of trash, and invasive species for Wednesday July 31
The autumn festivities for National Forest Week September 2025!
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
Blogger: FriendsAfforestation
Tumblr friendsafforestation.tumblr.comFacebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park
Facebook: StBarbeBaker Afforestation Area
Facebook for the non profit Charity Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. FriendsAreas
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Support via Zeffy
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )
Donate your old vehicle, here’s how!
Support using Canada Helps
Support via a recycling bottle donation and Join the plastic-recycle challenge!
United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
- Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
- Make it your own
- Spread the word about the UN Decade
- Let’s Bring Back Forests
- Let’s Green Our Cities
““Be like a tree in pursuit of your cause. Stand firm, grip hard, thrust upward. Bend to the winds of heaven..”
Richard St. Barbe Baker
Forests of Memory. Forests of Learning. Forests for Life. 