" I believe that the knowledge and  experience that I have gained during the exchange to Latvia will reap benefits in my occupation well into the future. It has afforded me the opportunity to compare the type of recreation facilities, leisure tourism and nature tourism that is on offer to visitors in another country..."

Anne Gilchrist,  Forestry Commission Scotland.

                                                                                                                         Man in the Forest, Tervete

07/06/09

Riga Zoo – guided tour of zoo plus conservation information on re-introduction of European tree frog by Environmental guide Daiga Leimane

Ethnographic Open Air Museum

Riga Old Town – guided walk accompanied by Environmental guide Maija Malnaca

08/06/09

Talsi Tourism Information Centre - guided walk and sightseeing around Talsi by Environmental guide Inese Roze plus hands on experience of traditional “sklandrausi”pie making

Laumas Nature Park – Guided walk around Sports trail, Bee trail, guest house and camping facilities

Pedvale, Sabile – Wine Hill (Talsu Nature Park) – dates back to 14^th Century

Visit to Open Air Art Museum in Pedvale

09/06/09

Tervete Nature Park Information Centre – presentation and guided walks by Latvian Forest Service accompanied by Environmental guides Lilita Bogdane and Liga Zute-Abizare

Rundales Palace – built between 1736 and 1740

10/06/09

Environmental Information Service, Pakalniesi – presentation and educational workshop demonstrations by State Forest Service - Environmental guides Inese Mailite and Sigita Vaivade

Visit to highest hill(312m) in Latvia at Gaizinkalns

Black Sauna in Mengeli at the Museum area of Brothers Jurjani

11/06/09

Gauja National Park Offices – presentation and educational workshop demonstrations by Environmental guide Meldra Langenfelde

Visit to Tourist Information Centre and guided walk to Gutmanala Cave

Turaida Castle – guided walk plus history of Sigulda, Folksong Park, legend of Turiarda Rose and visit to oldest church in Latvia (800 years old) - Krimulda Church in Kubesele

12/06/09

Gauja National Park – guided tour of Zvartas Rock and Sietiniezis Rock plus the forest school and Ligatne Nature trails by Environmental guide Meldra Langenfelde

Ferry ride across Gauja River

Visit to Secrect Soviet bunker

13/06/09

Latvian Natural History Museum – tour accompanied by Environmental guide Maija Malnaca

Museum of Occupation in Riga

Report

Introduction

Within the content of my report rather than write about all the places that we visited and the experiences that we encountered during the exchange, I have chosen instead to select the ones that hold the most relevance to my work within the Forestry Commission.

Day 1 – 07/06/09

Riga Zoo

Our guide Daiga Leimane provided a talk on how the re-introduction of the European Tree Frog in Latvia was started by Riga Zoo 21 years ago and that in light of this there is now a healthy wild population established in Kurzame, Western Latvia. She explained that following research it was discovered that the diminishing numbers of the tree frog also coincided with the reduction in beaver numbers. Once measures were put in place to protect the beaver and their forest habitat the Latvia Tree Frog population was also able to be successfully re-established.

The importance of Habitat Management has also been recognized within the Forest District where I work. As an example of this, last year a Water Vole re-introduction programme was initiated. Water Voles were natural inhabitants of the region however their numbers diminished when their habitat was destroyed by old style forestry planting which ran right up to the edge of watercourses. With current Forest Management practice when a section of forest is clearfelled as part of the Forest Design Plan the area is assessed before replanting and places that lend themselves to natural ponds, wetlands or along river banks are enhanced and left unplanted. This current planting method enables the habitat to be re-established creating the environment the water voles need to survive. Occasional trees are also left as standing deadwood and act as a perch for birds of prey or as a home for insect life which aids the Biodiversity of the area.

Picture Caption: Dragon made from recycled plastic bottles and plastics

Another point of interest at Riga Zoo was the recycling exposition. Unwanted litter is now a universal problem and I am keen to try to find ways in which this can be combated. I thought that the sculpture made out of discarded materials such as plastic bottles, cans and other redundant materials was a clever concept to help draw Visitors attention to the issue.

There was also a large wall sized painting on the building next to the sculpture that clearly showed the correct items to place in each of the recycling bins. This reinforced the recycling theme. I think that this helped to raise awareness with visitors and provided an educational message at the same time. I would like to see if there is some way to incorporate something similar at the Visitor Centre where I work to improve our existing Waste Management procedures and reduce the amount of discarded litter there is at present.

Day 2 – 08/06/09

Laumas Nature Park

Laumas Nature Park is a privately owned business offering a variety of activities based around Nature Tourism. It provides visitors with a series of cognitive paths – a bee path, a bird path, a flora path, a forest path and a sports path. The site is focused around a Guest House which is often used for private celebrations and wedding parties. There are also holiday lodges and camping facilities.

During our visit we had the opportunity to experience two of the trails. The first was the sports path. This trail gives visitors the chance to test their balance, agility and dexterity via a series of obstacles.

Wooden Bee Sculptures                       Original Beehive in Hollow Tree            Protective Suits

The second was the bee path. This path takes visitors on a journey through the life of the beehive. The life of bees is illustrated through a series of text panels, wooden sculptures and interactive structures. At the end of the path, visitors also have the chance to put on a protective suit and visit a live beehive under the guidance of an experienced beekeeper.

I think that the concept of Nature Tourism at Laumas would fit well within the Forestry Commission’s recreation sites. The emphasis on nature themed trails provides visitors with informative, imaginative and fun activities whilst encouraging them to be more active and at the same time enjoy the natural surroundings.

Day 3 – 09/06/09

Tervete Nature Park – Latvian Forest Service

On arrival at Tervete Nature Park the Latvian Forest Service staff provided us with a guided tour of the new Visitor Information Centre and an overview of the Park. I was impressed by their logo, which is in the shape of a leaf and has forest characters silhouettes contained within this. The wording underneath - ‘mammadaba’ - means ‘Mother Nature’ and is used to capture the essence of the place.

The Park was constructed with a family friendly focus. It consists of a fairy tale forest and is full of characters and themes from the stories of a famous Latvian writer – Anna Brigadere. Some of the pine trees within the forest setting are approximately 300 years old, which gives the area an authentic feel. The most popular trails are the Dwarf Wood and the Witches Forest.

The trails were interwoven with wooden sculptures depicting the characters from the stories – such as giant spiders, huge bats, and a witch’s cat. There were also wooden animals such as beaver, red squirrels and rabbits.

I liked the way they had used the folklore which is ingrained in the Latvian Cultural Heritage to convey a environmental message i.e. respect the forest and it’s inhabitants and it will look after you. The intricately carved wooden sculptures as well as being entertaining for all, brought the characters in the stories to life.

      

Anne with Tufty                              Huge Carved Beetle                          Lilita with Beautifully illustrated signs 

Tervete Nature Park – Latvian Forest Service – Cont/d

I particularly liked the Interpretation signage that was used to tell the story of the forest and the biodiversity of life within it. The signs themselves were made of natural material and each contained a particular story with a theme e.g. insect life, tree species, wild flowers, toads, snakes and animal species.

The Interpretation methods and natural signage at Tervete is something that I envisage I will be able to draw on in the future when looking at revising existing trails within the Forest District where I work.

Day 4 – 10/06/09

State Forest Service – Pakalniesi

During the visit to Pakalniesi we were provided with an overview of the State Forest Service (SFS). Approximately 47% of Latvia is forested with half again belonging to the private sector. The SFS provide a free advisory service to this sector. They offer private landowners workshops and advise on how to manage their forest areas. Following a shift from Communism back to Independence much agricultural land has been left abandoned, the SFS offer a Rural Development Programme to landowners giving them free advise on the options currently available to them, for example through replanting schemes.

The SFS are also responsible for issuing hunting licenses however anyone who wishes to apply for a license must first complete a 40-hour course and examination. This ensures that hunters will act responsibly and within legal constraints and also help protect the environment. Hunting is still very popular in Latvia largely due to the significant wild game that is available. Hunting provides an opportunity for recreation in the wild and helps keep game populations of wild boar, red deer and elk under control.

The main point of interest for myself at Pakalniesi was the Forest Education workshops. We were given demonstrations on tree identification, birdlife, fish life, wild animals and insects. I particularly liked the display of bird boxes and the use of different species of toy birds to encourage participants to describe the bird they had been given and then use it as a talking point to discuss the habitat that it belonged to. We also saw a similar display at Riga Zoo.

I believe that this is something that could easily be re-created at the Visitor Centre where I work and incorporated into our Education programme for visiting school groups. We already provide a pseudo Osprey nest on site and this area could be extended to include other types of bird boxes to be used for demonstration purposes.

Day 5 & 6 – 11/06/09 & 12/06/09

Gauja National Park

Gauja was the first National Park in Latvia and was founded in 1973. It focuses on Environmental Protection plus Educational and Leisure Tourism. The territory of the park covers 91,745 hectares and it is divided into five key areas – nature reserves, protected zones, scenery, cultural history and a neutral area. The main function of the park being nature protection although it also provides substantial tourism and recreation opportunities.

 

Witch                                   Meldra with book of Spells   Witches Rock                    Witches Meadow full of herbs and flowers

During our time at Gauja National Park we visited some of their protected geological formations – Gutmanala Cave, Zavartes rock and Sietiniezis rock. These sandstone outcrops were formed 350-370 million years ago during the Devonian period and provide evidence within the layers of their structure that indicate the whole of Latvia was once underneath the sea. These outcrops also have special significance within the Latvia culture for example, folk tales tell that Zavartes rock was once a meeting place for witches especially on Whitsunday, St. John’s Day and Christmas. On those days the witches rushed from the pine forests on their broomsticks. I was particularly interested on the emphasis that the Latvians put on their geological history. The area in which I work – the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park – contains the Highland Boundary Fault line. This fault line runs from Arran in the Southwest to Stonehaven in the Northeast and was also formed during the Devonian period. It marks the geological division between the Highlands and the Lowlands in Scotland. At the visitor Centre where I work we have a walking trail called the Highland Boundary fault. Given the success of the Latvian geological sites as tourist destinations, I think it would provide an added attraction to visitors if we could develop this trail to provide more information on the geological history of the area.

Gauja National Park has a high concentration of Cultural Heritage monuments with over 221 located within the park area. There are also other objects of historic importance such as ancient hill forts and cemeteries. We visited Turiada Castle and Folksong Park, which are located within the Turaida Museum Reserve. Dainu Hill contains a sculpture garden dedicated to Latvian Folklore. It was established in 1985 to honor Krisjanis Barons (1835 – 1923) who was responsible for collecting over 1,000 traditional folksongs from all over Latvia. Special events are held each year whereby thousands of folksong groups gather to honor the past of Latvian people and to draw strength and belief in the future. Situated within the Turaida Museum Reserve are 25 stone sculptures by Latvian artist Indulis Ranka and each sculpture expresses an element of poetry of Dainas (folksongs) for example, love, the environment, people and nature.

The Queen Elizabeth Forest Park is also rich in cultural and historical heritage. Around Loch Katrine there are many examples of ancient sheilings and human settlements. Strong literary links exist to Sir Walter Scott who wrote his epic poem ‘The Lady of the Lake’ in this area and numerous stories abound regarding the famous Scottish outlaw Rob ‘Roy’ MacGregor. Again, given the success of these kind of sites in Latvia, I believe that our cultural and historic links could potentially provide interesting topics that could be expanded upon to enhance the visitor experience when coming to our Forest District.

Conclusion

I believe that the knowledge and experience that I have gained during the exchange to Latvia will reap benefits in my occupation well into the future. It has afforded me the opportunity to compare the type of recreation facilities, leisure tourism and nature tourism that is on offer to visitors in another country. This has provided many new ideas on improvements that could be made within the David Marshall Lodge Visitor Centre and the surrounding area. I also feel that I have gained on a personal level from the warmth and hospitality that I was shown throughout the trip and that this will improve my overall confidence in my daily life.

Anne Gilchrist – Forestry Commission Scotland