Recently, on two of the few hot days of this summer, a number of energetic members and supporters of the Bund Naturschutz did justice to hay on the steep slopes of the Schongauer Siechenhalde, as they do every year - a sweaty job.
Schongau
- The two hectares of litter meadows were first mowed with a bar mower, which required a lot of skill and experience from the volunteers given the enormous gradient.
However, some areas of the dump remain untouched as a retreat for butterflies, hay horses and other insects.
“The weather has to be stable so that the crop can dry.
The plants have already spread their seeds by then, ”explains Markus Keller from the Peiting-Schongau local group in the Association for Nature Conservation.
"Farmers from Schongau and the surrounding area collect the hay, which is rich in herbs, later."
The elaborate campaign is organized by Markus Keller, the Schongauer Bund Naturschutz - local chairman.
But why do conservationists take on this strenuous work year after year for free in their free time?
“Lean lawns like the Siechenhalde have become rare.
They are not fertilized and provide a habitat for rare species, some of which are threatened with extinction, ”continues Keller.
"These can exist in great variety here, in the middle of the Schongau urban area."
At the same time, the old cultural landscape of the Lechrain is preserved, i.e. mountain meadows that are uninteresting for modern intensive agriculture.
“Schongau is lucky to have such valuable space.
The Siechenhalde is one of the largest of its kind in Upper Bavaria.
And the Association of Nature Conservation is proud of its loyal and reliable helpers, who take pleasure in making their contribution to the preservation of a wonderful biotope as a team, ”concluded Keller.