Den Ostermontag in der Natur erleben                                                   

Mit der Frühlingswanderung 2023 mobilisierte der Schwarzwald Vereins Schwörstadt eine stattliche Anzahl von Familien. Die Wanderfreunde zog es über die Dossenbacher Feld- und Wiesenlandschaft in den Wald hinein. Im Unterholz versteckt gab es hier Besonderes zu entdecken. Gespannt und erwartungsvoll schwärmten die Kinder zur Osternestersuche aus, ein kurzweiliges Vergnügen voller Überraschungen. Doch das war nicht alles.

Die Wanderung führte schließlich zur Dossenbacher Naturparkinsel der Stiftung Wald schafft Zukunft. Dort erwarteten Uli und Helmut Hälker, sowie Rolf Schmidt die Gäste bereits. Hier stieß die inzwischen auf rund 70 Personen angewachsene Schar nicht nur auf Grillwurst und Getränke, sondern auch auf ein weiteres Vergnügen. Beim Eierlauf für Kinder und Erwachsene sammelten die Teilnehmer*innen eifrig Punkte, die mit weiteren Spenden der Anwesenden sowie einer Zugabe des Schwarzwaldvereins von 140 Euro gesamthaft 660 Euro Spendengelder für die Ukraine Hilfe ergaben.

Die beiden gemeinnützigen Einrichtungen Schwarzwaldverein und Wald schafft Zukunft verbindet vor allem die Liebe zur Natur und ihren Besuchern. Mit der Idee der Naturparkinseln verfolgt man die Errichtung von Rückzugsgebieten für bedrohte Arten in der Insekten- und Vogelwelt. So sollen auch in diesem Jahr vier weitere Naturparkinseln in der Gemeinde Schwörstadt und Umgebung entstehen. 

For the first time this year, kindergartens can visit the nature trail in Dossenbach on request. Rolf Schmidt from the Black Forest Association and PL Helmut Hälker are happy to put together an appropriate program together with the educators.

are on offer

•     Breakfast under the trees of the meadow orchard
•     Inspection of the premises, the bee pastures and bird protection measures
•     Explanations and questions about honey and wild bees, their life and reproduction
•     Exploring insect occurrences in the area
•     Play in the great outdoors

The evangelical kindergarten in Lus in the city of Schopfheim and the kindergartens in Heidenstein and Dossenbach in the municipality of Schwörstadt have already made use of this this year.

The nature trail was inaugurated on Easter Monday, April 19th, 2022. The Easter hike of the Black Forest Association took place under the direction of Clemens Rüttnauer with an Easter nest hunt for the children. It was launched on the nature trail site in Dossenbach. Rolf Schmidt and Uli Hälker spoiled the members of the association and other visitors with grilled food and drinks, while an egg run for the more than 50 visitors took place on the meadow orchard. It was great fun for kids big and small. But it was also about collecting points, which led to a contribution from the Forest Creates Future Foundation for on-site help in Ukraine by transporting relief supplies. The visitors and the foundation jointly donated 876 euros for the donation to the "Roman Catholic parish of Wehr" - keyword Ukraine help. Last but not least, the board of directors of the Black Forest Association decided to increase the donation amount to 1,000 euros and to make a round of it. To all donors - many thanks.

Already last year we started with a first habitat for insects. In the meantime, the parcels of land that are distributed in the municipality of Schwörstadt are increasing, islands for diverse flora and fauna. We call them nature park islands, based on the large nature parks in Baden-Württemberg and the entire Federal Republic of Germany.

The bee pastures will be laid out and expanded again this year. At the end of March, the most diverse seeds from last year's trials were sown on 7 fields and 3 parcels of land. Bumblebee boxes and other bee hotels as well as a bed of sand and a thistle were also added. This is the soil for the upcoming wild bee season.

The collaboration with Rolf Schmidt and the Black Forest Association brought another topic to the fore. More than 30 nesting sites for wrynecks, little owls, starlings and other semi-cave and cave breeders as well as 4 nests for birds of prey were hung on 7 different plots with trees. This is how the nature park islands became habitats for rare insects and birds.

A small nature trail for adults and children has now been created from two connected parcels of land in the district of Dossenbach. Posters and signs with images for the little ones show visitors the background of the facility and are to be understood as an invitation for hikers, kindergartens and school classes to pause here and get input for their own garden design.

The native wild bee species and many other insects have largely lost their habitat due to the intensive use of the areas. Of the approx. 600 wild bee species in Germany alone, 50% are threatened with extinction. Urgent protective measures are required for our environment, its flora and fauna. In order to gain a first insight into the world of wild bees, we not only made explorations with and with network partners, but also started with the construction of five test fields in the vicinity of Schwörstadt / Dossenbach on the Upper Rhine.

The first contacts with existing interest groups and partners give us ideas which we implement immediately. From March to the beginning of September 2021, a number of installations for the protection of native insects were implemented.

As soon as the first blossoms appeared, visitors came along too. All is not lost yet, but many areas of refuge are needed for our threatened species. If we succeed in creating many suitable habitats with suitable host plants and nesting aids at short intervals, this will increase the diversity of insects again. Allotment gardeners, privateers, farmers, communities, nature conservation associations and clubs can help here. Our still small project should be the beginning of further initiatives, here on the Upper Rhine in Baden Württemberg and in the area of ​​the foundation forest in Brandenburg. There are already initial ideas for this.