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On the prowl in the Thurauen

A very special landscape is hidden in the Zurich wine country. The area where the Thur flows into the Rhine was renaturalized a few years ago and has quickly become a jewel for plants and animals.

But this paradise of biodiversity also needs a lot of care. In August 2021, 7 students from Bern spent their annual class camp in the Thurauen and pitched in. The adventure began on Monday with the journey by post bus to Flaach. After being welcomed by the Nature Network employees, bright orange bicycles were distributed and the end of the journey continued on two wheels. The destination was the Wydhof in Flaach. This beautiful farm will be the school class's home for the next four nights, as they sleep comfortably in the straw in the converted stable.

After a short lunch, the highly motivated students cycled to the nature reserve and set about their fight against the invasive goldenrod and balsam. After a restful night in the straw, the work continued on Tuesday, but the work was broken up by short information blocks from the operations manager, a perfect opportunity to have a little rest. On Wednesday, in addition to the intensive work, there was also a workshop on the topic of neobiota. The participants also wanted to understand why they were doing this hard work and how much nature benefits from their efforts. In the afternoon, the class enjoyed a free half-day and some of the students dared to go into the pool at the Wydhof despite the cool 15 degrees.

On Thursday morning, the group got back to work. After a leisurely picnic on the Thur, the young people explored the animal world in the floodplain forest under the guidance of an expert from the nature network. The discovery of a kingfisher will be particularly memorable. On Friday, after packing up, they went out into the field again briefly before the group made their way back to the bus stop after a leisurely picnic. Tired but very satisfied, the operations manager and school class said goodbye and the group set off on the long journey back towards Bern.

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