The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

The Patrol: Meet the people who guard you in the forests - voila! Protect the Earth

2022-08-02T10:30:10.572Z


Moshe does not let the security silence confuse him. Amal enjoys watching the herd solve problems. And for Roy - every working day is a return to the beloved childhood districts. Meet the KKL-Junk Rangers


The Patrol: Meet the people who guard you in the forests

Moshe does not let the security silence confuse him.

Amal enjoys watching the herd solve problems.

And for Roy - every working day is a return to the beloved childhood districts.

Meet the KKL-Junk rangers, who guard the forests and are ready for any trouble that may come

In collaboration with KKL-Junk

01/08/2022

Monday, 01 August 2022, 12:03 Updated: Tuesday, 02 August 2022, 11:19

  • Share on Facebook

  • Share on WhatsApp

  • Share on Twitter

  • Share by email

  • Share in general

  • Comments

    Comments

Moshe Baruchi (Photo: Public Relations)

When you walk in the KKL-Junk forests, there are those who watch over you. Even if you don't always see them. Meet the rangers of the Kimat Israel Foundation; they are nine in number, spread all over the country and each of them is responsible for vast and extensive areas. They manage the firefighting system in the area , are used as a link between the various rescue services and participate in the management of events, should they break out. The ranger is responsible for all the firefighting equipment and also for the observation towers that locate nearby fires. He goes on patrols in the field, and also manages the pastures that have become popular and useful.

Roy Varach (Photo: KKL-Junk)

We joined the KKL-Junk patrols in order to hear closely about their work. However, our first conversation with Roi Vaveh (38), a patrol in the Gilead area, was interrupted by a bounce. One of the workers in the field noticed smoke, and there was a fear of a fire. A few minutes later Vaveh called me back: "Someone burned Something on private land, so we retraced our steps," he said.



"The scout's work is a kind of mission," says Rozh, whose responsibility extends from Mikneam to Kfar Qasem.

"It is a privilege to be in the field all day, even in harsh weather conditions in summer and winter. A tree that we plant today will continue after us, and our great-grandchildren will enjoy it. We are now in the days when the whole region is very urgent, because of the extreme weather, which is becoming more and more common We go on more patrols than usual on these explosive days and are at the risk points in the field. We have observation towers spread throughout the fire season, and the people there report any smoke they see. We are in contact with forest trustees and riders, they are our eyes in the field. We are all concentrating on this issue ".

Amal Yosef (Photo: KKL)

Roi Varach (Photo: Public Relations)

The forest was no stranger to profit even when he was a child.

"Most of the time I played in the forest. We did camps and bicycle trips, and spent many hours without smartphones and nonsense that exists today - just us and the forest. I always loved this environment, and today I return to those forests in a different section. From the child who enjoys - to the adult who guards. For me, this is an amazing closing of the circle. I leave the house in the morning with a cooler, water and food for many hours, because I never know how and when my day will end."



- When we leave the office for a day off, we walk in nature.

What do you do to take a break from work?



"In the summer, I go to the beach, but I also take my work with me on vacation," laughs Vazh.

"When someone in the family suggests going for a picnic, I find myself in the woods again, on the KKL-Junk benches, and the truth is that I enjoy it.

That's why it's so important to keep those green lungs.

They are our refuge." Now, he says proudly, Roy has become a role model for his daughter Noya's friends in the second grade. "They went on a trip for the school, and we introduced them to our special fire engine.

Noya felt as if her father was Sammy the fireman"...



Each region and each segment has its own uniqueness.

And the one who can testify to this closely is Moshe Baruchi, 59 years old from Nitivot, who is responsible for an area that spreads over more than 1,000 dunams in the Western Negev, and is all in the Gaza Strip.

Shortly after the red color alarms are reported in the news, the news that "the rocket fell in an open area" induces a kind of calm in most Israelis.

For Baruchi and his co-workers, this is just the signal for the beginning of an unfolding event that may end badly - even if there are no direct physical or mental casualties.



"Hamas' rockets are not our only or even our main problem," he clarifies.

"I remember that day, on April 11, 2018. We received an alert about a fire breaking out in one of the fields, we rushed to the field, put it out and already started to fold up. Then we saw a plastic thrown in the field, and we discovered that it was a kite. These explosive kites developed and later became terror balloons, which covered vast lands and areas. We faced more than 30 fires a day, and we fought for every tree and every acre. Every rocket that was fired made us jump, because sometimes shrapnel also caused quite a few fires. So it is true that they fell in an 'open area', but these areas Explosives as far as we are concerned, and in many cases are in close proximity to forests and settlements. The last year, without the evil eye, was calm and good, and yet, the vigilance remains the same. We are not really getting used to this silence."

Amal Yosef (Photo: KKL)

Moshe Baruchi (Photo: Public Relations)

Amal Yosef (53), a resident of Beit Jan, has been working at KKL-Junk for 32 years, since he was released from regular service in the IDF.

At first he was a full-time employee, then he moved to training and training employees and volunteers, and for the last five years he has been the patrol of the Upper Galilee and Golan region.

"The ranger is the eyes of the area, and he should be alert to everything that is happening and may happen in the forests," says Yosef.

"I wish everyone would continue to come and enjoy the forests, the parking lots and the sites, which are open for free all year round. But we also need to take care of them: don't light fires in places that aren't allowed, keep them clean, and remember that the forests are ours and for us."



In order to prevent fires, and as part of a forestry system, KKL-Junk approves grazing in its territories while issuing proper licenses. This action helps preserve and create a desirable landscape, creates a conservation of resources and plant diversity, and of course reduces the grass that can cause showers in the summer months. "This grazing is very important," Yosef explains. "Every year, after the rainy season, the grass grows abnormally.

We give shepherds field cells that require immediate treatment.

I bring in a herd for a week, a month, three months - as much as needed - and it will already do the work and take down the vegetation, instead of us doing it with machines.

A win-win situation is created: the shepherd profits, the flock enjoys, and it's good for us too." And



there is another area for which the rangers are responsible, and which frustrates them perhaps more than any other area: vandalism. It starts with the seemingly innocent dumping of waste by travelers who are not aware enough of the environment, and goes as far as invasions , arson and illegal logging in forests.



"We live among the people of Israel, and know all sides of it, especially during the spring. The travelers come in droves, and don't always leave the area clean. Sometimes they leave burning coals, or drink and smoke in the area, and this creates quite a bit of trouble," says Baruchi.

"A more serious problem is the vandalism in the parking lots. I receive reports from the observation of a table or a burnt vehicle, and it always makes me jump. Last weekend we went on an operation to eradicate the inferno of ATVs and Razors in the forests. Having said all this, I must say that we are in a much better place today than before The Israelis internalize the message, and are improving a lot."



Varach: "We're in 2022, and it's time for people to take responsibility for themselves and their environment. When you go for a walk in streams, forests and open spaces. You have to understand that no one is supposed to clean up after you. The fact that we do it, because we care, shouldn't change. This resource is important to all of humanity, and we must protect it. We see the global warming, the extreme weather and the fires caused by it - and realize that we simply have no choice.



"Most people receive us sympathetically, and understand that we are here to help, and yes, there are also a few who treat us the way drivers treat traffic inspectors, but we are at a critical point. You don't need to start a fire to cause damage. It is enough that you leave behind plastic that takes us years to decompose, or food scraps that the animals take and it's not good for them. We have to take care of ourselves. There's one spot where I like to take a break, make me some coffee and 'branch out' to nature in the middle of the day. Some time ago I received a call, and I discovered that this little piece of God It burned and left soot, because someone wasn't careful enough. It pinched my heart."

  • Protect the Earth

Tags

  • trips

  • environmental quality

Source: walla

All news articles on 2022-08-02

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.