What’s Happening in
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve (RLBR)?
VOLUME 21
MESSAGE FROM CHAIR
FALL 2012
Greetings to all! The year 2012 was a very busy year with a number of important delegations
visiting the RLBR over this summer.
In July three representatives from a Japanese BR visited us for two days. The delegates
came to Redberry to study how our Biosphere Reserve as an organization has been engaging
the community and how aware the community is about living in a Biosphere Reserve. The
format for the Japanese researchers was of interviewing the BRs Board of Directors, staff as
well as local residents. In addition to the formal portion of their visit the delegates spent an
afternoon and evening experiencing the Saskatchewan outdoors.
The University of Western Australia is doing research on "Improving Integration of Agriculture and Conservation through Biosphere Reserves". They are interested how Redberry as a
grass roots initiated BR engages the surrounding RMs, towns and the wider community.
Over the summer Xi Zhao, a SENS student from China, conducted research as a masters
project into the ‘Opportunities for Ecotourism in RLBR’. Xi’s completed project is an inventory of all the ecological as well
as cultural items, in addition to all possible businesses/entities available that support or could potentially support tourism
within the region.
And former SENS student Oksana Zbyranyk successfully completed her masters in “Environment and Sustainability”
with her thesis on “Collaboration between researchers and biosphere reserve practitioners: A case study of Redberry
Lake Biosphere Reserve, Canada”.
In late September Manager and GIS Coordinator of the German Rhoen BR/Thuringia visited Redberry for an official
unveiling and release of the joint brochure ‘Partners in the World Network’. This brochure is a result of the development
of a partnership agreement signed in 2005 between the BRs Rhoen, Georgian Bay (Ont), Charlevoix (Que) and
Redberry Lake. The basic premise of this agreement is ‘long-term cooperation in tourism, agriculture, landscape
management and education for sustainable development’.
While these and many other activities have been
occurring the board and staff has been busy
updating our strategic plan as well as establishing
a line of communication with the provincial
government to bring forth the validity and benefit to
the province for the re-establishment of a ‘Funding
Memorandum of Understanding’ between the
Provincial Government and RLBR.
Enjoy the Holiday Season! - Andrew Hawrysh
RLBR
Annual General Meeting
Will be held in conjunction with the
RLBR is offering a
Family Winter Program
December 1 and 8, 2012
11am—1pm
Research and Education Center
Get active! Put on the snow shoes (use the ones we
have here or bring your own) & join us on a winter hike.
Get interested! We will show what winter makes so
special and answer your questions.
Get thirsty and hungry! We will stop at a fireplace and
have hot chocolate and a smokie on a bun.
Get the prize! Answer the questions in our quiz & win.
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve
Regional Planning Meeting
November 28, 2012
Starting at 7.30 pm
Ukrainian National Hall, Hafford
For more information call John Kindrachuk 549-2360
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve Board of Directors
Admission: $2 per person
Please RSVP to Susanne
([email protected], 5499311) or Rachel ([email protected],
549-4060)
Supported by:
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V I S I TO R S TO R E D B E R RY L A K E B R F R O M J A PA N
In August Dr. Akiko Sakai, Dr. Nobuhiko Wakamatsu and Ryo Sakurai came to Canada and
Saskatchewan with two questions: How do researchers living in and researchers visiting the
community support the local actions as scientists and community members? How is an organization like the Biosphere Reserve engaging its community?
To answer these questions the three delegates chose four sites in the province: The School of
Environment and Sustainability (SENS) at the University of Saskatchewan, Prince Albert National Park, Sturgeon River
Ranch and Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve. The program at Redberry Lake started with an informal discussion with
the Executive Directors of the RLBR Board about the history and establishment of the Biosphere Reserve, about environmental education and awareness and the engagement of the local community in the projects designed and implemented for and in RLBR and area.
On the second day three professors from SENS joined the group and started off visiting the family of Brian and Darcy
Yasieniuk, local farmers near Hafford. The family gave an introduction about their way of sustainable farming and living and how they
appreciate
residing in one of the 16 Canadian Biosphere Reserves. Here the
Japanese delegation also had the chance to do horseback riding
and roping.
The afternoon was dedicated to learn about the history of
Saskatchewan when the Voyageurs shaped the country and to
actually paddle on Redberry Lake. Vinessa Currie-Foster, owner of
Clearwater Canoeing, first gave a hands-on demonstration on how
the Voyageurs were dressed and made a living by trading fur back in
the days. Keeping this in mind the group went out in a “Voyageur
Canoe” to paddle on Redberry Lake. Watching the pelicans nesting
Brian Yasieniuk is demonstrating Ryo the art of roping.
on one of the islands was part of this tour as well. After three hours
of being on the water the group came back to the Research & Education Center for a home cooked Ukrainian supper
introducing them to one of the main cultures in the Biosphere Reserve. The day ended with a drive through the area to
spot some wildlife and to get an impression of the busy harvesting season representing the primary economic activity
within the area. The three visitors from Japan spent two nights at a cabin at Redberry Lake which gave them the perfect
opportunity to combine doing research and enjoying their stay in Saskatchewan.
Thanks to Brian and Darcy Yasieniuk and their kids, to Jean Epe, Vinessa Currie-Foster, JD Meats, Hermance &
Mike Wintonyk and to family Kindrachuk for making this visit unforgettable for our guests!
H A F F O R D G R A D E 7 A C C O M PA N I E D U N I V E R S I T Y S T U D E N T S
30 students and their professors from the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS), spent three days in RLBR
for their annual experimental field trip. Leaving the books behind and learning by doing
is the goal of this trip. Bird banding, water quality measurements and rangeland health
assessment were some of the students’ tasks.
They also had an exchange with community members about the past and present way
of living and working in a rural area like Redberry Lake BR. This exchange makes the
annual field trips to RLBR special and authentic for the students.
For the first time the university students also had the chance to teach at their field trip:
Grade 7 students from Hafford Central School accompanied the university students for
one day and learned how to put up a thin net to catch birds, carefully remove them from
the net for examination, and measuring and release them afterwards.
The involvement of local students was a wonderful asset and might become an integral © Josef Schmutz
part of this annual event.
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V I S I TO R S TO R E D B E R RY L A K E B R F R O M G E R M A N Y
We hosted two delegates from our partner Biosphere Reserve Rhoen from Germany in
September. Together with our Canadian partner BRs Georgian Bay (Ontario) and Charlevoix
(Quebec), we presented the joint brochure “Partners in the World Network” to other
Canadian Biosphere Reserves at SENS, U of S, and to the public at Redberry Lake Research
and Education Centre. To this presentation we were pleased to welcome Barbara HoggardLulay, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Saskatchewan, Sabine Doebel-Atchison, Executive
Director of the Saskatchewan German Council as well as
Alex Cunningham, online marketing specialist with Tourism
Saskatchewan.
This brochure is the first joint project of the partnering
Biosphere Reserves introducing each of the four sites, their
projects and experiences. Written in three languages
(English, French and German) the brochure promotes
tourism to these Biosphere Reserves and also serves as an
example of an active partnership in a World Network.
“There are almost 600 sites in this worldwide network of
Biosphere Reserves but networks can only thrive if the
people involved get to know each other, exchange ideas
and implement joint projects”, explains Karl-Friedrich Abe,
Head of Administration of the Rhoen Biosphere
Reserve/Thuringia. “We are very proud to have such a vital
partnership that goes beyond being colleagues – we found Andrew Hawrysh, Redberry Lake BR, Rebecca Pollock, Georgian
friends here and that is very important to us”, says Abe.
Bay BR, Karl-Friedrich Abe, Rhoen BR, Claude Letarte, CharleHe and his colleague Reinhard Braun, responsible for
Geographic Information System (GIS) at the Rhoen
Biosphere Reserve/Thuringia also had the chance to visit
Saskatchewan’s north.
voix BR and Reinhard Braun, Rhoen BR, presenting the brochure
“Partners in the World Network” as their first joint project.
Tourism Saskatchewan, Clearwater Canoeing and the owners of “Forest
House” invited the two delegates as well as representatives from Redberry
Lake Biosphere Reserve to this wilderness lodge in the Boreal forest near
Missinipe. “Forest House” is constructed and operates to have a minimal
impact of the delicate ecosystem.
“This is a very good example of the sustainable co-existence of people and
nature”, says Andrew Hawrysh, Chair of Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve,
“Although this region is not a Biosphere Reserve, it demonstrates exactly
what a Biosphere Reserve is all about: Living and working in a way that we
can offer future generations the same ecological goods and services we
were offered.”
The brochure “Partners in the World Network” can be downloaded at
www.redberrylake.ca. Hard copies can be ordered at RLBR.
We thank the following people, groups
and businesses for their amazing
support through donating food and
other items, money and time:
Clearwater Canoeing
Eb’s Sail & Sports
Forest House
JD Meats
Bruce & Denise Kowalchuk
Osprey Wings Ltd.
Village of Paynton
Re-art-cycle Paynton
Robertson Trading Ltd.
Sask Made
Tourism Saskatchewan
Audrey Zyznomirski
Congratulations to Oksana Zbyranyk to her masters degree in Environment and Sustainability! As a
student at SENS she conducted her thesis on “Collaboration between researchers and biosphere
reserve practitioners” and used Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve as case study. The findings of her
thesis were presented to the public in October. The thesis can be found online at www.redberrylake.ca/
researchintous. We thank Oksana for choosing Redberry and area for her research and wish her all the
best! It was wonderful working with you!
* © www.crossed-flag-pins.com
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C O M M U N I T Y FA R M E R ’ S M A R K E T 2 0 1 2 I N H A F F O R D
With approximately 500 visitors and 25 vendors the first season of the Community
Farmer’s Market was quite successful.
Naturally and locally raised pork, baked goods, honey, eggs, vegetables as well as
local arts and crafts and other products like Tupperware, Epicure selections and Sunset Gourmet Food were sold throughout the summer. Always worth a visit was the
freshly barbecued smokie from naturally raised pork.
Not only the local community, campers and cabin owners from Redberry Lake
enjoyed the various products sold at the Farmer’s Market. It also attracted people
passing Hafford on the Highway to stop, shop and visit.
!!! We are planning to continue the Community Farmer’s Market
in 2013 and we are looking forward to have even more vendors
and visitors!!!
For this years Community Farmer’s Market we thank all the volunteers, vendors and visitors—especially K-Bottling, Hafford Summer Sizzle, Rebecca
Lesko, Russ MacNutt, Meghan Ruedger, Jason Fendelet, Travis Nickolet,
Janet & Alanna Hawrysh, Kirsty, Katherina, Kara and Kaeley Kindrachuk.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS
Turkey Shoot
Turkey Bingo
November 23, 6pm-10pm
November 24, 2pm-9pm
Speers Rec Center
November 29, 7pm
Doors will open at 6.15pm
Hafford Communiplex
Win a turkey with your target shooting
Hafford Central School Sr. SLC
skills, your lucky spin of the wheel, or by
will be having a Turkey Bingo.
having your name shot on a target plate
Proceeds go to Sr. SLC
wedge.
Each entry is $2.50
Concession available both days.
Target shooters must be 12 years or older
Carol Night
December 14, 7pm
Silver donation and food hamper item.
Performances by Kindergarten, Grades
1, 2 & 3, Grades 4 to 6 doing a Pageant,
Senior Student Leadership council,
Hafford School choir, Hafford Ukelele
Group
C O N TA C T U S
If you have questions or suggestions for our newsletter.
If you would like to contribute an article.
If you want to receive this newsletter via email.
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve
Box 221
Hafford SK, S0J 1A0
Phone: 306 549-4060 / -9311
Fax: 306 549-4061
Email: [email protected]
URL: www.redberrylake.ca
At Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve your
contribution will immediately support our work and
result in projects that benefit our unique environment
as well as the local community and the education of
kids and adults.
Please make cheques payable to:
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve Inc. (see address
on the left) or use online donation form at
www.redberrylake.ca.
RLBR is an incorporated not-for-profit organization.