RMK invites everyone to celebrate Estonian nature conservation anniversary 06.08
This year Estonia is celebrating 110 years of official nature conservation in the country. RMK is organising various events throughout August to celebrate this special occasion, as well as Folk Tale Year, including a light show called ‘Toila Valge ÖÖ’ (“Toila's white night”) and the opening of a brand new hiking trail.
The State Forest Management Centre (RMK) is inviting everyone to a series of free events dedicated to the 110th anniversary of nature conservation in Estonia and Folk Tale Year. "The events will culminate in ‘Toila Valge ÖÖ’, which will take place during the evenings of 14 and 15 August, filling Toila Oru Park with more than 30 enchanting pieces of light art, engaging performances and outdoor cafés," said chief organiser and the Head of the Recreation Management Department at RMK Marge Rammo. "Because 2020 is also Folk Tale Year, the team behind ‘Toila Valge ÖÖ’ includes story tellers Polina Tšerkassova and Hardi Möller. Visitors will hear some fantastic folk tales as well as some true stories from real life."Due to the requirement to keep a safe distance between visitors, this year's event has been planned so that both evenings are filled with light shows, with the same music playing on repeat, so that visitors can choose the best time for them to attend without missing out on anything.
Rammo added that on 23 August a hiking trail in Lahemaa called the ‘RMK Sagadi-Oandu Trail of Forest Tales’ will be officially opened, dedicated to the anniversary of nature conservation and Folk Tale Year. "Estonia is rich in forests and fairy tales alike, and the Estonian Folklore Archives have collected more than 10,000 such stories,” he said. “A brand new, 5.6-km long themed hiking trail commemorates all that hard work."
Starting from 1 August, visitors can try their hand at geocaching and discover other sights in all six of Estonia's national parks: Alutaguse, Karula, Lahemaa, Matsalu, Soomaa and Vilsandi. The game can be played on a smartphone individually or with friends, teaching players 110 amazing facts about nature conservation. Everyone is also welcome at RMK's visitor centres, which will run slightly more unusual programmes in the second half of August, including a kick-scooter hike in Pähni and a pancake-cooking workshop in Vilsandi.
For more information on these events, see www.loodusegakoos.ee.
To protect biodiversity in nature, the habitats of endangered species and the species themselves, 19.5% of the Estonian mainland and 27% of its territorial waters are protected areas. RMK employs a range of measures to maintain biodiversity both in protected areas and in the state forests it maintains. Some of these measures are
in fact stricter than the law requires. Over the past five years, RMK has recovered around 10,000 hectares of endangered or low-quality habitats. RMK is also the only state agency in Estonia which works to recover fish stocks.
Additional information:
Marge Rammo
Head of Recreation Management Department, RMK
marge.rammo@rmk.ee | 51 37 035
Karmen Kaukver
Communications Specialist, RMK
karmen.kaukver@rmk.ee | 5685 7037
