Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

02/18/2026

07/28/2025

🌍 Protect What You Love: Volunteer to Restore Nature this July 31! 🌿🧤🗑️

This Thursday, July 31, join the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. for a hands-on environmental volunteer event in honor of World Nature Conservation Day — and make a real impact before the August long weekend!

🛠️ Two Locations, One Purpose:
📍 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area RSBBAA (West Side)
➡️ Remove invasive Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata) before it seeds!
📍 George Genereux Urban Regional Park GGURP (North Side)
➡️ Clean up trash and litter—give this forest the care it deserves!

🗓️ Date: Thursday, July 31, 2025
🕙 Time: 9:00 am – 10:30 am meet first at GGURP (beat the heat!)
🎫 Sign up on Eventbrite – CITO (Cache In, Trash Out) approved!

Why it matters:
🌱 Baby’s Breath is a deceptively beautiful but aggressive invader, producing 10,000+ seeds and choking out native plants.
🚮 Litter pollutes soil and water, harms wildlife, and damages the beauty of our urban forests.

🎒 What to Bring:

Shovel, gloves, insect spray, water

Smartphone/camera (for iNaturalist + impact photos)

Sun protection + sturdy footwear

Optional: change your clothes at home afterwards (tick safety!)

♻️ Note: We will bag and dispose of Baby’s Breath responsibly—not composted or burned.

📸 Let’s capture and celebrate your impact together. Share your GPS waypoints, iNaturalist observations, or Geocaching coordinates to help spot-treat Baby’s Breath next year.

🌿 Let’s honor the land with action. From root to canopy, every helping hand counts.

Help Remove Invasive Baby’s Breath/Bag Up Trash We are thrilled to invite you to an environmental protection volunteer event hosted by the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. to help …

07/28/2025

🍁 This September: Celebrate Forests, Science & Biodiversity! 🌲🔬🦉
A Month of Community Action Awaits!

September in Canada is more than just sweater weather and golden leaves — it’s a time to reconnect with nature, contribute to science, and celebrate our forests.

🌍 Sept 21–28: Great Canadian BioBlitz
Use iNaturalist to explore and document the life around you — from forest floor fungi to birds overhead. Every observation helps scientists fill biodiversity data gaps.

🌳 Featured Events
🍃 Roots of Resilience (Midweek Forest BioBlitz) – Join us in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area for a National Tree Day celebration under the canopy.
🌲 EcoQuest: The Canopy Chronicles – A forest scavenger hunt that’s part exploration, part ecological mission, and all ages welcome!

📅 Mark These Dates
🌗 Fall Equinox – Sept 23
🍁 National Tree Day – Sept 24 & 27
🌎 World Environmental Health Day – Sept 26
🧪 International Day of Scientific Culture – Sept 28
🌐 Blitz the Gap – Ongoing through Oct 1

Why join? Because your photos of birds, beetles, and birch trees become part of Canada's living scientific record.

📷 Ready, set, observe!
Let’s celebrate from seed to canopy — and from curiosity to conservation.

There’s something truly special about September in Canada — the crisp air, the changing leaves, and this year, a full lineup of extraordinary events that connect people to nature, science, and each…

07/28/2025

🌿 In Wildness is the Preservation of the World 🌿
Reflections on the Big Backyard BioBlitz | July 28 – August 4, 2025

This is more than a walk in the woods. It’s an act of reverence. A return to the elemental.

Join the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Big Backyard BioBlitz—a nationwide invitation to witness and record the beauty that unfolds just beyond your doorstep. Whether it’s a caterpillar on your porch or a beetle in the ditch, every sighting shared on iNaturalist helps write the living story of our land.

Bring a camera, a smartphone, a keen eye—and your sense of wonder. No wild space is too small.

🌱 Observe.
📷 Record.
🧭 Reconnect.

Because true conservation begins with noticing.

Ready, set, snap.
👉 https://secure.natureconservancy.ca/site/SPageNavigator/BioBlitz_2025/signup.html?s_src=carousel&s_locale=en_CA and be part of something wild.
https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com/2025/07/27/in-wildness-is-the-preservation-of-the-world-reflections-on-the-big-backyard-bioblitz/

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, unde…

05/03/2025

🌿🚶‍♀️ WALKING THROUGH TIME & TERRAIN — TODAY! 🚶‍♂️🌿
Hey friends! If you’re craving connection with nature, history, and community, don’t miss the Jane’s Walk Festival event today, Saturday May 3 at 1:00 PM — “Walking Through Time and Terrain” at the breathtaking Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area! 💚
We'll journey through stories of prairie pioneers like B.T. Chappell, explore Saskatoon's green transformation thanks to the Natural Infrastructure Fund, and time travel back to the Pleistocene ice age to discover how glaciers shaped this land! 🌎✨
PLUS — we're announcing the winner of the Name the Moose contest 🫎🎉 and talking about how to live in harmony with our local moose friends (yes, they’re real, and they’re majestic, and also gone). 🫶
Bring your curiosity, your walking shoes, and your love for wild spaces. Let’s make Jane Jacobs proud by building community from the ground up. 👣❤️
📍 See you at RSBBAA | 🕐 1:00 PM
📲 More at janeswalkyxe.org & friendsareas.ca


https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com/2025/05/03/walking-through-time-and-terrain/

WALKING THROUGH TIME AND TERRAIN: A Pilgrim’s Journey Into the Heart of the Wild City Today, at one o’clock sharp, the soul of Saskatoon will stir. There in the whispering grass and willow-th…

10/19/2024

🌳✨ Exciting news for Saskatoon! We’re thrilled to introduce a timeline for the Richard St. Barbe Baker Natural Infrastructure Project! 🌱
This transformative initiative, part of the City of Saskatoon YXE Green Infrastructure Strategy and its Green Network Project, aims to enhance urban green spaces all around Saskatoon with over $34 million in funding. At Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area experience the new crusher dust trail and garbage cans to the planting of native trees, bushes, grasses and flowers, this project is set to create a vibrant, sustainable environment for our community and wildlife.
Join us in exploring how Saskatoon is prioritizing biodiversity, climate resilience, and community engagement. Check out our photo and video gallery showcasing the timeline of this incredible project and learn more about its future impact!
🔗 Transforming Saskatoon: The Richard St. Barbe Baker Natural Infrastructure Project https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com/2024/10/19/transforming-saskatoon-the-richard-st-barbe-baker-natural-infrastructure-project/
Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. https://friendsareas.ca/ https://youtu.be/XFafoeCJXEE

A time line presented by Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas FriendsAreas.ca Transforming Saskatoon: The Richard St. Barbe Baker Natural Infrastruc...

10/18/2024

🌲✨ Join Us for a Geocaching Adventure in Saskatoon! ✨🌲

Get ready for a day of fun and exploration on Saturday, October 19! 🎉

🚶‍♀️💚 Start your morning at GCAYRTC "Pooh in the Forest" Geocaching Nature Event at George Genereux Urban Regional Park from 9:00 am to 10:00 am! 🌳🔍 Discover the basics of geocaching and explore the beauty of nature while searching for hidden treasures! 🗺️✨ Ever wondered what a nano, micro, or regular cache is? Now's your chance to find out! 🤔💫

🌿☀️ In the afternoon, join us for the GCAYH9A Sears Park CITO (Cache In, Trash Out) Event at Herbert S. Sears Park from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm! 🌍💪 Help us clean up the park while enjoying the thrill of the hunt! Let’s make our community cleaner and greener together! 🌈♻️

💬 Plus, learn about all types of caches: mystery, earthcaches, traditional, CITO, and multi-caches! 🗝️🔑 There’s so much to discover!

📅 Mark your calendars and grab your GPS! 📱✨ Let’s connect, explore, and have a blast! 🎊

💖🌍🔦

friendsafforestation .ٔ com

https://www.friendsareas.ca/

https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com/

saskatoongeocachers.weebly.com
https://youtu.be/YEQKnGJg-AA

Cache More, Worry Less!Come out for two exciting geocaching events in Saskatoon on Saturday, October 19, that promise adventure, learning, and community conn...

07/20/2024

https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com/2024/07/20/discovering-the-nights-wonders-national-moth-week-celebration/
🌙🦋 Dive into the nocturnal wonders of National Moth Week! From July 20-28, join us in celebrating these elusive creatures that flutter under the moonlight. 🌌🔍 Discover the hidden world of moth ecology, biodiversity, and their vital role in our ecosystems. 🌿📸 Share your moth sightings with us using iNaturalist and be part of a nationwide effort to conserve and understand these fascinating insects. Let's shine a light on the beauty of moths and their importance in our natural world! 🦋💫 www.friendsareas.ca

A non-profit environmental charity dedicated to protecting and enhancing the Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park

07/18/2024

🏛️✨ Celebrate with us! Last day today, July 17, 2024! ✨🏛️

As thousands of visitors explore historic sites nationwide, we're soaking up the rich history and cultural stories that shape our communities. From landmarks to hidden gems, there's so much to discover! Join us online on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ to learn more of the afforestation area history and heritage, and come out in-person to delve into the past and uncover fascinating tales.

Don't miss out on this final day to immerse yourself in history! Visit www.historicplacesdays.ca to learn more.

🐾🌳 Pictured: A merle DoxiePoo enjoying the serene Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, shaded by lush greenery as we transition from a wet spring to warmer weather. Even our furry friends appreciate the tranquility and history here!

Did you know? The South West Off Leash Recreation Area, the SW OLRA, a 14.5-acre reserved area established in 2013, is part of the expansive 326-acre Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. It's a testament to our commitment to preserving natural heritage for future generations.

Explore, discover, and celebrate with us today! 🌿💫 X
National Trust for Canada / Fiducie nationale du Canada
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