EstYESi partneril IBGl on 2022. aasta talvel/kevadel valikus kaks projekti. Mõlemad sobivad suurepäraselt loodusesõpradele, kes soovivad keskkonna ja selle kaitsmise kohta rohkem teada saada.
1) Wildlife Protection Winter Camp in the Black Forest (20.02.22 – 06.03.22) [Grupp täis!]
About the project
Help us protect the “Auerhuhn” (Capercaille), an endangered bird species in the Black Forest area.
The mountain areas of Germany used to be home to many of the large Capercaillie birds, “Auerhuhn” in German. Nowadays, the bird is threatened with extinction across Germany. Nature conservationists try to breed them and release them into the wild, however numbers of the species are declining. A few of the birds still live in the more remote areas of the Southern German Black Forest.
In this workcamp, you can help protect the Capercaillie in its natural home in the “Kniebis”, the highest mountains in the region. Together with the local forestry department you will bring more light into the dense forest. You will create open spaces and gaps at certain places so that more light can reach the forest floor. This improves the forest as a home to plants and animals with more dead wood and different layers of trees and bushes. Bushes like wild blueberries can grow again – one of the Capercaillie’s favourite snacks. Clearing dense forest also helps the birds perform their specific courting ritual under the best circumstances. In this ritual, the male birds make a big show raising their tail feathers, moving and singing in order to impress the females.
Since this workcamp will take place in February, there is a good chance there will be snow. Depending on the weather in the area, you might be able to complete the work in the forest or not. But don’t worry – alternative nature conservation tasks in lower areas are waiting for you in case working in the mountains is not possible.
This workcamp is part of the 2022 IBG agenda: “Let’s take action for climate protection – volunteering for forests and peatlands”.
Accommodation and catering
During the workcamp you will be living in one of the forestry department’s huts close to Bad Rippoldsau/ Schapbach. In the hut, you will find a kitchen as well as sanitary facilities including toilets and showers. You will share cooking duties with all other volunteers – a great possibility for you to try many different international dishes.
Location and free time
Bad-Rippoldsau/ Schapbach lies at an altitude of 400 to 900 metres in the middle of the Black Forest. The area around the village is perfect for nature walks and hiking. Besides the forest, you will find valleys, mountain meadows, waterfalls, lakes and rock formations. Close to the village there is an “Alternative Wolf and Bear Park” where you can imagine how these large animals used to live in the Black Forest. The town of “Alpirsbach”, popular for its monastery and a beer brewery, is close-by and well worth a visit. The region also is famous for a traditional way of celebrating the carnival which takes place each year in February. In the celebrations, so called “fool guilds” wear handmade costumes with carved wooden masks that represent witches, devils and other fantasy figures. They walk through the streets, distribute candy and play tricks on the spectators. The main attraction of the festivities are street parades that start on Thursday, 24th February, and end on the following Wednesday. (Changes to the celebrations in 2022 due to Covid-19 are possible.)
Who is organizing the project?
We organise this workcamp in cooperation with the forestry department of the central Black Forest which is taking care of all state-owned forests within the region. Their tasks include among other things: The administration and management of the forest, environmental education and recreational care, nature conservation and landscape maintenance. The forestry department is very engaged in the conservation of the Capercaillie. By participating in this workcamp, you are actively supporting biodiversity and life on land (UN SDG 15).
Meeting point
From Stuttgart main train station (Hauptbahnhof) you can take a train to Freudenstadt. The journey lasts about 80 min. From Freudenstadt, there is a bus to Kniebis skiing station (15min) where you can change into a bus to Bad Rippoldsau (another 15 min).
Check the website of Deutsche Bahn for the best times and to book your tickets: https://www.bahn.com/en.
Tickets from Stuttgart to Bad Rippoldsau/ Schapbach cost about 15 Euros one way. From the bus station in Bad Rippoldsau to the camp, there will probably be a shuttle. We will send you an info sheet with all important information and contact details for your workcamp 4-8 weeks before the camp starts.
Further information
Due to the current situation regarding Covid-19 in Germany, we recommend participating in this project only for vaccinated / recovered volunteers. For most activities in Germany, you currently need to show either proof of vaccination or proof that you recovered from Covid-19 in the past 6 months. Therefore, unvaccinated volunteers would not be able to participate in many group activities.
By joining this project you are making your own small contribution for climate and nature protection. Your active commitment will also have a symbolic meaning: Let’s demonstrate that although nature and climate protection takes place at the local level, it always has an international dimension and impact.
As part of the campaign “Let’s take action for climate protection” we would like to invite you to travel as environmentally friendly as possible. If you have the option to go by train, bus, carshare or bicycle that can be a great first step for you to become a climate steward.
2) Forest School Indelhausen (06.03.22 – 18.03.22)
About the project
In this workcamp, you will support the forest school “Waldschulheim Indelhausen”, a place of non-formal environmental education for school classes.
You will take part in the Forest school’s program. This means:
• in the mornings, you will be working on different environmental tasks to help maintain the surrounding biosphere area;
• in the afternoons, you will be learning more about forests and the nature surrounding us.
This is a special project for nature lovers and people interested in learning about nature protection work. The project is part of the 2022 IBG agenda: “Let’s take action for climate protection – volunteering for forests and peatlands”.
Accommodation and catering
You will be accommodated in shared rooms directly in the forest school. There are showers and bathroom facilities, as well as a gym hall, a volleyball court, table tennis tables and two climbing walls. Meals will be provided by the school, so you don’t have to cook by yourself.
Location and free time
The “Waldschulheim” is located in the small village of Indelhausen in the middle of a geopark and at the southern end of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Schwaebische Alb” in southern Germany. This area features diverse mountainous and cultural landscapes, protected ecosystems with rare plants and animals and notable forest, meadow and orchard habitats. In line with our efforts to focus on workcamps within the field of nature protection the region is highly suitable. The surroundings are perfect for outdoors activities like hiking. It is very rural, and there are many great view-points and various old castle ruins that are worth visiting.
Who is organizing the project?
The forest school “Waldschulheim Indelhausen” is a pedagogical institution founded in 1977. The building used to be the village school and now serves 1,000 students and teachers every year as a non-formal learning place on the topic of forest and nature. Groups of students of the grades 7 to 9 of all school types usually stay here for two weeks and participate in different tasks of simple forest work, an educational program about the forest and excursions as well as games, fun and sports. You can take a look at the place here: https://waldschulheim-indelhausen.forstbw.de/. By participating in this workcamp, you are actively supporting biodiversity (UN SDG 15) and help us work against climate change (UN SDG 13).
Meeting point
Riedlingen train station, in the afternoon (between 1 and 7pm)
From Stuttgart Airport you have to travel to Stuttgart main Station (Hauptbahnhof): the journey lasts about 30 min with a suburbean train (S2).
From Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof you have to take a train to Riedlingen train station. The journey lasts about 2h and you will most likely have to change trains once, in Ulm.
Please check the website of Deutsche Bahn (the biggest German railway company) to check the times and book your tickets: https://www.bahn.com/en. You can book your tickets from the airport to Riedlingen there, it costs about 20 to 30e, one way.
From Riedlingen train station to the camp, it takes about 30 minutes by bus or by car. As the bus timetables are not available yet, we will inform you 4-8 weeks before the camp starts, which transportation means will be the best to travel from Riedlingen to your accommodation.
Further information
Due to the current situation regarding Covid-19 in Germany we recommend participating in this project only for vaccinated / recovered volunteers. For most activities in Germany, you currently need to show either proof of vaccination or proof that you recovered from Covid-19 in the past 6 months. Therefore, unvaccinated volunteers would not be able to participate in many group activities.
By joining this project you are making your own small contribution for climate and nature protection. Your active commitment will also have a symbolic meaning: Let’s demonstrate that although nature and climate protection takes place at the local level, it always has an international dimension and impact.
As part of the campaign “Let’s take action for climate protection” we would like to invite you to travel as environmentally friendly as possible. If you have the option to go by train, bus, carshare or bicycle that can be a great first step for you to become a climate steward.
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