"I remember the first time I came to the nature class."
C. as an instructor at RTG/Nature and Parks Authority
The story of G, a 24-year-old Bedouin from a settlement near Arad (who wishes to remain anonymous), with the Nature and Parks Authority begins in 2007, when she was a young girl in second grade.
"I remember the first time I came to the nature class," she says, "where the inspector Ohad Yahami met us and introduced himself as Javed - an Arab-Bedouin name - so that it would be easier for us to pronounce his name. The love for nature and the environment came very quickly, we were We go out every Friday to explore and learn about the different animals and plants in the area. We learned about the complex ecosystems in the desert, about the habits of elusive wild animals and the delicate balance of nature. The enthusiasm and love of a nature lover was contagious, even then I knew thanks to him that when I grew up I would want to dedicate my life to nature." .
Every Friday a fan would come to C's father's house, and they went with him to all kinds of places in nature.
"He exposed us to all kinds of things we didn't know, routes, talked to us at eye level and even though we didn't speak Hebrew well - we still understood him," she says.
Ohad Yahamoli explains to G and other Bedouin children about birds of prey/The Nature and Parks Authority
"We would go out every Friday to explore and learn about the different animals."
C. as a girl in nature class/Nature and Parks Authority
G. and her friends in a nature lesson with RTG/Nature and Parks Authority instructors
From a curious student to a professional instructor
After years of absorbing knowledge like a thirsty plant in the heart of the desert, in 2019 C joined the ranks of guides of the Nature and Parks Authority.
Today she works as an instructor in the classrooms in the Bedouin villages of the Negev, eager to pass on the gift of knowledge she received from her instructor, Ohad Yahami.
"Every time we saw a green PA vehicle, we looked for Ohad in it," says G.
When she finished high school, J thought straight away to work at the PA and teach Bedouin children, what Ohad taught her.
She saw an advertisement that the authority was looking for instructors, and she came to the meeting.
"When I got to the job interview, they asked me what brought me to the PA. I told them about the nature class I was in in the second grade with the instructor Ohad Yalami. When they called to inform me that I was hired, they told me that Ohad kept photos of us from class in 2007. It makes me happy to think that we also stayed in the heart His, just as it remains in ours 12 years later," she says.
"It's surreal to think about how far I've come - from a curious student to a teacher who accompanies young children and goes through the same path with them. For me it's much more than education, it's about nurturing and a deep connection to the land and instilling a sense of wonder and respect for the natural world."
When she observes her students marveling at the sight of desert blossoms, or listening intently to the calls of distant birds, G knows she is fulfilling her purpose.
"If I can awaken the heart of one child to see the beauty of nature, heritage and animals, I know I have done my part."
"When I was hired, I was told that a fan kept photos of us from the class in 2007"/Nature and Gardens Authority
When she graduated from high school, J. immediately thought of working at the Authority and teaching Bedouin children environmental protection/Nature and Parks Authority
Waiting for the "scorpion man" to return from captivity
Ohad Yamohid, who has worked at the Nature and Parks Authority for 17.5 years, has been kidnapped by Hamas for 160 days.
He was an inspector in the Judean desert and his great love was for scorpions, and he came up with the wonderful idea that is used by ecologists to this day - to use scorpions as an indicator of the condition of other animals in the area.
Ohad also helped prepare RTG's guide to scorpions, which is sold in stores in the national parks.
For 60 years, the Nature and Parks Authority has been an integral part of the Israeli fabric. The month of March is nature conservation month at the Nature and Parks Authority, and also the month in which the authority marks 60 years of secrecy. Job is very important in preserving our nature, for the sake of all of us, and no less important for nurturing and teaching the next generation to preserve nature, animals and heritage in Israel from childhood to love.
Inshallah you will come back soon.
A diamond fan in the training course, and a photo of G that he took in her childhood/Nature and Parks Authority
The "scorpio man" who is friends with everyone.
A fan of Yamod Pekh RTG who was kidnapped in Gaza/The Nature and Parks Authority
"We are all waiting for the fan to come home"
Among the communities with which the RTG works, there is also the Bedouin society. In the Negev desert, where the traditional Bedouin culture blends into the rugged beauty of the landscape, the Authority has taken an important role in promoting environmental awareness and cooperation to preserve natural treasures, in order to connect the residents, and especially the young children, to the wonders of nature and the heritage of the region, thereby fostering a generation of citizens who are aware of the environment, nature and the animals that live with us.
Today (Thursday), at RTG's annual science conference at the Natural History Museum in Tel Aviv, which was dedicated to a diamond fan and to which members of his family were also invited, G said: Our children did not know Ohad, but they hear about him from me and we are all waiting for him to come home."
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Nature and Parks Authority
abducted
Bedouins