The Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association wants to get people to have a greater connection to nature and the world around them. They are now campaigning for the province to again proclaim an Arbor Day in the spring in the province, to help encourage people to plant trees in their area and get people talking about nature again.
Walter Farquharson, a YFBTA member, said it’s their mission to help people aware of nature and the importance of habitat for wildlife. Part of that is getting people connected to the nature that surrounds them.
“We are aware that there is really a disconnect in our society. Part of it is just the increased urbanization. But even people in the country are not necessarily connected. They don’t have the heart and soul connection to the land, the trees, the places of natural habitat that we think it’s necessary to have.”
Arbor Day was something they saw as building that relationship between people and the land around them. Farquharson points out how kids in schools used to get trees to plant somewhere, whether it was given to them to plant at home or somewhere else in the community, and groups would clean up an area of town, for example.
“Wherever people would be involved in an immediate, hands-on personal way to see that more trees were planted and cared for. It built that sense of one-ness and connectedness. Plant a tree and you start seeing trees in a different way.”
While there are many groups like the YFBTA doing things in their own community, having a provincial Arbor Day would increase the visibility and engagement for those programs. They want to build the day up again in the area from the ground up.
“We are encouraging people wherever they are to contact their local municipality or council, asking them to proclaim even this year... Get the idea going again.”
The push was inspired in part by actions in Ontario, where a major tree-planting program was cancelled. This was impetus to remind people about nature programs and the importance of the environment.
The ideal day for it would be at some point in May, though Farquharson said that local organizations would be encouraged to plan their activities on whatever day worked in the community.
Whether or not a provincial day is proclaimed officially, Farquharson encourages people to plant trees themselves and continue to get involved.
“Everybody can play some role in preserving and cleaning up an area of habitat.”
On a local level, the Town of Saltcoats declared Arbor Day on May 25. Farquharson views it as a positive first step and hopes that other communities join the town and help build momentum towards provincial recognition.
