newsletter_2008_1.pdf - 5.84 MB - The Baltic Sea Project

The Baltic Sea Project 

„Evolution of 

Environment“ 

Conference in Vilnius 

The Solovetskie Islands 

Expedition in Russia 

NEWSLETTER No. 1 (31) 2008 ISSN 1237-489X

The Baltic Sea Project 

The Baltic Sea Project Newsletter is 

published twice a year 

Circulation (current issue): 3500 copies. 

First issued in Finland in June 1990 (500 copies) 

All issues are available electronically at 

http://www.b-s-p.org 

Editor: The Lithuanian National coordinator Rūta 

Jociūtė-Žolynienė 

Publisher: Lithuanian Young Naturalists' Centre, 

Džiaugsmo str. 44, Vilnius, Lithuania, 

phone +370 5 2382600, fax +370 5 2670090. 

Proofreader: UAB "Magistrai", Gedimino ave. 43-3, 

Vilnius, Lithuania, phone +370 5 2619891, 

www.magistrai.lt 

Production: Joint-stock company KOPA 

Design: Jurga Dovydėnaitė 

Print: Joint-stock company KOPA 

www.kopa.eu, phone +370 5 2331212 

Authors are responsible for the choice and 

presentation of facts contained in signed articles, 

and for the opinions contained therein, which 

are not necessarily those of the BSP organisers. 

Published texts may be freely reproduced and 

translated (except where reproduction rights are 

reserved) provided that mention is made of 

the author and source. 

Financial assistance: The Baltic Sea Project 

Newsletter is published in Lithuania with financial 

support from the Ministry of Education and Science 

of the Republic of Lithuania. 

Distribution: The BSP Newsletter is sent free of 

charge to all BSP participants, organisations 

and other research institutions and government 

authorities. 

All correspondence should be addresed to: 

Rūta Jociūtė-Žolynienė 

Lithuanian Young Naturalists' Centre 

Džiaugsmo St. 44, 11302, Vilnius, Lithuania 

Tel.: 00 370 5 238 2600 

Fax: 00 370 5 267 00 90 

E-mail: ruta.jociute@b-s-p.org 

www.bspinfo.lt 

Logotype: Modified after Karin Peterson 

& Kjell-Ake Holmberg/Hompe 

Cover: Students during the Summer camp in 

Lithuanian Young Naturalists' Centre. 

Photo: Vytautas Eidėjus. 

The BSP objectives are to: 

● increase the awareness of the students of 

the environmental problems in the Baltic Sea area 

and give them an understanding of 

the scientific, social and cultural aspects of 

the interdependence between man and nature, 

● develop the students’ ability to conduct 

research on changes in the environment, 

● encourage students to participate in 

developing a sustainable future. 

The BSP works with the following means: 

● building networks of schools, teachers and 

educational institutions in the Baltic drainage area, 

● creating and developing educational 

approaches and joint programmes for 

environmental and international eduaction, 

● organising joint activities and events, 

publishing the BSP Newsletter and issuing other 

relevant information. 

The basic characteristics of the BSP schools: 

● active participation in looking for solutions 

to the environmental problems in the Baltic Sea 

area, 

● networking, 

● pilot function in promoting environmental 

education in the spirit of the Rio Declaration, 

Agenda 21 & Baltic 21 and Agenda 21 for the Baltic 

region. 

The educational approachfor the BSP is to: 

● achieve balance between a holistic view and 

individual subject studies, 

● change the role of the student from passive 

recipient to active constructor, 

● change the role of the teacher from supervisor to 

guide in a learning process, 

● use networks to provide participants with 

opportunities to learn and pass along new ideas, 

● use international co-operation as an inherent 

element of school work. 

ISSN 1237-489X 

© Lithuanian Young Naturalists' Centre, 2008 

2008

CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL 4 

EvENTS 

International BSP Conference in Lithuania 5 

The Solovetskie Islands 15 

Baltic Sea Tour de Baltic 19 

BSP Summer Seminar in Ogresgals 20 

BSP PROGRAMMES 

The Spring Awakening 22 

Winter birds in Poland 24 

EXPERIENCE 

School Environment helps to learn Nature‘s Secrets 25 

The first Research of Nature 27 

vARIA 

The Baltic Sea and Lake Victoria - learning from each other 28 

The Concept of an Ecological House of the New Generation 30 

Insects around us 32 

Floods at the Seaside 33 

The Moss of Książ Landscape Park 34 

WHO ARE WE? 

School in Gdynia 35 

Our Goal is to protect the Environment 36 

FOR CONSIDERATION 

What can we do? 37 

What can be done to reduce the Amount of Waste left in the Environment? 39 

BSP Coordinators 41 

BSP Meetings and Conferences in 2008 43 

Contributions 43 

CONTENTS 

3

EDITORIAL 

Dear Readers, 

You are reading the second issue of our magazine. 

Half a year has passed and many things have happened 

since the first issue of the magazine; however, one of 

the most important events is the international Baltic Sea 

Project Conference “Evolution of Environment”. This conference 

attracted many participants from all of the Baltic 

countries and Japan; Projects that have been implemented 

for several years were presented. 

I must say a sincere thank you to all my helpers—teachers 

and schoolchildren from Žemyna Gymnasium of Vilnius 

and colleagues from the Lithuanian Young Naturalists' 

Centre who assisted me throughout the event. 

I am particularly grateful to professional teacher Gražina 

Drebickienė from the Žemyna Gymnasium of Vilnius, 

director of the Gymnasium Rūta Krasauskienė and director 

of the Lithuanian Young Naturalists' Centre Ona Sigutė 

Versockienė, who contributed greatly to the success of this 

conference. 

More about the conference on page 5. 

Faraway exotic countries have always attracted people; 

therefore, in this issue you will find an article on an expedition 

to the Solovetskie Islands in the White Sea near the 

North Pole in the Russian Territory. The photos which were 

taken by participants of the expedition were a real surprise. 

Nature can be so bewitching! 

More about the expedition on page 15. 

Other events and trips are of no less interest so do not 

forget to read about them too. 

In a new section “Experience”, teachers share their experiences. 

In these articles you will find many things of interest. 

In the section “Who we are?” two schools from the 

towns of Gdynia (Poland) and Lapės (Lithuania) introduce 

themselves. 

The articles from the section “For Consideration” call for 

consideration and discussion. 

The letter from the coordinator of the programme “Bird 

Ecology” Andrzej Sliwinski did not go down well when he 

stated that protocols about winter birds were only received 

from Polish schools. 

The coordinator’s protocol is on page 24. 

I would like to remind readers that the new coordinators 

Vytautas Eidėjus (Phenological Studies Programme) and 

Peter Uhl Pedersen (Coast Watch Programme) are also waiting 

for your protocols. We are particularly interested in your 

opinions about the renewed protocol of the Phenological 

Studies Programme. A new Work Box will help you fill in 

this protocol. It is presented on www.bspinfo.lt. Birdsongs 

are also available here. 

Dear participants of the Baltic Sea Project and readers of 

this magazine, I kindly invite you to take an active role in 

all our programmes! 

Currently, part VII of the book “Learner’s Guide” is being 

prepared. Teachers and schoolchildren can also write articles 

for this book. 

More about requirements — on the back cover of the 

magazine or by e-mail through Per Werge per.werge@ 

nykat-gym.dk 

Do not forget to visit the official website of the project 

www.bspinfo, where you will find information about future 

or recent events and other important references. We look 

forward to your comments and suggestions! 

Thank you for choosing this magazine. I trust that this 

issue of the magazine will be interesting and useful as we 

are always working for you! Your suggestions are always 

welcome at ruta.jociute@b-s-p.org or Džiaugsmo St. 44, 

LT-11302 Vilnius, Lithuania. 


National and General Coordinator of the Baltic Sea 

Project associated with UNESCO ASPnet Project 


http://www.bspinfo.lt 

Photo: Ingrida Ažusenytė

Evolution 

Environment 

ThE BalTiC SEa PRojECT ConfEREnCE 

Between the 9th and 12th of April, in Vilnius Žemyna 

Gymnasium and the Lithuanian Young Naturalists' Centre, 

an international Baltic Sea Project Conference “Evolution 

of Environment” was held. 

The conference was attended by 120 schoolchildren and 

teachers from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Russia, Poland, 

Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Japan. 

During the conference, 27 reports on investigations and 

observations carried out by the schoolchildren were presented. 

Most of the reports were on investigations carried 

out within the framework of the following Baltic Sea 

of 

EvENTS 

Photos: Kristina Arvasevičienė, Rūta Jociūtė-Žolynienė, Romualda Fedosejevaitė, Naohiro Ii 

Project programmes: “Phenological Studies”, “Air Quality”, 

“Water Quality”, “Bird Ecology” and “ Environment History”. 

Summaries of the reports are available on other pages. 

Unfortunately, due to limited space, not all of the reports 

have been published. We offer our sincere apologies to the 

authors. 

During the conference, seven activities were organized, 

namely, environmental economics, art, dance, technologies, 

theatre, sand art and observation of the first signs of 

spring. 

5

EvEnTs 

WoRKShoPS 

looking for Spring 

Nature never sits still. From season to season, the weather 

changes, as the hours of daylight and darkness do. Animals 

and plants have adapted to fit in with this annual pattern 

of events, and their life cycles are finely tuned in to the 

changing conditions. Everything has its season. Wildlife 

takes its cue from the environment. For example, the 

warm weather of spring triggers many animals and plants 

to burst into action. Trees burst out in bud, and young animals 

appear. The first skylark of the year is not heard on 

exactly the same day every year. The study of nature’s calendar 

is called phenology. 

The word phenology comes from the Greek words “phaino” 

(to show or appear) and “logos” (to study). It is one of the 

oldest branches of environmental science, dating back 

thousands of years. Observations of phenological events 

have provided indications of the progress of the natural 

calendar — when seasons begin and change — since preagricultural 

times. The best information comes from Robert 

Marsham, who began recording his “Indications of Spring” 

back in 1736 on his family estate near Norwich, Norfolk. He 

continued to note down significant dates for the next 62 

years, recording some 27 natural events for more than 20 

animals and plants. 

Between the 9th and 12th of April, during the international 

Baltic Sea Project Conference “Evolution of Environment”, 

which was held in the Lithuanian Young Naturalists' Centre 

based in Vilnius, both schoolchildren and teachers participated 

in the workshop “Clock of Nature”. The group 

consisted of 24 schoolchildren and four teachers from 

Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Russia and 

Japan. After a sportive introduction around the simulated 

Baltic Sea, participants listened to a report on phenology 

and the observations of nature in spring. This was only the 

beginning. After the lecture, the group went on an extreme 

2.5 hour trip to search for the first signs of spring. I cannot 

tell how many kilometres we covered but every one of 

6 

us had corns on our feet “as is a gift for our efforts �”. We 

crossed hills covered with forests, went down steep sandy 

scarps, crossed a river using hanging “monkey” bridges, 

passed a waterfall, and climbed some steep mounds. You 

never know where spring is hiding. 

And spring is indeed already here. The first sign is litter 

strewn all over the place. Participants on the trip recorded 

about twelve phenological signs. We heard a lark, a thrush, 

a starling and a finch. Parks and forests were full of violets, 

windflowers and coltsfoots; bumble bees were humming 

in sallow blossoms and thousands of frogs were seen 

jumping on the road. Ants on the march and pink nut-tree 

pussies also bore witness to spring. Unfortunately, it was a 

cloudy day and there were no butterflies in sight. 

The schoolchildren and their teachers returned from the 

trip tired out but in good spirits; and more importantly— 

they had found the first signs of spring! 

I invite everybody to spend leisure time outdoors, watch 

the phenological phenomena, and be active in the Baltic 

Sea Project Programme “Phenological Studies”. Do not 

forget that we will soon be looking for the first signs of 

autumn (the autumn observation table will be available 

on the website www.bspinfo.lt). 

Vytautas Eidėjus 

Phenological Studies programme coordinator 

E-mail: vytautas.eidejus@gf.vu.lt

Ecological Economics and Sustainable 

fishing 

BSP students participating in the conference in Vilnius 

learned and discussed one afternoon about theories of 

ecological economics and sustainable development. The 

students also applied their new theoretical insights to 

an actual case: fishing for cod in the Baltic Sea. The two 

seminar leaders from Nacka Gymnasium in Sweden, Carina 

Bladh and Rolf Erikson, teachers of economics and biology 

respectively, have complimentary bases of knowledge 

and a common interest in this new academic field that 

integrates fundaments of ecological, social and economic 

sciences. They wish it could be a more frequent theme in 

education, at least in upper secondary schools, and the 

enthusiasm and sharpness of the seminar participants in 

Vilnius proved that it should be. 

The seminar addressed questions and issues of importance 

when defining sustainable development, and the students 

were guided into the thoughts and ideas of ecological 

economics, a fairly new scientific discipline that aims to 

integrate environmental and social considerations into 

economic calculations and decisions. For example, gross 

national product (GNP), the most widely used measure 

of growth and welfare, does not take into account costs 

of environmental and social degradation when summing 

up the economic values of goods and services produced 

within a country. It should be replaced by new welfare 

indexes like the Human Development Index (HDI) or the 

Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), which also 

include other important factors for the well being of human 

and which give a much truer picture of the state of development 

and justice in the world. The over-exploitation 

of our world’s resources was illustrated by the “ecological 

footprint”, showing how much of the productive surface of 

the globe is used up by different counties and their populations. 

Not surprisingly, there is a need for more than one 

globe if everyone lives their lives as we do in the Western 

world, whilst the ecological footprint of poor people in 

poor countries is very little. The “tragedy of the commons”, 

when resources like air, water, fish, etc, which are owned 

by everyone but over-exploited by a greedy few, was also 

discussed. 

After a rather long session of theories and discussions 

about how to form global sustainable development and 

after a refreshing break, the students were invited to play 

roles as Baltic Sea fishermen. Ships from the nine riparian 

states went out to fish for cod in a game specially constructed 

in order to demonstrate the effects of the tragedy 

of the common. Consequently, after a few “years” of 

unregulated fishing and despite the natural reproduction 

of fish, there was no cod left in the imaginary Baltic Sea. 

When the game restarted, the fishermen were advised to 

discuss and make agreements. Then the fish stock lasted 

longer, and the participants could envision the possibility 

that the reproduction and population growth of cod in the 

Baltic Sea could be managed in favour of big and sustainable 

catches, although egoistic interests of catching more 

than others always lurked under the surface and threatened 

to deplete the stock once more. The game session 

was concluded by listening to the remarks and analyses of 

the observers who had taken notes of everything that happened 

in and around the imaginary Baltic Sea. 

The last part of the seminar described the actual situation 

of cod and fishing in the Baltic Sea. Graphs on biomass, 

catches, economic balance, etc. all show a dramatic 

decrease, and there is no doubt that cod and cod fishing 

will soon become history in the Baltic Sea. The reason for 

this situation was analysed with the help of economic 

models, showing how competition and short-term profits 

govern the fishing policy and how EU subsides and illegal 

fishing make the situation even worse. The presentation 

also focused on cod as a predator and its effect on other 

organisms and the food chain in the Baltic Sea. It was 

shown how the total ecosystem will change completely 

and irreversibly because of the overfishing of cod. In a sustainable 

perspective, this is disastrous for the cod and for 

the ecosystem, but it is also unacceptable for the society 

in which fishing is an important economic activity and for 

the consumers who will miss a first class food product, 

which, if well managed, could be a cheap and common 

“everyday” meal. The session ended with the formation of 

small groups in which the students discussed what could 

be done to stop the overfishing of cod in the Baltic Sea. 

Carina Bladh 

Rolf Erikson 

Nacka Gymnasium, Sweden 

E-mail: rolf.erikson@nacka.se 

EvENTS 

7

EvEnTs 

SUMMaRiES 

The index of nemunas Water Quality 

Authors: Mantė Agnė Jurkevičiūtė, Aušra Pockevičiūtė 

Teacher: Virginija Kerevičienė 

Alytus Dainavos Secondary School, Lithuania 

Water is one of the most important chemical compounds 

in the world. The ecological situation is getting worse and 

worse and it makes us think about the survival of humanity. 

Our aim is to investigate the quality of Nemunas water 

(the biggest river in Lithuania). Whilst carrying out chemical 

researches we have experimentally measured water 

quality according to the indexes: 

● pH 

● Nitrate 

● Nitrite 

● Total Alkalinity 

● Total Hardness 

● Free Chlorine 

● Total Chlorine 

● Iron 

● Copper 

● Dissolved oxygen 

It is true to say that when people are involved in water’s 

cycle they not only force it to work for man’s benefit, but 

they also start to pollute it. Since the 20th century water 

pollution has become a major problem in a global context, 

and one of the biggest for our civilization. It has 

been suggested that it is the leading worldwide cause 

of death and disease, accounting for the deaths of more 

than 14,000 people a day. In Lithuania most of the water 

is not cleaned thoroughly enough. When this partly clean 

water accesses open mines, it can pollute underground 

water. Groundwater pollution is much more difficult to 

abate than surface pollution because groundwater can 

move great distances through unseen aquifers. Pollutants 

in water include a wide spectrum of chemicals, pathogens, 

and physical chemistry or sensory changes. Many of the 

chemical substances are toxic. Pathogens can produce 

waterborne diseases in either human or animal hosts. 

Specimens were taken from different parts of the River 

Nemunas so we could compare the results and estimate 

the influence of man’s activities on water quality. We 

used two scholastic water analysis laboratories, namely, 

8 

Stock photos: Image DJ, PhotoDisc 

“WaterWorks” and “Visocolor”. We recorded comprehensive 

results of our analysis and findings. We also recorded citizens’ 

and school students’ opinions about river pollution 

and recreation in its vicinity. Furthermore, the work was 

supplemented by a photographic cycle “Water through 

the prism of 24 hours” and historical facts. The researches 

were carried out between 2007 and 2008. 

BSP air Quality Programme 

in Tartu nature School 

Authors: Kirsi Kriit, Janne-Mai Liias 

Teacher: Sirje Janikson 

Tartu Nature School, Estonia 

The students of Tartu Nature School have participated in 

the BSP Air Quality Programme for four years. We carried 

out observations in three different parks in Tartu (Toome, 

Raadi and Emajõe). 

First we estimated the needle loss of fir trees (Picea abies). 

In Toome Park we found more damaged trees (II class) and 

in Raadi Park we found both damaged and healthy trees, 

but none of the trees were badly damaged. Secondly, we 

observed the age of needles on a branch. In Toome Park 

the average generation of needles was five years, in Raadi 

Park 7–8 years. 

We also examined the occurrence of lichens on five trees. 

In Toome Park the average coverage of lichens was 59%, 

but most of it was crustose lichens, and to a lesser degree 

fructicose lichens. In Raadi Park the average was 42% but 

there were more foliose lichens than fructicose lichens. In 

Emajõe Park the average was 22% and we found two different 

species of crustose and foliose lichens. There were 

no fructicose lichens. 

We noticed tar spot fungus only on the maples in Raadi 

Park. Tar spot fungus is a fungal disease. The fungus grows 

only where the air is clean, but it is still a disease for the 

maple tree because it is a parasite that lives on the maple 

leaf. It does not cause much damage as the fungus covers 

only a small part of the leaf. 

Toome Park is located in the centre of the city on a hill. 

According to the fir tree watch, the air in the park is slightly 

polluted but still relatively clean judging by the lichens.

In Emajõe Park the air is polluted, which isn’t unusual, 

because the park is next to a busy street. In Emajõe Park 

there were no fir trees, so we studied Colorado Spruce 

(Picea pungens) instead. The results cannot be compared 

to those of the fir trees because the Colorado Spruce is 

more resistant than the fir tree. 

In Raadi Park we found a lot of different species of lichens; 

there were also some fructicose lichens which shows the 

air is clean. This result is also confirmed by the fir tree watch 

and the growth of tar spot fungus. 

Based on our observations we can say that the air in Raadi 

Park is the cleanest, which is presumably because it is in 

the suburbs. 

The attitude which We should take 

when looking at asia 

from various Wiewpoints 

Authors: Akane Aoki, Eri Adachi, Tmotaka Isono, Ryohei 

Itsuaki, Nana Kifushi, Yukiko Kishimoto, Anna Kunimatsu, 

Yuka Nishizaki, Satomi Minagawa 

Teachers: Naohiro Ii, Masako Nakamura 

Ikeda Senior High School attached to Osaka Kyoiku 

University, Japan 

Currently, we are working on ESD (Education for Sustainable 

Development) in our integrated studies classes in school. 

The first year group of senior high school will have this 

lesson for one hour a week, and the second year group will 

have it for two hours. Though not every school works on 

ESD, all of the students in our school work on this topic, 

as it is one of the ASP schools. The themes of the study are 

environment, human rights, poverty, peace, multiculturalism, 

biodiversity, endangered species, health, women’s 

equality, and agricultural development. 

Having studied all these topics, we would like to make 

a presentation about our thoughts on environmental 

issues in Asia from various viewpoints. There was a famous 

speech by Severn Suzuki at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, 

about the environment, poverty, the divide of economic 

power and other issues. After taking a closer look at her 

speech, we realized that there are several points that relate 

to issues happening in Japan and other Asian countries 

today. Therefore, we wanted to explain these, using specific 

examples and showing a diagram of the vicious circle 

which we compiled. We then came up with a solution on 

how to break this vicious circle, and we also compiled a 

report from Asia’s point of view bearing the problems of 

Japan, our homeland, in mind. Finally, we reached the con- 

clusion that what we really need to do is reduce the divide 

between the socially vulnerable and socially invulnerable. 

View points 

● Different opinions between developed countries and 

developing countries. 

● Destruction for survival. 

● Conflicts in emerging from poverty. 

● Poverty caused through robbing necessity for living. 

● Environmental destruction for countries’ own personal 

gain. 

● Grabbing resources from others. 

● Conflicts caused by environmental destruction. 

● Scramble for limited resources causing conflict. 

● Sharing happiness 

● Searching for happiness for the Earth 

● Individuals’ search for profit 

Biological Diversity 

in the natural Environment 

EvENTS 

Authors: Gatis Brikmanis, Didzis Dobelis 

Teacher: Lilita Skulte 

Aizpute Secondary School, Latvia 

Aim of the project: to make a training film about biodiversity 

and the possibility of preserving nature in its natural 

environment near Dzintere’s castle mound. 

Tasks of the project: 

● to find information about biodiversity in river areas, 

and aspects which help ensure this; 

● to survey the territory; 

● to establish the species of fish, plants, birds and trees; 

● to consult with ornithologists and fishermen; to make 

an informative film and educational material. 

9

EvEnTs 

The Tebra is 69 km long and together with the River Durbe 

it builds up to become the River Saka, which flows into the 

Baltic Sea. 14 km from Aizpute we found a semi-natural 

environment and wide range of biodiversity by the river 

Tebra. If our attitude towards nature and its management 

does not change, the biodiversity of the environment will 

be reduced. 

The territory „Dzintere” is located some distance up to sea 

from Apriķi self-government and there the valley of Tebra 

reaches its maximum level — in some places more than 

15 metres. There are escarpments on both riversides. The 

Dzinteres castle mound is located on the Tebra riverside in 

this area. The fight between the cours and cursanders in 

1262, when the castle was burnt down, is mentioned in the 

chronicles. 

We studied information about the biodiversity of trees, 

birds, plants and water-plants in river areas; and aspects 

which help ensure this. By the time we came to conduct 

the survey we had already established species of trees, 

birds, plants and fish. The type of forest was also defined 

— European board-leaved forest. Fishermen and ornithologists 

helped us to establish species of fish and birds. We 

filmed the river and its surroundings before we carried out 

our research on the area and completed the film and educational 

material. 

There was one very important species of bird noted by the 

fishermen — the kingfisher. It is an indicator of biological 

diversity in nature. The territory ‘’Dzintere’’ and the castle 

mound remain unspoilt, because people have left it in its 

natural state, and this is the most important factor for natural 

resources. The film and educational material we have 

compiled puts emphasis on the importance of keeping 

the natural environment the way it is. We also show how 

to solve problems which are caused by inappropriate agricultural 

actions. 

Our target audience is: 

● agriculturists who have farmland near the River 

Tebra; 

● competent institutions (self governments); 

● students — because we can make them show an 

interest in how important it is to save our natural environment. 

10 

Development and Environment 

of the Bledow Desert 

Authors: Michał Prażanowski, Kamil Tkacz 

Teacher: dr. Jolanta Mol 

II LO im. Marii Konopnickiej w Katowicach, Poland 

The Błędów Desert is regarded as a great natural peculiarity 

not only in Poland. It is situated in the eastern part of 

the Silesian Upland. The origin of this landscape however 

is not natural. It is connected to human industrial activities 

dating back to early medieval times when a strong centre 

of mining and metallurgy was created. To begin with let us 

just clarify: “the Błędów Desert” is only a geographic name, 

introduced into literature in the mid-19th century to define 

this unique area situated between Błędów, Chechło and 

Klucze. Recent and especially present development of the 

landscape of the Błędów Desert has created a large sandy 

area with active aeolian processes. Here a battle between 

sandstorms and plants is being observed — unfortunately 

the landscape is quickly heading for extinction. The Błędów 

Desert as such is a man-made form and it is disappearing 

due to man. Therefore, it is man’s responsibility to rescue 

this barren landscape, as only he has the resources to do 

so. It is worth saving!

Mine Waste heaps Reclamation 

as a Process of alternative Use 

of Waste Banks 

Authors: Wojtek Łagan, Paweł Bryll 

Teacher: mgr. Marzena Jerczyńska 

III LO im. Mikołaja Kopernika w Wałbrzychu, Poland 

The problem of post-mining reclamation is close to me 

because of my origin. Wałbrzych is my hometown. It is a 

town which used to be vibrant with life and was one of 

the main coalfields of Poland. Today its landscape is dominated 

by the remains of pit-shafts and lots of mine waste 

dumps. The dumps are quite a serious problem in our 

region. Mine waste heaps, among other factors, cause soil 

erosion as well as water and air pollution. Reclamation of 

the heaps seems to be one possible solution to reduce 

or even eliminate their harmful influence. The process 

of reclamation enables us to introduce flora as well as 

fauna and therefore restore the landscape of the area. 

Together with secondary succession, which is a natural 

process, post-mining reclamation leads to restoration of 

the areas damaged by coal extraction. While in Wałbrzych 

there is the problem of mine heaps which are no longer 

used, in other regions of Poland, where coal extraction 

is still taking place, the number and size of heaps is constantly 

growing. I will show in my work that there is also 

a possibility to reclaim the heaps in use, and the results 

are even better in comparison with the closed heaps. 

Reclamation of the heaps not only restores the landscape 

but also improves air quality, and therefore has some positive 

impact as far as global warming and acid rain are concerned. 

After reclamation, a lot of mine waste dumps have 

become local attractions, sport centres or other unique 

places that catch people’s attention. 

Bearing all this in mind, I think the process of mine waste 

heap reclamation is worth a closer look, hence the presentation. 

EvENTS 

Photo: imeleon.com 

oaks are the Witnesses of family history 

Author: Gintarė Petraitytė 

Teacher: Birutė Jasinskienė 

Mastaičiai Basic School, Kaunas Region, Lithuania 

Lithuanian people have a very old and nice tradition. They 

plant oaks in order to mark the most important event in a 

family, or even the whole nation. 

At my grandparents’ farm, in Smailiai village in the Kaunas 

district, two very old oaks grow. They are over one hundred 

years old. I’ve often wondered when, and on what occasion 

they were planted. 

Having asked my mother and my grandfather, and studied 

old photographs and documents, I found out that these 

oaks were planted by my grandfather’s grandfather. They 

were planted in 1922 when the new village was established. 

The name of the village was taken from my grandparents’ 

surname. 

The giant oaks suffered severely in 1999 when the farm 

was destroyed by fire. Since then, they have started to dry 

out, and they may disappear one day. Thus, in order to continue 

the family tradition, my mother and I have planted 

two young oaks next to the old ones. 

Every five years our extended family visits my grandparents’ 

farm. They come from all over the world, they share 

memories of their youth and childhood, and they are 

happy to learn the family history. 

11

EvEnTs 

The specific Variety of Plants and 

Evaluation of air Pollution using 

Bio-indicators in Žverincius ˙ ˇ forest 

in the nemunas loops Regional Park 

Author: Marija Kardokaitė 

Teacher: Rasa Kučinskienė 

Prienai „Žiburys“ gymnasium 

The objective of this work is to examine a variety of plants 

and measure air pollution according to the extent of conifer 

tree defoliation and species of lichen. 

The Žvėrinčius Forest is situated in the Prienai District to 

the North West of Birštonas, on the right hand side of the 

Nemunas River. The forest is unique in several aspects: 

Geographic location — one of the most unique spots in 

Lithuania, situated in the Nemunas Loops Regional Park. 

Historical past — mentioned in sourcebooks in 1518 when 

Žygimantas the Old delegated his Birštonas estate administration 

to a forester and set the amount of beasts to be 

hunted. Žvėrinčius (“beast place”) derives its name from 

territories designated for the Lithuanian Dukes hunting 

grounds. 

Botanical aspect — characterized by a variety of species: 75 

types of plant are inventoried, and four types of pine tree, 

considering the cortex, are set; the rarest one — shingle 

pine or f. annulata - and the most common (60%) — ridged 

pine — are among them. The investigation is carried out 

in four archetypal sectors — pine wood, forest outskirts, 

sparsely poulated forest and swamp. The formation of vegetation 

in habitats is set. The wealth of species and rated 

accrete is estimated. Due to prevailing species (Pinus silvestris, 

Picea abies, Juniperus comunis) the forest is attributed 

to Vaccinio–Piceetea (Braun–Blanquet). 

Ecological aspect — this is important in establishing the 

conifers response to the changing surroundings. The work 

examines the type and level of conifer defoliation. Three 

types of foliose and fructicose lichen (Hypogymnia physodes, 

Pseudevernia furfuracea, Cladonia chlorophaea) predominate. 

The forest belongs to the 3rd – 4th zone of air 

pollution. 

Recreational aspect — attracts plenty of tourists with its 

fitted cycling routes, rest zones, and sculptures; a natural 

monument — Žvėrinčius Oak — which is said to have witnessed 

the times of Grand Lithuanian Duke Vytautas, is 

located here. 

12 

“little Rivers” in the leningrad Region — 

the River Tikhvinka 

Authors: Dmitriy Plutalov, Nikolay Litvinenko, Maria 

Trofimova 

Teachers: Irina Trofimova, Tatiana Sigacheva 

St. Petersburg Secondary School No. 509, Russia 

The purpose of the present work is to form community 

awareness and the responsible attitude of pupils towards 

the environment, based on knowledge of the problems of 

the Tihvinka River (a world heritage site). 

Russia is rich in water resources. The dense river system 

with its waterways of 5–9 kilometres long comprises 76% 

of the total amount of rivers (known as “little rivers”), and 

includes the Tihvinka River. Every year surface waters are 

increasingly polluted by industrial, domestic and agricultural 

waste, which makes river waters ecologically unfavourable 

and unserviceable, even for irrigation and industrial 

use. 

The protection of water sources from pollution, and their 

preservation and efficient usage determine the conditions 

in which we will live in the future. 

That is why we decided to undertake research and estimate 

the ecological condition of the Tihvinka River, and 

how it relates to “little rivers” in the Leningrad region. 

is the increased Mortality of Sea Birds 

a Result of the overfishing of Cod 

in the Baltic Sea? 

Authors: Irina Galiulina, Josefine Malmkvist 

Teachers: Carina Bladh, Rolf Erikson 

Nacka Gymnasium, Sweden 

We, Irina Galiulina and Josefine Malmkvist, are first year 

students in the upper secondary school program of natural 

sciences at the Nacka Gymnasium in Sweden. We have 

studied the cascading bottom up and top down effect 

in the trophic web of pelagic waters in the Baltic Sea, in 

which phytoplankton constitutes the lowest and primary 

level; and cod, which is parallel to sea birds and seals, is 

the top predator, feeding on sprat, herring and other small

fish. These small fish have increased in number during the 

last few decades and as they feed on, and compete for 

zooplankton, their food source has accordingly decreased 

in abundance and biomass during the same period. This 

fact, alongside nutrient enrichment and eutrophication, 

is a possible explanation for the frequent algal blooms in 

the Baltic Sea. The phytoplankton is no longer efficiently 

grazed. The same discussion may be valid for the increase 

in small fish. There are not enough predators to eat them, 

mainly due to over fishing and the low reproduction of 

cod. They will continue to multiply, and with a limited 

food supply, this will result in high numbers of individual 

fish that are starved, small and lean, and low in nutritional 

value. 

Parallel to the reports on over fishing of cod, high numbers 

of sprat and herring, and frequent algal blooms, there have 

been more reports on the increased mortality of sea birds 

of late. For example, the survival rate of young Common 

Guillemots nesting on the cliffs of islands in the middle of 

the Baltic Sea appears to be lower. The parents feed their 

chicks by diving for small fish to bring home to the nest. 

Despite previous efforts, the fish nowadays are less nutritious; 

this might be a major factor affecting the mortality 

of young Common Guillemots, and therefore could be a 

direct result of the over fishing of cod. Our bird ecology 

study will examine this possibility. 

Porpoises 

Authors: Almut Lütge, Mechthild Lütge, Nina Graßnick 

Teacher: Hans-Joachim Hartje 

Robert-Bosch-Comprehensive School, Germany 

Porpoises are divided into six different species: Finless 

Porpoise, Common Porpoise, Vaquita, Spectacled 

Porpoise, Burmeister’s Porpoise, Dall’s Porpoise. The 

Common Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) also known as harbour 

porpoise is one of the most popular cetaceans found 

in European coastal waters. It belongs to the family of 

toothed cetaceans and is a dolphin-like aquatic mammal. 

Porpoises are distinguished externally from dolphins by 

their chubbier shape, they are usually smaller in size — 

maximum length about two metres — and they have a 

blunt, rather than beaklike, snout. They also have different 

markings; they usually have a black back and white belly, 

but occasionally they are totally black. Male and female 

porpoises can be distinguished by their reproductive 

organs, and their overall length. The calves become sexually 

mature after about four years, and the female gestation 

period is 11 months. Porpoises come close to the coast in 

early summer to give birth. They usually live in groups of 

between two and five, and feed mostly on small fish, par- 

EvENTS 

ticularly herring, capelin, and sprat. Generally they stay 

close to the shore, where they root about with their snouts 

like hogs, and they are often seen rolling and tumbling 

in the water as they rise to the surface to breathe with a 

puffing sound. Porpoises inhabit cool and cold water in 

the Northern Hemisphere, such as the North Atlantic, the 

Pacific, the Arctic and the Black Sea. Sometimes they are 

also found in rivers, like the Elbe or the Thames. The majority 

of porpoises live in the North-west Atlantic; there are 

about 15,000 in the eastern coastal waters of Greenland, 

but in other areas there aren’t as many. This number is 

continuously on the decline, therefore porpoises are classified 

as endangered in the 2000 Red List and are also protected 

by other international agreements. It is illegal to 

hunt porpoises, but some people ignore these regulations. 

The reasons for the threat to porpoises are human disturbance, 

habitat loss, prey loss, prey depletion, pollution and 

entanglement in nets. When they get entangled in fishing 

nets, they drown due to lack of air. Industrial fishing 

also makes it difficult for them to find prey. Pollution, for 

example, caused by chlorinated hydrocarbons, decreases 

their fertility; furthermore heavy metals cause damage to 

their internal organs. Human disturbance, like for example 

water sports, frightens the porpoises and disturbs them 

while they are bearing and rearing their young; and the 

sonar devices on ships damages their hearing. In addition 

to this they can sustain injuries from ships’ propellers and 

die as a result of infection. 

The public is only now beginning to become aware of 

the threat to porpoises, but in order to protect them it is 

necessary to learn more about them, their lifestyle and 

habitat. So it is the primary aim of the Robert-Bosch- 

Comprehensive School to investigate the living conditions 

of the remaining porpoises in the Baltic Sea, as a part of the 

UNESCO-Baltic-Sea-Project. Therefore groups of students 

are observing and recording porpoises and their habits 

around the Danish island of Arö. 

13

EvEnTs 

air Pollution from Sulphur oxides in 

Vilnius 

Authors: Romualda Fedosejevaitė, Simona Kavaliukaitė 

Teacher: Gražina Drebickienė 

Vilnius Žemyna Gymnasium, Lithuania 

Work purpose — examine and compare how air pollution 

from sulphur dioxide is changing in the Vilnius Old Town, 

and Justiniškės, Pašilaičiai, Fabijoniškės, and Šeškinė districts. 

The research on air pollution was carried out every October 

between 2003 and 2007. 

Conclusion: the most polluted areas in 2007, as in 2006, 

were The Vilnius Old Town and Šeškinė district; the least 

polluted districts in Vilnius in 2007 were Justiniškės and 

Fabijoniškės; air pollution from sulphur oxides was higher 

in 2007 compared to earlier research results; pollution 

is on the increase due to the higher volume of traffic in 

Vilnius, and new supermarkets being built. Also, Vilnius is 

preparing to become European Capital of Culture in 2009, 

and therefore a lot of restoration and construction work is 

taking place in the city. 

14 

The Change in Vegetation Types 

(Vicissitude) in Vilnius 

Authors: Julija Salanovičiūtė, Sidonija Stankauskaitė 

Teacher: Regina Kryžiuvienė 

Vilnius Žemyna Gymnasium, Lithuania 

In June 2007 the government adopted a new “sprouting” 

law. The law was an important step forward, as it was recognised 

that care of the cities` vegetation was deteriorating, 

and not enough attention was being paid to the plants 

inventory and database. 

The purpose of the work is to examine protected territo- 

ries in Vilnius, and check on their security and vegetation 

changes. Studies also need to be carried out on how the 

variety of plants has changed where planting has taken 

place in newly built streets and squares. 

The research has shown that there are 13 protected areas 

in Vilnius. They occupy 7,700 hectares. These areas are 

particularly sensitive to the process of urbanization, therefore 

recreation and other activities are controlled. A map 

has been prepared with all the protected territories highlighted. 

Our examination showed that changes in vegetation have 

been influenced by: 

● Urbanization 

● Air pollution, exhaust fumes 

● Plant diseases and acclimatization 

● Different citizens` opinions.

These islands are located in the White Sea, near 

the Arctic Circle. 

Their general area is 347 square kilometers. Among a great 

number of small islands, there are six major islands: three 

larger islands: Big Solovetskii (9246.9 km2), Anzer (24 km2), 

and Big Muksalma (17.6 km2) and three smaller islands: 

Small Muksalma and Big and Small Zayatskie. Along the 

major islands there are chains and groups of small islands 

covered by forests and bushes and also small stony islands 

called lud and heaps of stones called korg jutting out of the 

water. 

In 1998 the historical and architectural complex of these 

islands was nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List 

of cultural monuments. 

It is really one of the most unique historical, architectural 

and religious complexes in Russia. 

One of the most esteemed Orthodox monasteries in 

Russia is located on the main island. There are also about 

20 churches and other monastic objects and places of pilgrimage, 

including a church constructed with the help of 

Peter I on the islands. In the 19th century, one of these 

churches was equipped as a beacon and has been and is 

a unique historical and technical object that still operates. 

Monks also constructed a lot of objects that have technical 

and historical value: dams, systems of channels connecting 

lakes, water supply systems, an artificial pool with sea 

water for breeding fish, and unique labyrinths constructed 

in the 16–18 centuries. 

The purpose of these mysterious labyrinths remains 

unknown. They labyrinths have been dated at different 

periods, including the 3rd century of our era. 

In the following year, UNESCO monitoring will be held on 

the islands. A group of students and teachers has decided 

to prepare material to change the nomination of this object; 

it can be nominated as a historical and natural object. 

The islands really represent a unique natural and landscape 

complex. 

On the limited territory, plenty of types of landscapes are 

combined: tundra (the most southern border of distribution 

of its biome), a coniferous taiga, mixed woods, meadows, 

various types of coasts, bogs (riding, local and aapa), 

and lakes 

The ornithological fauna of the islands is also very interesting 

and includes loons, eiders, ravens, various kinds of sea 

gulls, grey cranes (on the Russian list of endangered species), 

sea eagles (also on the Russian endangered species 

list), and fish hawks. 

Unique flora include six kinds of orchids, oaks (an oak of a 

very interesting form — clustering oak), dancing birches, 

and sundews. 

Beluga Cape 

EvENTS 

Photos: Stanislav Babitch 

The Solovetskie Islands 

When talking about the details of an expedition, we may 

say that the most fascinating and hard was our journey 

to Beluga Cape. What kind of animals are white whales or 

belugas in nature, what do they look like, and is it true that 

15

EvEnTs 

they’re really white? Those were the most important questions 

for us. 

While making our way to Beluga Cape, we saw ravens and 

were quite surprised and then thought that Solovki could 

be considered the raven’s most northern habitat. We also 

saw polar loon. During the pursuits of the road to the cape 

we discovered lots of berry fields (crowberries Empetrum 

and great bilberry Vaccinium uliginosum L.), mushrooms, 

and, what was a kind of relief and reward, we found a sea 

eagle aerie. 

That aerie was also a sign that we are on the right road to 

the cape, and some time later we found the log path which 

was supposed to lead to the cape. Walking on the log path 

was more like a journey to the past: sometimes it seemed 

that we were in the jungle or that we were characters in 

Ray Bradbury’s A Sound of Thunder. Since the log path itself 

was built on marshland, it was a bit scary and dangerous 

to cross it. Altogether, there were different types of landscapes: 

upper swamps, lower and transitional ones, water 

meadows, and real taiga. During our way through the forest 

we found such plants as orchids (five types) and a dwarfish 

birch and mushrooms. A small lizard was also found. 

16 

We reached the cape and perched in the observation cabin. 

It was a bit stormy that day but that was not an obstacle, 

and we finally managed to view white whales with calves 

and their breeding games and realized that they really are 

white as snow. Finally the goal of the whole expedition 

was achieved. Later we were also told that this cape is the 

only place in the world where the observation for belugas 

can be done from the shore. 

The Botanical Garden 

For about two weeks, precisely 12 days, we have been 

living in a Solovki’s Botanical Garden. 

It is not a place known as much as its monastery, but it 

is still quite famous to specialists because it is one of the 

most northern botanical gardens in the world, situated 

only 160 kilometers from the Arctic Circle.

It is really a unique place! Just imagine; the introduction 

of more than 100 varieties of plants was carried out there. 

Workers at the garden add all new and new species annually. 

For example in 2005, 47 kinds and grades of trees and 

bushes and 55 kinds and grades of grassy plants were 

planted; and it is all done in semi-polar conditions, where 

the mid-summer temperature reaches only +11.3°C! 

There are a lot of other interesting places to have a look 

at. 

And one of the most important is the aapa bog, also 

situated near the garden. Here a big colony of sundews 

(Drosera) lives. Believe me; it will make indelible impression 

on you and your companions. Keeping a watch on 

sundews hunting after poor insects draws you in so much 

that you can spend all the day observing it. 

Littoral Zone — the site of coast which is flooded during 

inflow and is drained during outflow. Settles down 

between water levels in the highest inflow and the lowest 

outflow. Flooding and drainage of the littoral zone occurs 

EvENTS 

two times a day. On a drained strip there are many brown 

seaweed, but most of them are in the bottom part of littoral 

zone and close to the line of small water. 

Here seaweed forms a continuous belt basically of three 

kinds of a fukus. And there are enough gammarus dubeni, 

invertebrate sea animals. On the silted littoral zone, it is 

possible to see small sandy knolls. These are the traces of 

the activity of a large polychaete, the lobworm (Arenicola 

marina). In silty sand live a lot of folding mollusks. The 

most widespread is macoma baltica, mya Arenaria. It is easy 

to spot this mollusk by crescent traces about 5 centimeters 

long that it leaves. It gives out itself by large apertures on 

the surface of silty sand. On stones and other surfaces live 

motionless cancroid (Semibalanus balanoides). In the top 

part of littoral zone are usual saltish maximum plants: - 

saltwort, sea aster, triglochin sea and others. 

As a result of our research, we found 10 kinds of sea invertebrates 

in the littoral zone of the White Sea in area of the 

Filippovsky fish ponds: 

17

EvEnTs 

Multishield worms: 

Lobworm (Arenicola marina) 

Molluscs: 

1) mya arenaria 

2) mytilus edulis 

3) macoma balhtica 

4) littorina obtusata 

5) littorina littorea 

6) buccinum undatum 

7) arctica islandica 

Cancroids: 

Gammarus dubeni, Semibalanus balanoides and 

The family of Orchidaceae. 

In the moderate areas, there are Orchidaceae — perennial 

ground grasses with underground rhizomes or tubers and 

usually with not bright flowers. Very often they are not 

appreciable in glades, in the thickets of bushes, deciduous 

and coniferous woods and sometimes are sharply allocated 

with bright candles of inflorescences among greens 

of flat and mountain meadows and bogs. 

18 

Results of Research 

We have placed the results of our research in the table. 

Table. Orchidaceae found on Solovetsky Islands. 

Species Description 

1. Coeloglossum viride perennial plant, 10–30 (40) сm in height 

Flower: white or greenish and odorous. A 

2. Platanthera bifolia plant with two brilliant green leaves; perennial 

plant. Up to 60cm in height 

3. Gymnadenia 

conopsea 

4. Dactylorhiza traunsteineri 

5. Dactylorhiza 

maculata 

6. Listera ovata 

7. Listera cordata 

Flower: pink or purple. Leaves: 4–7; perennial 

plant, 30–60 (75) mm in height. 

Flower: pink-violet. Leaves: 2–5; perennial 

plant, up to 30–40 cm in height 

Flower: pink-violet. Leaves: usually spotty; 

perennial plant, up to 40–60 cm in height. 

Plant up to 60 cm in height; with rather large 

leaves; perennial plant. 

Plant small, up to 30 cm in height; with threecornered, 

heart-shaped leaves; perennial 

plant. 

D. Savkina, V. Shekhter, D. Omelchenko, A. Matchina, 

P. Mosin, A. Kvaktun, K. Kuzmina 

Students 

V. Gavrilova, E. Babitch 

Teachers 

Prof. S. Babitch 

Expedition leader 

Department of Regional Economics and Environmental 

protection 

Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics 

Sadovaja Str. 21, 191023 Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Baltic Sea Project Tour de Baltic 

introduction 

The Baltic Sea is shared among the countries with coastal 

areas bordering it. We share a common environment — for 

better or for worse. Therefore, all 15 Danish BSP schools 

showed great interest in embarking on a network-building 

tour by visiting Gdansk, Kaliningrad, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn 

and St. Petersburg. 

In every city, we visited BSP schools and possible new BSP 

schools. The meetings with colleagues and students were 

interesting and inspiring. Not only do we share environment 

but also history. Traveling by bus through all the 

countries gave us a very intimate experience of just how 

different and yet similar all our countries are. 

Purpose of the tour 

GDanSK To ST. PETERSBURG in 12 DaYS 

The idea was to create direct links between teachers 

and students in the Baltic countries and Denmark and to 

encourage students and teachers to interact with each 

other about projects relating to the BSP programmes. 

This was achieved in almost every school, where visiting 

teachers and the teachers being visited exchanged contact 

information. The greatest barrier apart from the daily 

structural obstacles of meeting curricular demands seems 

to be language. Interacting through internet resources 

in a language that is not your mother tongue is a great 

challenge — both for teachers and students. It seems as 

though many teachers do not recognize their own communication 

skills in a foreign language since they are so 

used to being very communicative in their own. So the language 

barrier causes them embarrassment — a situation 

that is not attractive. 

The impetus to enhance cross-border communication in 

spite of these barriers could be the wish to motivate students 

by enabling them to have direct interaction with 

fellow students in other countries. 

We were presented with different approaches to the BSP 

programme, and in the following a few examples are 

chosen to illustrate this. 

We visited a high school that has a very interesting BSP 

activity about air pollution in Vilnius due to traffic. A report 

presented by two enthusiastic and capable students, Roma 

and Simona, informed us that air pollution is steadily rising 

in Vilnius. This was measured both by observing acid spots 

on leaves and by measuring the content of SO 2 in the air. 

The high school showed a very conscious approach towards 

and is therefore expected to be interested in cooperation 

with Danish schools. 

new BSP communication site — the 

possibility to interact directly 

EvENTS 

To facilitate direct communication between teachers and 

students in different countries, a communication site has 

been established. The address is www.unesco-asp.dk/bsp. 

The idea is to mix the internet interaction between the students 

with the work you have to do in school to enhance 

the motivation of the students to share both topics and 

BSP-initiated activities. Each BSP programme has its own 

section with descriptions, material that can be downloaded, 

and the contact information of the international 

programme coordinator. There is a discussion forum for 

each topic and possibilities to upload files, text and images 

that you intend to share with others. By following the same 

activity patterns, it is possible to compare results from the 

same observations and activities, thereby enhancing not 

only the learning potential, but also the potential to get to 

know each other across borders. 

The greatest barrier for everybody is the English language 

that is not the mother tongue of any of the participants. 

This barrier could be resolved by using more images and 

illustrations and less text. 

Janus Hendrichsen 

Consultant 

Ungdomsbyen, Islegaard Alle 5, Rudovre, Denmark 

E-mail: jh@ungdomsbyen.dk 

19 

Photos: Rūta Jociūtė-Žolynienė

EvEnTs 

BSP Summer Seminar 

in Ogresgals 

The Baltic Sea Project seminar was held in Ogresgals, Latvia 

from the 27th to the 29th of August. We spent three days 

in the lovely Ogresgals primary school, which is our BSP 

school and also the Eco–school with the green flag. There 

were students and teachers from Aizpute, Riga, Lielvarde, 

Staicele, Valmiera, Rujiena, Vecpiebalga, and Ogresgals. 

First we greeted friends from other parts of Latvia and 

created work groups. Then we studied air quality by the 

amount of species of lichens and lichen diversity. On the 

first day we investigated the quality of air around Ogresgals 

School. Some of us conducted this research in the school, 

and they compared the species of lichens. We determined 

that there is a big diversity of lichens on the trees near the 

school. This means that the air quality near the school is 

good. It was very hard to qualify some of the lichen species 

because of their similarity. But there was one – bitter 

lichen – that everyone recognized because of its horrible 

bitterness. We came to the conclusion that the air near 

Ogresgals School is comparatively pure. 

We determined water quality using indicators. We 

researched water quality in the Ranka River and in 

Ogresgals Spring as well. Ogresgals’ inhabitants take drinking 

water from this spring. After determining the results, 

we summarised and analysed them and tried to make conclusions 

for the presentation. 

The first evening was exciting. We had sport activities, different 

tasks, and games. 

The second day of the seminar began with art. We made 

bowls, frames, and coloured balls using natural materials. 

These art activities were very interesting, and the result – 

20 

original works of art – was surprising for many of us. In the 

afternoon we went on an excursion to Dole Island. Dole 

Island lies in Latvia’s biggest river – the Daugava. Before 

Riga HES was built, the island was 8.7 km long. Now it is 

partially flooded and connected to land – the territory of 

the city of Salaspils. The island’s length is 5.2 km, breadth 

– 2-2.5 km, and area – 975 ha. Dole Nature Park covers the 

entire territory of the island. The majority of this island 

is a plane. In the relief we can see the old branch of the 

Daugava – the Lebjava riverbed. The branches of the riverbed 

divide the island into two parts. The nature of the 

lower part of the island hasn’t changed. But the upper side 

has changed greatly. We observed the rapid growth of private 

building and areas where walking is prohibited. It was 

sad to see a dead oak tree – an important and well-known 

protected nature object. But its death is partly the result 

of irresponsible human behaviour. We are thankful for our 

National BSP coordinator Velga Kakse. She was an excellent 

guide during the excursion to Dole. In the evening we 

had a nice picnic with a camp fire, sandwiches, sausages, 

and rain. 

The last day of the seminar was the presentation day. Each 

group presented the results of the air and water quality 

and answered questions. It was interesting to see the 

groups present the themes “Save energy!”, “Don’t pollute 

air!”, “Don’t pollute water!”, “Sort garbage!”. One group 

created a silent show, another revealed the problem via 

common situations between friends and families, and 

another set submit with pantomimic faces. Everybody did 

well. The performances were very interesting to watch, and 

the variety, creativity, and talent of some of the groups was 

surprising. 

Photos: authors

All three days of the seminar were full of new knowledge 

as well as kind and friendly emotions. We were happy to 

take part in this seminar – but it was too short. 

Laura Adere, Ance Liene Satrovska, Janis Zardins and 

Selvijs Ozolins 

Students 

Agita Berzina 

Biology teacher 

Vecpiebalga Secondary School, p/n Vecpiebalga Cesu, 

Latvia 

E-mail: agitab@navigator.lv 

Baiba Berzina, Agate Reuta, Ieva Cirule, Martins Kalve 

and Valdis Alzins 

Students 

Anda Deksne 

Chemistry teacher 

Rujiena Secondary School, Rigas str. 30, Rujiena, Latvia 

E-mail: andadeksne@hotmail.com 

EvENTS 

21

BsP PROGRAMMEs 

The Spring Awakening 

PhEnoloGiCal oBSERVaTionS 

Weather in the spring in Lithuania is fairly volatile. March 

and April are rich in cloudy days, whereas there is more 

sun in May. It’s considered that spring has begun when 

migratory birds arrive, the first butterflies are seen, and hazel 

trees, coltsfoot, and violets start to blossom. This period is 

also called early spring or pre-spring. The aforementioned 

plants all start blossoming at different times. When warm 

southern weather dominates in the spring, hazel trees are 

the first to blossom, followed by alder and coltsfoot. And 

when wintry eastern winds and cold dry air flows from 

the continent dominate, coltsfoot is the first to blossom, 

followed by alder and hazel trees. If Atlantic weather 

is dominant in the spring, the first to blossom is alder, 

followed by coltsfoot and hazel trees. These conclusions 

were drawn by the founder of phenological studies in 

Lithuania, Professor Stasys Nacevičius, upon completion of 

his long-term observations. 

The movement of tree and bush sap is the first sign of 

spring. The blossoming of trees and bushes pollinated 

by the wind (hazel trees and willows) is the second sign 

of spring. The third sign is the blossoming of perennial 

herb plants (such as violets and snowdrop windflowers) 

in leaf-bearing forests. By observing the impact of spring 

phenomena on the life of plants, the proper dates for various 

agricultural works can be established and thus timely 

preparations for these works can be made. 

We watch the environment, and enjoy the first spring flowers 

from the very moment they appear. We teach children 

to love nature as soon as they start going to school. We 

observe nature, yet we don’t document our observations. 

We started to document the first heralds of spring only in 

the spring of 2002. We take into account just some of the 

plants included in the phenological protocol. Phenological 

observations are carried out by 5th-8th form pupils. The 

22 

Photos: Aušra Žemaitytė, Rūta Jociūtė-Žolynienė 

objectives and tasks of such observations are as follows: 

to establish what phenomena show the approaching of 

the spring and to observe where and when the heralds of 

spring are first to appear. These include Tussilago farfara 

(coltsfoot), Hepatica, Anemone nemorosa (snowdrop windflower), 

Corylus avellana (common hazel tree), Salix caprea 

(goat willow), and other plants entered in the phenological 

observations protocol. We listen to the birds singing, and 

we can hear them both next to our home and school. We 

examine phenological observation protocols, learn how to 

fill them in, and learn to collect and analyse data. 

Deimantė Stulgytė and Solveiga Dabrišiūtė have been 

taking part in phenological observation activity since 

the fifth form. At present, they are in the eighth form. The 

pupils analysed and tried to establish when spring was 

early and when it was late, taking into account the available 

data. They studied the characteristics of plants, as well 

as their ecological significance and use. The observations 

made by the pupils are consistently documented, and the 

plants being analysed are described in a comprehensive 

manner. Here is a short analysis they made: 

Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot) starts blossoming in the beginning 

of April and in May. It grows next to ditches, clayey 

hillsides, and at roadsides. It is a melliferous medicinal 

plant. With the number of people falling ill with coldrelated 

diseases, more attention should be paid to health 

and health promotion. A number of medicinal plants help 

to strengthen the human immune system. Coltsfoot is one 

of these. 

Hepatica nobilis blossoms in April and May. It is usually 

found on hillsides and in forests. This plant is poisonous 

and sometimes poisons cattle. It is grown in gardens, and 

can be various types and colours.

Anemone nemorosa (snowdrop windflower) blossoms in 

April and May, when trees still don’t have any leaves. Even 

though the plant is beautiful it is not suited for bouquets 

because it withers quickly and can be harmful due to its 

poisonous attributes. It can be grown in gardens. 

Corylus avellana (common hazel tree) blossoms before the 

leaves open. The wood is well-suited for making furniture 

and rims. Hazelnuts are eaten fresh, and oil is produced 

from nuts, and is then used in confectionary, cosmetics, 

and production of lacquers and varnish. Marc is used for 

producing halvah. Forest animals also like hazelnuts. Hazel 

trees help to regulate the level of humidity, improve the 

soil with their leaves, and are well-suited for strengthening 

hillsides and protection areas. 

Salix caprea (goat willow) blossoms in April, prior to the 

opening of leaves. It rarely lives for more than 60 years. 

The tree needs plenty of light and is resistant to cold and 

drought. It is a melliferous plant. The bark is used for production 

of black varnish. Wood is used as firewood, for 

various carvings, and for production of cellulose. 

We observe our plants at Aleksotas hillsides, next to the 

observational platform, which we pass by every day on our 

way to and from school. We selected the earliest observations 

for the past six years and present them in the following 

table and graphs: 

Year 

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

2007 April 

2005 April 2006 April 

Month 

Corylus avellana 

(common hazel 

tree) 

Salix caprea 

(goat willow) 

Hepatica nobilis 

Anemone 

nemorosa 

(snowdrop 

windflower) 

Tussilago farfara 

(coltsfoot) 

February 22 

March 2 2 

April 

February 

March 17 2 

April 

February 

2 

March 7 21 

April 

February 

March 

11 

April 

February 

March 

7 5 4 13 8 

April 

February 

12 14 12 29 17 

March 22 30 

April 15 28 5 

5 

7 

12 

14 

15 

28 

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 

Day 

Salix caprea - first blooms 

of sallow 

Corylus avellana - first 

blooms of hazelnut 

Illustrations: authors 

2005 2006 2007 

2004 

2003 

2002 

April 5 

April 12 

April 17 

April 8 

April 13 

April 4 

April 11 

March 21 

March 7 

April 2 

March 2 

March 17 

March 2 

March 2 

March 30 

March 22 

February 22 

April 29 

0 5 10 15 20 25 

Day 

30 

Tussilago farfara - first 

blooms of coltsfoot 

Anemone nemorosa - 

first blooms of wood 

anemone 

Hepatica nobilis - first 

blooms of blue anemone 

In accordance with our phenological observation data for 

the past six years, the earliest spring was in 2002, the latest 

– in 2007. The time periods between the awakening of the 

spring plants are usually two weeks. Our elders establish 

the time when various vegetables and flowers may be 

sown in gardens by taking into account the time of awakening 

of spring plants.” 

These activities are integrated in the educational schemes 

of environmental science, Chemistry, and Biology. During 

these lessons pupils learn to observe natural phenomena, 

to work in teams and cooperate, and develop their sense 

of responsibility, love for nature, and creativity. During educational 

trips pupils learn about the biological diversity of 

their native land. The most dedicated BSP participants of 

the environmental development and phenological observations: 

Here are the impressions of Egidijus Ževkovas after a trip 

with the BSP project participants: 

“This winter break was an exciting one. After Christmas I 

went to Poland together with other BSP project participants. 

At first, I felt somewhat uneasy knowing that I will 

meet BSP participants from other schools. In the bus, I sat 

next to Marija, a girl I got along great with. We visited three 

cities. Before going to Sopot we visited some interesting 

sites. The one that I remember best was Hitler’s military 

headquarters – the “Wolf’s lair”. Sopot is a resort town, and 

I liked it. I would like to visit it in summer. Then we went to 

Gdansk. It is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen, and the 

most beautiful part of it is the market square. Afterwards, 

we went to Malbork, the former capital of the Teutonic 

Order. We visited the castle of Malbork, where various arms 

are exhibited. I liked the castle a lot. Then we went to the 

site where the Battle of Grunwald took place. Then a long 

trip home followed. I didn’t want to go home and would 

have continued to travel…” 

Zita Ganusauskienė 

Chemistry and Biology teacher methodologist 

Kaunas Jonas Dobkevičius Secondary School 

V. Čepinskio str. 7, Kaunas, Lithuania 

E-mail: zitagan@gmail.com 


23


Winter Birds in Poland 

Mute Swan. Photos: author, P. Nowak 

Only six schools from Poland took part and sent the results 

in the annual wintering birds count in January 2008. 

● 3-LO im. M. Kopernika from Wałbrzych, 

● Szkoła Podstawowa no. 34 from Katowice, 

● Specjalny Ośrodek Szkolno-Wychowawczy im. 

L. Braille’a from Bydgoszcz, 

● Szkoła Podstawowa nr 86 from Kraków, 

● 1-LO im. H. Sienkiewicza from Łańcut and 

● 1-LO im. T. Kościuszki from Miechów. 

The most numerous bird species were Mallards Anas platyrhynchos, 

1060 individuals, and Mute swans Cygnus olor, 

410. Mute swans were mostly observed in Cracow on the 

Vistula River. One bird had a yellow neckband with the 

number 66EE on it. It was a male, ringed on 23 September 

2006 in its third calendar year at Sulejów Reservoir. We 

were also able to read five numbers on yellow rings placed 

on the right legs of swans. 

The numbers were: 

● 69MA — female in it second calendar year, ringed on 

14th July 2007 on the ponds in Borków, 

● 70MA — male in its third calendar year, ringed at the 

same time and place, 

● 76EA — male in its second calendar year, ringed on 12 

July at the ponds in Psary, 

24 

Long-tail Duck 

● 76ET — male cygnet, ringed on 9 September 2005 at 

Bolmin Reservoir, and 

● 96ET — male cygnet, ringed on 8 August 2006 at the 

ponds in Secemin. 

The scientific terminology of the age of birds is presented 

here. 

● Bird in its first calendar year — from hatching till 

the end of the year. 

● Bird in its second calendar year — from 1 January to 

31 December of the following year. 

The next years are numbered according to this rule. 

All these data we have thanks to bird banding, which is an 

aid to studying wild birds that involves attaching a small 

individually numbered metal or plastic ring to their legs, 

wings or necks so that various aspects of the bird’s life can 

be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later. 

This can include migration, longevity, mortality, population 

studies, feeding behaviour, and many other aspects. 

The most interesting observations were the presence 

of male Mandarin Duck, Aix galericulata, and female 

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis, both in Cracow. The 

Mandarin Duck probably escaped from a zoo or private 

breeder while the Long-tailed Duck, which predominantly 

winters on the Baltic Sea, was a real rarity. 

Mandarin Duck 

Andrzej Sliwinski 

Teacher and Bird Ecology programme 

coordinator 

LO im. T. Kosciuszki 

Maria Konopnicka str. 2, Miechow, 

Poland 

E-mail: andrewsl@wp.pl

Nature is magnificent, beautiful, and mysterious, but 

also extremely fragile and vulnerable. Humans are part 

of nature; therefore, they must feel the pulse of life and 

the related problems. However, more often than not it’s 

strange to see that many people have turned away from 

the singing of birds, flowers, and sunsets. With the rapid 

advancement of technologies, the nature of negative environmental 

factors changes: the risk posed by traditional, 

i.e. natural, threats is decreasing, whereas the risk posed 

by modern, i.e. anthropogenic, threats is increasing, determined 

by increasing environmental pollution. Who can 

change all this?... 

People turning away from nature, as well as their unethical 

behaviour in the natural environment, is shameful for 

everyone; therefore, the greatest burden of this shame 

should be assumed by family and the school where young 

people are educated. Acquired knowledge doesn’t automatically 

change one’s behaviour. In order for behaviour to 

change, one’s relationship with the environment and the 

world must change. To achieve this goal, the conditions 

for the formation of proper values in young people must 

be created. People must love and protect what’s around 

them and what’s familiar to them; therefore, one of the 

key objectives of environmental science or biology teachers 

is to encourage pupils to learn more about the natural 

environment, and to value and protect it. The use of the 

environment closest to school as an example in the educational 

process is the simplest way to achieve this goal. The 

environment close to our school is very diverse. Here, you 

can see sparrows chirping in the bushes, spiders making 

their webs, butterflies sitting on colourful flowers, partridges 

hiding under spruces and in boxes made by pupils 

in the winter, hawks holding their prey, bacteria colonies 

grown by taking sample crops at various locations next 

ExPERIEncE 

School Environment helps 

to learn Nature’s Secrets 

Lichens found on trees help to evaluate the quality of air. Photo: Rasa Radžiūnaitė 

to the school, and plenty of other exciting things. The 

most important thing is to draw pupils’ attention to the 

life around them. By observing and studying the environment, 

pupils expand their knowledge, learn more about 

the environmental processes, and acquire new skills. Major 

attention is paid to the following tasks: 

● Observation and study of natural objects; 

● Development and implementation of ecological and 

environmental projects; 

● Education of the school and town communities; 

● Spreading of good practice during district, national, 

and international conferences; and 

● Participation in district, national, and international 

environmental projects. 

● Our school has been taking part in the Baltic Sea 

Project since the very beginning; therefore, we have 

carried out numerous research and project tasks. In 

2007, we took part in the following two programmes: 

● Phenological observations; and 

● Air quality. 

The studies which need to be carried out in the process of 

implementation of the programmes were integrated in the 

Biology and Nature and Humans academic subjects. 5th 

and 6th form pupils carry out phenological observations 

in the spring, whereas 7th, 8th and 9th form pupils perform 

air quality studies using certain organisms as biological 

indicators. These works are performed in the autumn. 

7th form pupils determine the quality of air by observing 

black spots on maple leaves, 8th form pupils – by observing 

certain indicative characteristics of lichens, and 9th 

form pupils – by observing conifers. Every academic year, 

pupils carry out various studies under the Baltic Sea Project 

programmes. Such activities help pupils to understand 

25

ExPERIEncE 

and value the environment and environmental problems, 

improve their study-related skills, and form proper values. 

Our work includes not only studies under the Baltic Sea 

Project programmes, but also other environmental activities 

such as various projects, study of the immediate environment, 

surveys, promotions, activities aimed at educating 

the school and town communities, etc. In May of 2007, 

our school received the Green Flag international award for 

our environmental activities. 

Pupil work carried out in 2007 and 2008: 

1. Projects: 

● The impact of cars on the environment; 

● Biochemical studies of water in bodies of water in 

Kaunas District; 

● Beware of nitrates; 

● Our air; 

● Food and pollution; 

● Bacteria around us. 

2. Surveys: 

● Sorting of waste; 

● The journey to school. 

3. Promotions: 

● Waste paper collection means forest protection; 

● Sort your waste. 

4. Leaflets: 

● Our waste is our problem; 

● The impact of cars on the environment; 

● The water from my well. 

● Biology teachers carried out the following pupil surveys 

and statistical analysis: 

● Teaching methods at school; 

● Pupils’ ecological and environmental activity. 

● The objective of these works was to establish how 

pupils’ active work during lessons and after-school 

activity helps them to acquire the required knowledge, 

and to establish the extent to which pupils are 

interested in environmental issues. 373 5th-8th form 

pupils took part in the surveys. 

26 

Pupils study the spruce needles. Photo: author 

The study results are computer-processed. Photo: Giedrė Lakickaitė 

Conclusions: 

More than one half of the surveyed 5th-8th form pupils like 

environmental studies. 

Pupils prefer active learning methods during their classes. 

Traditional and active educational methods are equally 

important for knowledge acquisition. 

Pupils learn about environmental changes during lessons 

and through various sources of information. 

Most pupils at least sometimes contribute to environmental 

activities, and the number of 8th form pupils constantly 

undertaking environmental activities (sorting of waste, 

cleaning of the environment, use of non-traditional energy 

sourced at home, etc.) is increasing. 

Most pupils want to study and learn about the environment, 

and are aware of why they should take care of the 

environment. 

We can see not only that pupils like to actively participate 

in the educational process, but also that this active participation 

brings evident results. Thanks to the specific tasks 

that they perform and their contacts with the environment, 

pupils learn to feel their duty in relation to nature 

and want to maintain a positive relationship with the environment 

even after finishing school. 

The mysterious world of spiders. Photo: author 

Rasa Salemonienė 

Biology teacher 

Kaunas District Garliava Jonučiai Secondary School, 

Vasario 16-osios str. 8, Garliava, Kauno r., Lithuania 

E-mail: rs0322@one.lt

The first 

Research 

of Nature 

I am a teacher of primary classes, and I am always searching 

for new ways and methods of teaching my students 

various subjects. I want to make my lessons more interesting 

and attractive. Last year I was offered the opportunity 

to join to the BSP programme. Because I work with 

primary classes, I decided to choose Phenological studies. 

Last spring our class enjoyed doing the BSP programme in 

Phenological studies. 

The primary goals were to promote love for nature, to 

make lessons untraditional and more interesting, and to 

improve knowledge not only of nature but also of English. 

I was quite pleased with the results. My students enjoyed 

observing nature. They found learning more interesting 

and it increased their motivation to learn. It was also very 

useful for me. I had a possibility to integrate a lot of subjects 

and to attract my students to learning. 

We live in the territory of the Rambynas Regional Park. 

There are 703 different species of plants and 206 species of 

birds registered in the park. There is a large colony of white 

storks that has settled in a small pinewood forest near the 

Nemunas River. Some white storks made their nest on the 

roof of our school. It was therefore not very difficult for us 

to see the first white storks. We are waiting for them this 

spring too. 

The BSP was a great opportunity for us to become 

acquainted with many species of plants and birds known 

only from TV and handbooks. We searched and found out 

about the appearance, manner and behaviour of the birds 

of Lithuania. This project gave us the opportunity to have 

a lot of interesting lessons and walks in nature. We became 

closer to it. 

The students are improving their English too; they keep 

notes in which the results of their observations are 

recorded. Some English words are interesting and funny 

for students, for example, cuckoo, snowdrop, etc. 

My students have already felt the excitement of researching 

nature, and I am sure that what they learn now will 

remain in their hearts forever. 

Ligita Kazlauskienė 

Teacher 

E-mail: ligita-kazlausk@one.lt 

Students of 4th class 

Vilkyškiai Secondary School, Vilkyškiai, 99254, 

Pagėgiai Local Goverment, Lithuania 

E-mail: vilkyskiu_vidm@takas.lt 

ExPERIEncE 

Photos: authors 

27

vARIA 

The Baltic Sea and Lake victoria 

- learning from each other 

Lake Victoria and the Baltic Sea are both examples of 

endangered water resources that are shared by a number 

of countries. However, the two regions represent different 

stages in the development of cooperation between countries 

with common interests in natural resources. While the 

countries bordering the Baltic Sea have interacted for a 

long time in order to promote sustainable development in 

the region the same process has just started around Lake 

Victoria. Thus, there are reasons to transfer the experiences 

from the Baltic Sea cooperation to the Lake Victoria region. 

A group consisting of people from schools and environmental 

organisations in Sweden, Kenya, Uganda, and 

Tanzania responded to this challenge. The Swedish part of 

the group, teachers from Nacka gymnasium, together with 

young environmentalists from Fältbiologerna, are active 

in BSP, with experience to engage students and young 

people around the Baltic Sea in environmental studies 

and educational programs, meetings, and actions. The 

East African project group consists of teachers and Wildlife 

Club patrons from the three countries. The purpose of 

the project is to demonstrate “the good example” and 

“the best practice” of BSP activities to youth environmental 

organisations and upper secondary schools in Kenya, 

Tanzania, and Uganda and to inspire them to replicate this 

in their own region, towards their own fellows and with 

focus on their own environmental problems, resulting in 

the formation of a Lake Victoria network for schools and 

environmental clubs. The network is named Lake Victoria 

Youth Cooperation (LVYCo). 

The formation of LVYCo has been ongoing for three years 

and is funded by the Swedish International Development 

Cooperation Agency (Sida). During the first year there was 

a conference on web based information in Kisumu for 

teachers, Wildlife Club patrons, and young student environmentalists 

from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Sweden. 

The link to BSP was also established by inviting the same 

people from LVYCo to the conference on sustainable fish- 

28 

City parade in Mwanza, Tanzania. Photos: Susanne Mellvig 

ery in Nacka, Sweden where they could meet BSP delegations 

from all around the Baltic Sea (see BSP Newsletter 

No. 2, 2004). This conference was officially opened by the 

Swedish Minister for the Environment Lena Sommerstad 

who pointed out the importance of meeting and working 

together and learning from each other. 

During the second project year there were a lot of LVYCo 

activities in each country in order to involve more schools 

in the project from one per country to ten per country in 

East Africa, thus making 30 schools in the project to date. 

This work was crowned with two big LVYCo conferences, 

one in Mwanza, Tanzania in February 2006, and another in 

Entebbe, Uganda in May 2007. 

The conferences were attended by approximately 220 participants; 

195 from the Lake Victoria region (65 from Kenya, 

Uganda, and Tanzania, respectively) and 25 from Sweden. 

Among these participants, the majority were students 

and young people. The conferences were also attended 

by a number of NGOs and Governmental organizations 

in the region. Mr Peter. Toima, Regional Commissioner of 

Mwanza, opened the first conference by noting the importance 

of involving young people against the pollution in 

Lake Victoria. 

The guiding theme of the Mwanza conference was “Save 

Lake Victoria – Stop Pollution” indicating the thematic 

frames for the meeting sessions. The conference covered 

ten themes focusing on the pollution of the lake and one 

teacher was assigned to take the overall responsibility for 

each theme, and one student involved in the project from 

the pioneer schools acted as study leader within the group. 

Each theme and workshop consisted of 20 participants. 

Each group among the ten groups (themes) presented its 

finding with posters, drama, songs, etc. with facts and conclusions. 

Additionally, three experienced facilitators, one 

from each country (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania), made 

presentations on related topics.

Lunch break with entertainment 

During the conference, the participants had the opportunity 

to visit fish landing sites, fishermen camps, an international 

fish market, wetlands, a dumping site, and a waste 

water treatment plant. In these areas, the participants 

gained a clear picture on the extent of pollution in Lake 

Victoria, the over fishing of the Nile perch, the problem of 

plastic bags, which are out of control in the dumping site, 

the re-use of fish waste in chicken feed, the overcrowding 

of people in fishermen camps, which has resulted in 

the spread of HIV/AIDS in the area. The situation that the 

participants faced in this study visit in Mwanza was said 

to be similar to Kenya and Uganda. Thus, the study visit 

challenged the participants to deal with the situation in a 

better way in the better future. 

The next conference, one year later in Entebbe, was 

opened by Mr. Patrick Ssembele from the Uganda Ministry 

of Education who stressed the importance of a new educational 

policy in the East African region, especially in 

the fields of environmental sciences, which should promote 

practical research and learning by doing. This vision 

became the guiding theme of the conference “Lake 

City parade in Entebbe. 

vARIA 

City parade in Entebbe 

Victoria - Our Concern” focusing on the development of 

a common program for investigations and activities in 

order to strengthen the common goals of the network and 

empowering its young members. This time, seminars and 

workshops were to a much greater extent prepared and 

led by students and young environmentalists. 

The students were trained in measuring chlorophyll in 

order to assess the grade of eutrophication, to take and 

handle tissue samples for analysis of heavy metals, and to 

watch and identify birds and use bird inventories for environmental 

mapping. The student delegates also spent their 

time producing their own handbook for young environmentalists 

and debating on how to correctly practice their 

democratic rights in order to protect the environment. For 

example, DDT against malaria will be allowed in Uganda, 

and students learnt to evaluate the risk of toxic biomagnifiaction 

and discussed optional antimalaria methods and 

ways to stop the use of DDT. 

The three scientific programs, chlorophyll measurements, 

heavy metal sampling, and bird inventory will be 

run parallel in all schools all around the lake and provide 

the students with a common foundation for data, discussions, 

and analysis. Newsletters, policy handbooks, learner 

guides, national gatherings, and regional conferences will 

be arenas for making joint conclusions and future plans. 

Rolf Erikson 

Teacher 

Nacka Gymnasium, Griffelvägen17, 131 40 Nacka, Sweden 

E-mail: rolf.c.eriksson@nacka.se 

29

vARIA 

The Concept of an Ecological 

House of the New Generation 

At present, ecological houses are not popular in Lithuania, 

and usually only individual ecological solutions are implemented. 

Therefore, our goal is to develop a comprehensive 

and feasible system. In the search for the best solutions, 

the process of improvement of the project, drawing preparation, 

layout production, comparative calculations, and 

information analysis lasted for three years. The third house 

model features a comprehensive energy-saving system 

reducing pollution emission: passive ventilation, hybrid 

power-based and natural waste water removal systems, 

and an original house structure. 

We designed an original passive ventilation system, 

inspired by nature (Australian termite mounds) and considering 

the experience of eastern nations. The operation 

of the system is based on the principle of gas convection 

and Bernoulli’s law. The ventilation operates only thanks to 

its structural peculiarities. The circulation of air takes place 

due to the temperature difference that occurs when using 

solar energy to heat the air, the volume of air increases as 

it is heated in the “solar chimney”, which results in natural 

air flow convection and formation of vacuum in the 

model (≈ -6 Pa), which makes fresh air enter the house. 

The system ensures constant circulation of the inside and 

30 

Model of Ecological House. Photo: authors 

environmental air equal ≈ 0,0015 m3 /s (1,9 L/s). During the 

summer, fresh air is supplied through underground ventilation 

channels (“Canadian wells”), where it is cooled and 

then supplied to the house, whereas the house’s atrium is 

cooled using “wind catchers”, which ensure air conditioning 

in the building during the warm season. In the winter, a 

combined ventilation system is used. Fresh air is heated by 

a waste heat exchanger or “pneumatic collector” – a solar 

collector intended for air heating. The collector assembled 

in the model is able to produce much more than just the 

amount of heat required for ventilation – it can also produce 

the heat required for heating. Thus upon installation 

of our system, heating of the building is possible as well, 

because the capacity of our “pneumatic collector” reached 

250 W, which is the equivalent of 5000 W in a real building. 

Furthermore, a hybrid power system was used to heat the 

building. The system comprises solar energy collectors, a 

biofuel boiler, and a heat pump. Solar energy is efficiently 

used in solar collectors (where both air and water are 

heated), and thanks to the “water collectors” hot water is 

supplied where needed. An additional amount of heat to 

ensure constant temperature during the cold season is

obtained by burning biofuel using heat pumps (geothermic 

energy). Plans were to install a heat pump in the house 

model, yet due to technical problems only an imitation 

was assembled in the model, and a biofuel boiler model 

was chosen for the purpose of conducting experiments. 

The usefulness coefficient of the designed boiler reaches 

90 percent. Centralised heating was connected via copper 

pipes, and a floor heating system was installed instead 

of radiators. Study results demonstrated that the system 

stops the uninterrupted circulation (convection) flow, 

which occurs when using regular radiators. In this manner, 

the floor in the model was heated uniformly to reach the 

temperature of approximately 35ºC and to reduce the variable 

relative humidity to 60 percent. 

A local sewerage system was installed for removal of waste 

water. It is a passive waste water treatment system operating 

without any additional energy. A horizontal macrophyte 

filter was installed in the system, in which waste 

water treatment is based on the biological decomposition 

processes. Due to the insufficient dimensions of the model, 

a fake horizontal macrophyte filter was installed; however, 

to conduct tests a separate treatment device of this type 

was produced from organic glass. Macrophyte plants were 

used in the filter: rushes and other small-height marsh flora. 

During the tests, the efficiency of the filter was observed, 

and physical characteristics of water such as colour, transparency, 

odour, and nitrate quantity were studied. During 

the experiment it was established that the coefficient of 

cleaning water reaches 60 to 70 percent, i.e. it is 20 percent 

lower than the recommended norms. This error could 

occur due to the insufficiently large area of the filter, which 

is 0.5 m2 . The recommended area is 10 m2 . 

It goes without saying that the building structure has a 

great impact on energy saving. In our previous project 

models, more regular systems were used, and the projects 

themselves were oriented only towards individual residential 

houses. In this project we took into consideration both 

Kostas and Ignas - authors of the house model. Photo: authors 

individual residential houses and administrative (office) 

buildings, because they are some of the main energy consumers. 

The house structure resembles a “dug-out”; when 

looking from a distance it looks like a mountain. The 0.5 m2 building (real size – approximately 350 m2 ) has two storeys, 

and an internal yard – atrium, which ensures a sufficient 

quantity of natural light in the entire house. The structure 

of this house is oriented considering the cardinal directions, 

and the greatest number of windows is found in the 

south, ensuring that the maximum solar energy amount 

is used. Plans are to use ecological construction materials 

(clay, wood, lime, glass, non-ferrous metals) for the project, 

and to grow plants on the roof. 

This project was presented to our school community 

during ecology classes. 

Upon completing all tests and comparative calculations, 

we established that our project is promising and offers 

numerous advantages. Compared to a normal building of 

the same area, our house consumes 50 to 60 percent less 

energy, produces lower quantities of harmful substances, 

and the project itself complies with the aesthetic standards 

of modern architecture. However, our project has 

some disadvantages, too. Construction of such a building 

costs twice as much compared to construction of an 

ordinary structure house, and a rather large plot of land 

is needed. We also developed a scheme under which the 

state and accreditation entities could partially finance construction 

of these houses, which would certainly increase 

their popularity and help to reduce the number of environmental 

problems. 

Ignas Ambrazevičius, Algimantas Kostas Sabulis 

Students 

Prienai “Žiburys” Gymnasium 

J. Basanavičiaus str. 1, Prienai, Lithuania 

E-mail: ziburys@centras.lt 

vARIA 

31

vARIA 

Insects around us 

Insects are the biggest systematic group. The enormous 

variety of morphologic forms as well as the biological 

diversity of insects allows them to exist in all biological 

niches and land biocoenosis and to some extent sweet 

water biocoenosis. 

This aspect inspired me to analyse entomofauna of a 

mountain belonging to the Kamienne range. The spot of 

my research was Stożek Mountain in the Suche Mountains 

in the Sudety Wałbrzyskie Landscape Park. The Suche 

Mountains are the highest, the biggest, and the most 

differse part of the Kamienne Mountains. Sożek Wielki 

together with Stożek Mały, which are to the south, form an 

isolated group in the northwestern part of the mountain 

range. The name ‘stożek’ is strictly connected with the shape 

of a regular cone. Stożek Wielki is built of Permian melaphyre. 

The soil in the area is mainly acid, brown soil often 

connected with beechwood and spruce trees of anthropogenic 

origin. The highest parts of the mountains are covered 

with spruce trees. Spruce and beech forest covers the 

vast surface of Stożek. Young beech trees and herbaceous 

plants grow near the summit whereas the top itself is covered 

with spruce trees monoculture. On part of the north 

slope of Stożek Wielki there’s a wet valley with numerous 

herbaceous plants like nettle (Urtica sp.), ragwort (Senecio 

sp.), butterbur (Petasites sp.), and touch-me-not (Impatiens 

sp.).The foothills of Stożek from the Unisław Śląski side are 

covered with xerothermic meadows. In addition the nearest 

area you can find damp meadows, xerotherms, and the 

mixed forest of Dzikowiec Mountain. The Ścinawka River 

flows at the foot of Stożek. 

The objective of my work is to show the variety of interesting 

and rare protected insects that appear in the area 

32 

Nymphalis antiopia 

of Stożek Massif and neighbouring ecosystems. I started 

catching the insects at the end of April 2006 and continued 

until the end of September. The research and documentation 

methods I applied were: 

Digital photographing – crucial in the case of protected 

species as well as big and easily identifiable ones; 

Catching with entomological scoop and net; poisoning and 

preparation were done in accordance with entomological 

norms. Protected insects were marked on the spot or they 

were set free (bumble-bees, some beetles). 

Trap method - jars hidden underground with some bait 

inside (meat, carrion, cheese, fruit). 

I identified the specimens with the help of illustrated 

guides and the Internet. 

In conclusion, considering my studies and after analyzing 

the species of entomofauna from the chosen area, it 

was easy to characterize the insects. The connection of 

the insects and the plants is unquestionable. The review 

of habitats shows how entomofauna biodiversity changes 

with the increasing number of plant species. Moreover, it 

seems obligatory to care for these habitats, which provide 

protection to entomologically priceless species or even 

whole families (like Lycaenidae). 

Łukasz Foryś 

Student 

Marga Czyż 

Teacher 

III LO im M. Kopernika w Wałbrzychu ul. Jordana 

454-303, Wałbrzych, Poland 

E-mail: dariuszczyz@op.pl 

Thomisimus 

Rutpela maculata Rhaqium mordax. Photos: author

Floods at 

the Seaside 

We’ve almost forgotten what snow looks like. Is it just 

Mother Nature’s trick or a sign of global warming? For several 

years in a row now, winters in Lithuania have hardly 

resembled the winters that our parents remember. The 

warming trends are evidenced by various natural disasters 

occurring around the world. In Lithuania, this means 

floods. 

Spring floods cause numerous problems for the people 

living by the delta of River Nemunas. Floods occur due 

to excess ice blocking Nemunas riverbed, whereupon an 

abundance of water spreads to meadows and forests and 

covers vast areas. The spreading water and ice damage riverbanks, 

flood villages, and destroy roads. Most residents 

in these areas are able to reach land only by boat or special 

transport. The floods cause serious damage every year. 

In early February this year, the water level on the Šilutė– 

Rusnė road reached 37 cm. Rescue teams lift vehicles using 

tractors along the 400 metres of flooded road. Curious 

sightseers from numerous Lithuanian cities and villages 

come here to see the terrible flood, yet the locals will certainly 

say that the flood is fine and expected. 

Old local residents know how to prepare for floods. A boat 

is tied next to each farmstead. Food stock and fodder are 

stored in a safe place. Cattle are kept in special mounted 

sheds. 

Šilutė fire protection rescue service is very busy during 

floods. It undertakes extraordinary measures in order to 

save people and their property. An amphibious vehicle is 

used to evacuate people from their flooded homes. Where 

needed, the rescue service ensures urgent delivery of doctors 

to the flooded area. 

vARIA 

Photos: author 

The only solution that would help to reduce the damage 

incurred by residents from the floods to Rusnė Island is an 

overpass above the road range that is so often flooded. 

The overpass would help to solve the problem of communication 

with Rusnė. 

Violeta Lukočienė 

Teacher 

Šilutė primary school, Lietuvininkų str. 38, Šilutė, Lithuania 

E-mail: violetaluk@nkm.lt 

33

vARIA 

The Moss of Ksiaz 

Landscape Park ¸ˇ 

The objective of my research was the moss in the 

Pełcznica River gorge. 

Moss (Musci, Bryopsida) is widespread and a very old group 

of plants. They existed even in the Palaeozoic era. In Poland 

there are 670 species, which can be divided into: 

● Peatmoss (Sphagnidae), 

● Andreaiedae (Andreaiedae), 

● The Bryidae (Bryidae), 

● The Buxbaumiidae (Buxbaumiidae), 

● Haircap moss (Polytrichidae). 

They are tiny, green land plants. Some of them have 

adapted to living in water. I would like to present the different 

species of moss which appear in the area of the 

Pełcznica River gorge near Książ Castle. 

In the protected area there are 73 classifications of moss, 

which can be divided into the following groups: 

● ground species a part of forest groupings 

34 

Dicranella heteromalla. Photo: http://www.kuleuven-kortrijk.be Mnium hornum. Photo: http://www.kuleuven-kortrijk.be 

Atrichum undulatum. Photo: http://www.gymnosperms.org 

● mountain species of the Pełcznica River gorge 

● calciphilous moss in regard to the altitude group (lowland, 

upland, subalpine) 

The species I have observed in this area are described by 

the varieties that we can notice most often while walking 

along the routes. The number and diversity of the species 

here is influenced by the forest groups in the area. 

Alder Forest (Alnetum incanae) The Sudety Mountains type 

appears in the lowest part of the gorge along the Pełcznica 

River on both banks at 100-150 meters above sea level. It 

grows on alluvial, rocky soil that occasionally floods (every 

few years). 

The moss layer consists of: Dicranella heteromalla, Pohlia 

nutans, Mnium hornum. 

Dry ground forest grows in higher parts of the gorge at 

150-300 m above sea level on clay, sandy, and rocky soil. 

The moss layer consists mainly of: Atrichum undulatum, 

Plagiomnium affine, Hypnum cupressiforme. 

Beechwood grows on poor, acid soil. The soil is shallow and 

very rocky, temporarily dry. The wood grows on the sides 

in the highest parts of the gorge at 200-400 m above sea 

level. 

The rich moss layer consists mainly of: Pohlia nutans, 

Dicranella heteromalla, or Dicranum scoparium. 

Bartek Czajka 

Student 

Marga Czyż 

Teacher 

III LO im M. Kopernika in Wałbrzych 

ul. Jordana 454-303, Wałbrzych, Poland 

E-mail: dariuszczyz@op.pl

School in Gdynia 

X Secondary School in Gdynia has existed since 1992 – 

this year our school is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Our 

school was established as a result of the transformation of 

the pedagogical school for teachers. It inherited the traditions 

and the name of patriotic teachers, which clearly 

refers to the school’s history. The building itself housed 

pedagogical schools for over 50 years. All of them were 

very respected and popular among students. Today, our 

school has earned respect as a well-organized institution, 

one of Gdynia’s top secondary schools. It has numerous 

didactic and educational achievements on its scorecard, as 

well as a special ambience. We are proud of the fact that 

100% of our graduates have continued their studies in 

various universities and colleges. 

What do we do as part of BSP? 

Since we joined the Baltic Sea Project two years ago, participation 

in the programme has become one of the most 

important environment-friendly activities that take place 

in our school. What is more, it plays a significant part in 

international cooperation and among schools within the 

Polish borders. 

We have been trying to take advantage of the location of 

our school - the coastline of the Baltic Sea. The majority 

of our activities are connected to learning about the sea 

ecosystem, a place of extraordinary flora and fauna, as 

well as an area exposed to the influence of anthropological 

activities. We act under the school name: The Club of 

Baltic Researchers. 

We have monitored the seacoast systematically – observing 

the condition of the beaches and organisms dwelling 

in selected sections of the coastline. We have cooperated 

with the Sea Station in Hel, along with students and doctors 

from the oceanography faculty of Gdańsk University. 

We have realized projects on the biodiversity of the maritime 

belt area. We have organized classes in the Hel sealarium, 

where our students work as volunteers. For the last 

two years we have taken part in the students’ field workshop 

at the mouth of the Rewa River, where we recognized 

various species and observed the migration of ichthyofauna. 

We have reached the local fishermen and gathered 

information about the condition of the water in the gulf 

from them. We also asked for the presence of endangered, 

rare or even new, invasive species. 

Not only do we actively participate in scientific conferences 

WHO ARE WE? 

concerning sea matters, such as “Sea mammals and man in 

a coastal ecosystem - is coexistence possible?”, but also in 

films and activities that were held as a part of the Baltic 

Festival, as well as in lectures related to the biology and 

ecology or even chemistry of the waters held by Gdańsk 

University. Each year we run an interdisciplinary contest, 

“The Baltic Sea - the sweetest sea in the world”, which 

draws great interest from the students. Teachers of all subjects 

are involved in this undertaking and the questions 

concern almost every subject. There are many winners. 

The contest appoints specialists in different areas: biology 

of the sea, chemistry and physics of the sea, history of the 

Baltic countries and their languages. Our other activities 

cover taking part in scientific cruises, inviting guests whose 

work is linked with the Baltic Sea, organizing lectures and 

even a qualified course in order to obtain a fishing license 

(with the cooperation of the appropriate local authority 

centre). Students need to assimilate knowledge of species 

dwelling in Polish waters, their times, conservation times 

and limits, as well as information about the dangers of 

individual organisms. 

Some of our activities have been described in BSP newsletters: 

● “Cassubia - yesterday, today and tomorrow” (2006/2) 

● “Visiting the Hel marine station” (2006/1) 

● “Educational cruise across the Gulf of Gdańsk” 

(2006/1) 

Representatives from our school successfully took part in 

the international conference BSP “Diversity & Sustainabi- 

lity” (2006), where our project about Cassubia was presented. 

We participated in the workshop “Sustainable fishery” 

in Bornholm (2006) as well, and this year, in September, 

we also went to Katowice to participate in a workshop for 

teachers entitled “Biological diversity on the industrial 

areas of Upper Silesia and sustainable development in the 

Baltic Sea region”. 

Patrycja Wojtkowiak-Skóra 

Teacher 

E-mail: patrycjawojtkowiak@o2.pl 

Ilona Krzyżańska 

Teacher 

E-mail: odgyfcal@yahoo.com, 

X LO im. Gdyńskich Nauczycieli Bohaterów II Wojny 

Światowej, Ul Władysława IV no. 58, Gdynia, Poland 

35 

Photos: authors

WHO ARE WE? 

Our Goal is to protect 

the Environment 

Environmental protection is one of the main priorities 

at Kaunas District Lapių Basic School. This work can be 

grouped into the following three categories: research, raising 

public awareness, and environmental improvement. 

We like to carry out environmental research at our school. 

However, carrying out such tasks has one disadvantage 

– only 3-5 pupils can be involved at a time, whereas the 

number of those who would like to participate is much 

higher. Thus, when teaching about the environment, its 

laws and environmental protection, diverse work methods 

must be applied. 

One such task is awareness raising. Let me tell you about 

my work with young children. The Black Stork Club of 

young forest friends was founded at our school 12 years 

ago. Together with members of the club we joined the 

national Society of Young Forest Friends (SYFF). With 

vast experience in working with children, we came to the 

conclusion that we must start teaching them at a much 

younger age. In the spring of 2006, we founded the Little 

Stork Club at Lapių kindergarten, attended by the youngest, 

i.e. pre-school class, children. 

Thus, in their free time, the members of the Black Stork Club 

work with six-year-olds. The first meeting was held during 

the pupil’s autumn break. In the beginning, we introduced 

the SYFF, and its objectives and tasks. We taught six-yearold 

children how to recognise various trees. Our young 

learners already know that autumn maple leaves have to 

be drawn with black spots (Rhytisma acerinum) on them, 

which show that the air around us is clean. Last autumn, 

we took part in the national lesson called Mushrooms for 

the Forest Rather Than for Our Table. The children were 

impressed by the variety of mushrooms found around the 

world, as well as the colours (e.g. bright blue) of some of 

the mushrooms. They were happy to play various active 

games dedicated to the topic of mushrooms, and to take 

part in contests. 

During the pupils’ winter breaks we always decorate a 

36 

Do you know what maple leaves should look like in autumn? Older pupils teach nursery school pupils 

Christmas tree at the kindergarten, and our Christmas tree 

is a special one… We teach the children how to decorate 

the tree at home and tell them that Christmas trees should 

be purchased only at special places rather than cut in their 

own forest. During Christmas celebrations at the kindergarten 

we invite new members to our Small Stork Club. 

In the spring, we organise phenological exhibitions. We tell 

about the Baltic Sea Project, which our school joined some 

years ago, and demonstrate our phenological research 

protocol. We instruct on how to fill in the document. The 

phenological exhibition at the kindergarten is open for one 

week, and the children themselves, as well as their parents 

and teachers, contribute to it. Furthermore, children learn 

about the plants flowering in the spring (and there are so 

many of these in our area!) 

At the beginning of summer, events dedicated to environmental 

protection are attended by the school’s 1st-4th 

form pupils and kindergarteners. We wrote about the Fox 

Path in BSP Newsletter No. 1-2 (28), and we are planning to 

hold a Paper Day this year. 

We also undertake awareness-raising campaigns aimed at 

older pupils and at the Lapių Seniūnija (administrative unit) 

community. Positive results can be achieved only thanks to 

the cooperation of all members of the community and a 

variety of implemented tasks. 

Another type of activity – good works for the environment 

– is carried out as well. These are dedicated to tree planting, 

cleaning the environment, taking care of historical 

sites and architectural monuments, seed collection, and 

nesting-box building. We’ll tell more about this in our next 

Newsletter. 

Rasa Stankienė 

Teacher 

Kaunas District Lapės Basic School 

A. Merkio str. 3, Lapės, Kauno r., Lithuania 

E-mail: anemone@one.lt 

New members are invited to 

the Small Stork Club. 

Photos: author

For thousands of years man has fished to eat and trade. 

Alongside the development of the technology surrounding 

fishing, we have started to fish larger and larger quantities, 

never considering what consequences this might bring to 

the marine ecosystem; never thinking for a moment that 

the resources of the sea might not be infinite. Now, however, 

we can no longer ignore the fact that the cod in the 

Baltic Sea are being overfished and very rapidly moving 

closer and closer to extinction. 

According to the EU-commission the fishing of cod must 

be reduced by at least 80% in the near future, otherwise 

they will be completely extinct in the Baltic Sea. 

To prevent this from happening, a number of protection 

measures, besides lowering the allowed fishing quota, are 

necessary. The most important steps are: to start using 

fishing nets with larger meshes, give more funding for 

research, create reserves where fishing is forbidden, and 

stop the pollution of the Baltic Sea. We also have to make 

sure that rules that have been approved are being followed 

by stricter supervision and distinct consequences. To make 

this possible, it’s essential that politicians and society, as 

well as the individual, become properly informed of the 

situation and take responsibility. The individual can for 

example boycott cod from exposed areas such as the Baltic 

Sea in order to make a change. 

As mentioned earlier, one important step towards a more 

sustainable fish population is lowering the maximum 

Photos: authors. Stock photos: Image DJ, PhotoDisc 

What can we do? 

FOR cOnsIDERATIOn 

allowed quota. If we continue fishing the large amount that 

we are today, there won’t be any cod left in the very near 

future. The best thing would be to stop fishing it entirely, 

but since many refuse to do so, lowering the quota is the 

next best thing we can do. 

Along with this we also must ensure that more of the 

young cod survive and that they live long enough to produce 

offspring. To do this, we must: introduce a total ban 

when the cod are mating, create reserves, and use nets 

with larger meshes. 

Today the consequences of breaking the rules are not 

severe enough to stop fishermen from ignoring them 

from time to time. The lack of supervision doesn’t help the 

matter either. So if we’re serious about saving the cod we 

have to see to it that the rules are obeyed, and make the 

punishments harsher if they are not. 

37


Fishermen who fish more than allowed don’t do so because 

they’re violent criminals; they do it because they don’t 

know any better. Either that or they don’t see any other 

way to survive economically. What we (our governments) 

need to do is to increase people’s knowledge on the matter 

so that they know how bad the situation in the Baltic Sea 

is and understand that if they keep on fishing like they are 

today, they’re only postponing the problem. If the quotas 

are lowered, a large number of fishermen will be out of 

work. To prevent unemployment, we need to give them 

the opportunity for new education so they can begin new 

(cod friendly) careers. 

An essential threat to a sustainable cod population is the 

overload of nutrient substances in the Baltic Sea. Many different 

kinds of algae (e.g. planktonic algae and filamentous 

algae) thrive in this overload, which makes it possible for 

them to flourish, divide, and grow much more rapidly than 

before. When these algae eventually die, they fall down to 

the bottom of the sea where bacteria and other organisms 

break them down. The issue is that these organisms, which 

will increase in number as a consequence of the extra feeding, 

consume oxygen. In many parts of the Baltic Sea the 

population of oxygen-consuming organisms have grown 

so large that they’ve entirely deleted the oxygen from the 

bottoms. The cod’s eggs need a rather high content of salt 

in the water in order to survive and to develop. In the Baltic 

Sea, only the deepest bottoms are salty enough for the 

cod to spawn, and it’s exactly these areas which now have 

become mostly oxygen-free. This has strongly restrained 

the cod’s reproduction. To change this and give the cod 

stock a chance to recover we must stop polluting and 

eutropicating the Baltic Sea. Thus, an important measure 

is to make the industries and big cities clean their sewage, 

wastewater, and outflow before letting it back into the sea. 

38 

This could be done through stricter environmental regulation 

and more and improved sewage treatment works. 

In addition to the measures mentioned earlier, a boycott 

could be an effective solution to the cod situation in 

the Baltic Sea. If no one bought cod products, the shops 

wouldn’t gain anything from including them in their stock. 

Consequently cod fishermen wouldn’t be able earn a living 

on fishing. Theoretically this should be a very good way for 

common citizens to use their power as consumers in order 

to improve the cod situation. But would a boycott really 

provide the desired results? 

Professional fisherman Rolf Petterson doesn’t consider a 

boycott to be a solution. “It won’t help, it won’t help; the 

fish will just be exported instead. We fishermen, we are not 

affected at all by boycotts. For a boycott to help, the entire 

world would have to participate, and that’s not very likely.” 

“However fishermen from Eastern European states don’t 

care about quotas or regulations. They don’t think the 

same way as we do. People who’ve experienced great poverty 

don’t care about measures that long-term could save 

the cod. If they need the fish today in order to make their 

living, they simply catch it.” 

Rolf doesn’t think that a total fishing prohibition in the 

Baltic Sea would help. “No, the Eastern European fishermen 

would continue anyway…” he finishes with a deep sigh. 

In conclusion there are several ways in which the cod could 

be saved from extinction. However, with the continuing 

rate at which the cod population is now decreasing, in the 

near future these measures might no longer be enough. 

Aurora Björnberg, Anna Koulkova and Sandra Johansson 

Students 

Nacka gymnasium, Griffelvägen17, 131 40 Nacka, Sweden

Photos: Rūta Jociūtė-Žolynienė 

Once I was walking in a park and drinking a bottle of lemonade. 

When I finished the bottle, I threw it down and went 

on. Suddenly, I heard someone calling me: 

“Hey, please don’t leave me here, keep the environment 

clean,” the voice said. “Protect the environment.” I turned 

around and saw that the empty waste bottle was talking 

to me. 

“I have more exciting things to do than collecting waste and 

putting it in the waste bin,” I said in a sarcastic manner. 

“There are so many people like you who don’t care about 

the environment, about the world, and about themselves. 

People want to destroy the world as soon as possible…” 

“Leave me alone, waste bottle!” I said and wanted to go. 

“Whenever people can go on foot, they will surely use their 

car; and whenever they can throw waste in special places 

intended for that, they will certainly not do it…” 

“I don’t care at all! I’ll leave waste wherever I want. I’ll use 

my car if I want to, even though I’m only going a hundred 

metres!” I shouted, as no one can tell me what to do, let 

alone a waste bottle! 

“You are wrong to say that. You cause damage not only to 

yourself and others, but to the environment as well,” the 

waste bottle said. 

“But I only threw down one bottle…” 

“Don’t you care at all about what’s going on around you? 

If everyone left a bottle in the environment every day, all 

we’d see around us just a few days later would be waste.” 

“Well, we have waste collection vehicles and street cleaners 

who collect waste,” I said. 

“And what would happen if no one cared about that? What 

would we do, if no one collected waste? Would we live with 

waste around, as if nothing had happened?” 

“I don’t know. Leave me alone, I don’t care!” I shouted. 

“Well, you should care, because this can happen in just a 

few years. You’ll go to a park and see waste around you, 

go down the street and see waste around you, and there 


What can be done to 

reduce the Amount 

of Waste left in the 

Environment? 

will be plenty of waste next to your home, too! Have you 

ever thought where all that waste goes? Do you know that 

waste damages not only the environment, but you, too?” 

“It only takes up space at waste dumps. Well, it also stinks 

as it decomposes. That’s all the damage…” 

“As waste decomposes, it not only stinks, but also has a 

negative impact on people’s health. As much as 90 percent 

of waste is next to forests and spreads toxic substances.” 

“So what, I don’t live next to a forest! So waste isn’t dangerous 

for me.” 

“Have you ever thought that you’re not the only one living 

on earth, and that there are three billion other people? 

Don’t you care about them? Don’t you care that waste 

might be dangerous for your children or grandchildren, as 

the amounts of waste continue to increase?” 

“So what should I do? Should I work as a street cleaner, go 

after people and collect waste?” I asked sarcastically. “Let 

those who suffer from waste take care of it.” 

“Why don’t you, people, see what’s around you? You’re a 

human being, but you think in a primitive manner. You 

don’t care what’s going on around you!” 

“I do care about what’s going on around me, but I don’t 

care about some waste. And I’m not going to change. 

There must be a ministry of waste or something like that 

responsible for waste, right?” 

“Would you like to know who’s responsible for waste? For 

the time being, we all are. In other words – nobody. Many 

people think exactly the way you do. They believe that 

waste is not their business and that it should be collected 

by someone else.” 

“Let the authorities take care of waste. It’s not our business!” 

I said decisively. 

“Yet the authorities don’t care either. Sure, there are some 

people who do care, but as soon as they see that it’s a difficult 

duty, they abandon it. Therefore, you should care 

about what to do with waste, for your own well-being. 

Do you know that each resident in Lithuania throws away 

39


approximately 275 kilograms of waste a year? And this 

quantity is increasing…” 

It was the first time in my life that I thought about waste. 

Perhaps waste really has a negative impact on us, people? 

Perhaps we should deal with it somehow? 

“I don’t understand why waste can’t stay at the dump until 

it decomposes? It shouldn’t take long, right?” 

“You should know that different amounts of time are 

required for different types of waste to decompose. For 

instance, paper decomposes in two years, whereas up to 

200 years are needed for decomposition of plastic containers. 

It takes glass bottles 1000 years to decompose. Do you 

still think these are short periods of time?” 

“Well, these are very long periods of time. So it will take 

you about 200 years to decompose.” 

“That’s right. And it isn’t only you that throws waste everywhere.” 

“I never thought it took so long for waste to decompose,” 

I said, disgusted with myself. “I promise not to throw any 

waste around anymore...” 

“You don’t have to promise anything,” the waste bottle 

interrupted me. “All we need is some effort, dedication, 

and results.” 

“Wait, but does it make any difference if I stop leaving 

waste around? Can the situation change if only I do so? 

Everybody has to do so!” – I said decisively. 

“You’re quite right. But you should always remember that 

even one person can make a difference.” 

“But I’m not a magician…” 

“You don’t need to be a magician. All you have to do is 

spread the word, because words are powerful tools. As 

soon as you see someone throwing down waste, you 

should ask them not to do it…” 

40 

“I don’t think this will help. Nowadays people don’t understand 

the power of words. And I’m one of those people 

myself. We have to act.” 

“Sure, we do have to act, yet the first thing to do is educate 

people on the topic of waste management.” 

“We need advertising! Well, no, we won’t be able to change 

what’s inherent in people. Parents should teach their children 

about waste processing. Small children do what they 

see others doing. When children see that their parents 

recycle waste at home, they’ll also do it. We don’t need any 

advertising; we should hold lectures for adults and make 

them aware of the problem!” I said, happy with my plan. 

“Waste bottle, I promise you that from now on I will try 

to educate not only my friends and family members, but 

other people as well. I stand for a clean and beautiful life 

and future!” 

“Your words surprise me. I didn’t think I’d ever manage to 

convince you. I’d like to wish you the best in implementing 

your plan and making as many people as possible aware of 

the necessity of keeping the environment clean. The environment 

will be very grateful!” 

“I acknowledge my previous mistake. I promise that I’ll 

change.” Upon saying these words, I picked up the plastic 

bottle that taught me so many things. I learned that waste 

may not be thrown wherever we like. We must throw it in 

special containers, depending on the type of waste. So 

my plastic bottle had to go to the plastic waste container. 

Along my way I collected some other waste, too. I was feeling 

so good. I understood that even though I might be 

alone, I can still make a difference. I was sure of that. 

Neringa Kėvalaitė, Virginija Buzaitė, Aistė Juodytė and 

Ieva Janušauskaitė 

Students 

Prienai Žiburys Gymnasium 

J. Basanavičiaus str. 1, Prienai, Lithuania 

E-mail: ziburys@centras.lt

BSP coordinators 

DEnMaRK 

ESTonia 

finlanD 

GERManY 

National coordinator: 

Soren Levring 

Sonderskovskolen 

Grundvigs Alle 100 

DK-6400 Sonderborg, Denmark 

E-mail: soren.levring@sonderborg.dk 


Karin Kuum 

Estonian Youth Work Centre 

Uuslinda Str. 10 

EE-11415 Tallinn, Estonia 

Tel. 00372 6 380758 

Fax. 00372 6 380756 

E-mail: keskkond@etk.ee 


Liisa Jaaskelainen 

National Board of Education 

Box 380 

Kumpulantie 3, Finland 

E-mail: liisa.jaaskelainen@oph.fi 

Network coordinator: 

Tuovi Ronkainen 

Urjala upper secondary school 

Finland 

E-mail: tuovi.ronkainen@urjala.fi 


Ute Gronwoldt 

Integrierte Gesamtschule 

Friedrichsort 

Steenbarg str. 10 

D-24159 Kiel, Germany 

E-mail: igf@igf.de 

laTVia 

liThUania 

RUSSia 

SWEDEn 

PolanD 

BsP cOORDInATORs 

National Coordinator: 

Velga Kakse 

Ministry of Education and Science, 

Centre for Curriculum Development 

and Examination 

Valnu Str. 2, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia 

Tel. 00371 7 814354 

Fax. 00371 7 223801 

E-mail: velgak@latnet.lt 



Lithuanian Young Naturalists' 

Centre 

Džiaugsmo Str. 44 

11302 Vilnius, Lithuania 

Tel. 00370 5 2382600 

Fax. 00370 5 2670090 



Prof. Stanislav Babitch 

Department of Regional Economics 

and Environmental protection 

Saint-Petersburg State University of 

Economics 

Sadovaja Str. 21 

191023 Saint-Petersburg, Russia 

E-mail: stanislavbabitch@mail.ru 


Jonas Oskarsson 

Katedralskolan 

Samuel Odmansv Str. 1 

S-35239 Vaxjo, Sweden 

Tel. 0046 0 47041752 

E-mail: jonas.oskarsson@katedral. 

vaxjo.se 


Dr. Jolanta Mol 

Stowarzyszenie Komputer I Sprawy 

Szkoly "KISS" 

Ul. Raciborska 3 

PL-40074 Katowice, Poland 

Tel. /fax. 0048 32 2 519811, 0048 32 

2 061581 

E-mail: jola.mol@pro.onet.pl, 

bspnews@kiss.pl 

www.bsp-pl.org 

41

BsP cOORDInATORs 

finlanD 

Pine Needle Project 

Coordinator: 

Simo Korpela 

Meri-Pori Environmental Upper 

Secondary 

Rieskalantie 

FI-28800 Pori, Finland 

E-mail: simo.korpela@satabaana.net 

Programmes 

coordinators 

air Quality Programme 

Bird Ecology Programme 

Coordinator: 

Dr. Beata Wegrzynek 

Silesian University 

ul. Wierzobowa 10/10 

PL-42500 Bedzin, Poland 

Tel. 0048 32 2009448 

Fax. 0048 32 2555873 

E-mail: bwegrzyn@us.edu.pl 

Coordinator: 

Andrzej Sliwinski 

LO im. T. Kosciuszki 

Maria Konopnicka str. 2 

PL-32-200 Miechow 

Poland 

Tel. 0048 41 3831035 

E-mail: andrewsl@wp.pl 

Coast Watch Programme 

42 

Coordinator: 

Peter Uhl Pedersen 

Birkevang 303 

3250 Gilleleje, Denmark 

E-mail: peter.uhl.pedersen@ 

skolekom.dk 

oicosophy Programme 

Environmental history 

Programme 

Coordinator: 

Volker Stiehl 

Hauptstrasse Str. 14 

D-38274 Klein Elbe, Germany 

E-mail: stivol@t-online.de 

Coordinator: 

Bo Persson 

Ekbackeskolan 

Västra Storgatan Str. 15 

S-28300 Osby, Sweden 

E-mail: bo.persson@lut.mah.se 

Phenological Studies Programme 

Rivers Programme 

Water Quality Programme 

Coordinator: 

Vytautas Eidėjus 

Lithuanian Young Naturalists' 

Centre 

Džiaugmso Str. 44 

LT-11302 Vilnius, Lithuania 

E-mail: vytautas.eidejus@gf.vu.lt 

Coordinator: 

Susanne Mellvig 

Nacka gymnasium 

Griffelvägen 17 

S-13140 Nacka, Sweden 

Tel. 00460 8 7188154 

Fax. 00460 8 7188298 

E-mail: susanne.mellvig@nacka.se 

Coordinator: 

Liesma Abolina 

Ilguciems secondary school 

Dzirciema Str. 109 

LV-1055 Riga, Latvia 

Tel. 00371 7 814354 

E-mail: liesma@promedia.lv

BSP meetings and conferences in 2008 

April, 1 st 

April, 9 th -12 th 

Competition "Tales and legends in 

Baltic Countries" 

International conference for teachers 

and students "Evolution of environment" 

in Vilnius 

May, 8 th "Agenda 21 NOW!" internet conference 

May, 25 th -30 th 

September, 22 nd -24 th 

November, 6 th -8 th 

Contributions: 

International Environmental camp 

school in Pori 

International workshop with Poland for 

students "Fishery course no. 4" 

Meeting for BSP National and BSP 

Programmes coordinators 

Would you like to contribute to our Newsletter? 

You are very welcome! 

We are looking forward to receiving and publishing your 

contributions, such as: 

● accounts of your work 

● art works for the covers (size: 42x24 cm) 

● letters to the editor, in which you are welcome to 

express your opinion on various environmental issues 

and articles published in the Newsletter 

● newspaper and magazine clips presenting environmental 

issues in your country (the original article must 

be included) 

● activity pictures presenting you and your students performing 

the BSP activities 

There are, however, a few rules which you HAVE TO 

observe if you want your article to be published in the BSP 

Newsletter. There are: 

1. Keep your articles short, precise and interesting 

2. All contributions are to be e-mailed to 

ruta.jociute@b-s-p.org 

or sent by post (on CD) to: 


Lithuanian Young Naturalists' Centre 

Dziaugsmo St. 44 

LT-11302 Vilnius, Lithuania 

Hosted by Poland. 

All BSP countries can participate. 

E-mail: jolanta.mol@pro.onet.pl 

Hosted by Lithuania. 

All countries can participate. 

E-mails: rastine@zemynosgimnazija.vilnius.lm.lt 

ruta.jociute@b-s-p.org 

Hosted by Germany. 

All counties can participate 

E-mail: martin.jarrath@agenda21now.org 

Hosted by Finland 

E-mail: simo.korpela@satabaana.net 

Denmark and Poland. 

E-mails: soren.levring@sonderborg.dk 

jolanta.mol@pro.onet.pl 

Hosted by Lithuania. 


3. No article is to exceed two A4 pages (text plus pictures) 

4. All articles are to be composed as WORD documents 

5. Please DO NOT include any photos, pictures, illiustrations 

or any other scanned materials direcly IN the Word 

document; they are to be enclosed as SEPARATE attachments 

6. All photos and illiustrations are to be saved in JPEG 

format (more than 1 Mb size) 

The next issue will be published in December 2008. 

www.bspinfo.lt 

Webmaster: 

Sergej Asociakov, info@gamtininkai.lt

The UNESCO Associated Schools Project 

BSP teacher, 

help your pupils change future city life! 

On a global scale, there are now more than six billion 

people on Earth and of them three billion in towns and 

cities. By 2050, the UN expects there to be nine billion on 

Earth and of them six billion in urban areas. All growth in 

population will appear in towns and cities. 

Thus, in the next 40 years, cities must be extended to 

double their present size — i.e. new towns must be built 

for three billion people in 40 years. 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

Billions 

WRiTE a ChaPTER foR ThE nExT BSP lEaRnERS' GUiDE 

on “URBan EColoGY”! 

0 

Source: UN 1998 

1950 1970 1990 2110 2130 2150 

Big cities as part of the total 

World population 1950-2050 

Due to the expected climate changes, the arable land in 

many semi-arid countries will dry and undergo desertification. 

People will be forced to flee from these areas — to 

neighbouring urban areas and cities or to towns in other 

countries. 

Most of these cities are located on the coast, and the centre 

is often a very low “downtown”, which will be flooded by an 

increase in the sea level. This further increases the need for 

newly built urban districts “uptown”. 

Hence the earth will need new towns for probably four 

billion people or more within 40 years. How will this 

happen? 

Cities are the most consuming regional installations: 

Nearly all resources must be transported to town: water, 

food, goods, building materials, and energy. And most 

of the production and waste must be sent far away if the 

city is to avoid poisoning. A demanding arrangement. 

Unsustainable. Energy-wasting. 

This is why we need a handbook, the Learner’s Guide, to 

point out the most promising solutions for our pupils to 

avoid this future scenario of would-be suicide for cities. 

Sustainable solutions may be better town planning for less 

traffic; recycling of resources, water household and cleaning; 

better insulation and heat technology for less energy 

consumption; sustainable energy technology (geothermal 

heat, wind, sun and wave power, fuel cells, nuclear 

power[?], biomass); new transport technology; and a 

changed urban lifestyle. 

How? 

This is a question for all of us. The Learners Guide No. 8 

should build on the same tradition as the former seven 

guides for describing the real state of the problem and 

deliver plans for interdisciplinary teaching of our pupils 

and students in order to make them aware and competent 

actors in their future (urban) life as citizens. 

Do contact your national coordinator about your ideas 

and educational outlines, and you will be welcomed to the 

editorial group as a contributor to the guide. The editorial 

work will be followed by a teacher training course during 

week nine in 2009 at a site in one of the BSP countries in 

which promising new solutions for urban ecology are at 

hand. The Learners Guide should be printed by 1 June 

2009. 

Per Werge 

Editor 

E-mail: per.werge@nykat-gym.dk

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