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NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Maritza River, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

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Maritza River, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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Katerina



Registered: November 2007
Posts: 1
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My name is Katerina, I am 19 and I am originally from Bulgaria. I am a college freshman at the University of Central Oklahoma and my first semester there was a great learning experience.
The initiative I am going to write about was undertaken by me and a group of my friends. We were all volunteers in one of the biggest ecological organizations in Bulgaria – Green Balkans. The organization is dealing with cleaning projects, nature and habitat conservation actions, educational programs, etc. However, my passion is birds and that’s why I decided to launch a bird watching expedition along the Maritza River, near my hometown Plovdiv. I chose this place because there are the wintering habitats of Pygmy cormorant, which is rare specie. The number of birds wintering there had considerably decreased during the last couple of years, because cormorants feed mainly on fish and the fishermen were blaming them for not having enough fish in their nets. The truth, of course, was far different from this, because even though it is true that they feed mainly on fish, the amount they eat is so little that it just couldn’t be the reason for the fishermen’s bad luck. They did not know that and so they undertook drastic measures, like shooting the birds down! So I thought there was time for some serious action. Me and my friends went there every week during the winter and kept track of all the species and their numbers, so that we can evaluate the biodiversity in the area. But our main goal was the cormorants. We were there to protect them. We had several arguments with the local fishermen, but finally we convinced them that what they were doing was wrong. We were truly committed to our task and we went there even when it was 20F degrees! We were freezing out there but the thought that we are making a difference filled our hearts with warmth.
After the winter was over we collected all the information that we had and we proposed a project for the area to become a protected zone. When we won it I felt really satisfied, because I knew that even though I am far from Bulgaria the initiative will be continued by other people, so that the cormorants can spend the winter undisturbed, and there can be one more place where nature lovers can enjoy the beauty of our environment.
· Date: November 21, 2007 · Views: 7792 · File size: 27.2kb, 188.0kb · : 1500 x 1125 ·
Hours Volunteered: 100
Volunteers: 4
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 19 to 33
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Adya123

Registered: June 2014
City/Town/Province: lucknow
Posts: 7
June 9, 2014 12:28pm

good job done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!