15.06.2004

Mission of the White Stork Centre at Vetschau and what it can achieve

The White Stork Information Centre of Lusatia at Vetschau/Spree Forest is an establishment of the Nature Protection Federation of Germany (NABU). The NABU Regional Association is its local entity. As the name reveals, it is an information centre, not a facility to care for or to breed storks. The focus of attention lies with supplying information for environment education regarding the way of life of white storks and measures of protection to preserve them. On top of this, we teach measures of protection at the Centre, yard and garden. Our exhibits, public activities and the Internet presentations, are geared to this end. The uninterrupted access to the facility makes it possible for children, pupil, and tour groups as well as individual visitors to the Spree Forest to richly inform themselves, and, of course, they can take a peek via the video camera into the stork nest. With regard to the stork eyrie neither the Nature Protection Law nor our licence allow us to intervene in the activities at the eyrie. Our activities are limited to observations free of disturbances. Nevertheless, a stork injured outside of the eyrie may be brought to us for treatment and care. The Stork Centre, in the capacity of a facility of NABU, is the natural starting point for all other problems of nature protection. This reaches from young and injured animals which are brought to us, to queries for nesting help and offers of literature.

White stork caregivers of Lower Lusatia receive their training here, nesting helps are made available here, etc. The findings from the observations of our stork couple are regularly published and at stork business sessions introduced. Mr. Boehmer, as member of the NABU federal work groups "White Stork Protection and Electric Power Death", lets the findings flow directly into the work of these bodies. The personnel situation of the Stork Centre is extremely precarious. All NABU members are volunteers. With the leaving of several active ones there is no manager. Mr. Boehmer, in addition to being the NABU Project Leader of the Internet presentation, took on the work of the vice chairperson of the club and the management of the Stork Centre. He applies for ABM measures, heads up the in-house tour guides, and writes the press releases amongst other things. As he fills many other functions, such as the Federal Green Party Leader in the county legislature or as member of the Lignite Committee, the possibilities to do more at the Stork Centre have reached the boundary of what is achievable.

Winfried Boehmer
NABU-Project Leader

Zurück zur vorigen Seite