Mountain Waters of the Czech… (trip)
Mountain Waters of the Czech Republic
- Volunteer Vacations
15 Days, from $2,450* per person. May-July.
Accommodations: Simple. Exertion level: 4 (7 is most strenuous)
Overview of Mountain Waters of the Czech Republic
By the time the Eastern Bloc collapsed in 1989, acid rain from coal-fired power plants from countries to the west had already damaged more than two-thirds of these forested headwaters. Forests were dying, water quality was diminished, and mountain streams had been without fish for 40 years. Now, 17 years later, conditions are improving. Sulfur deposition has dropped and forestry practices have improved. Mountain ecosystems, streams, and lakes are recovering. Researchers Dr. Josef Krecek and Zuzana Horicka started working with Earthwatch teams here in 1991. Their data helped set management plans for mountain watersheds and lakes. You can help Krecek and Horicka continue their rehabilitation efforts in the headwaters of northern Bohemia. Mountains are the water towers of the world. The revival of fresh water resources is not possible without the rehabilitation of mountain ecosystems, which is the overall aim of this project.
Operated by Earthwatch Institute.
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Locations visited/nearby
Jizera Mountains , northern Bohemia , Czech Republic , Prague , acid rain , ecosystems , streams , lakes , watersheds , water samples , reservoirs , fish , hiking , forests , earthwatch , Mountain Waters of Bohemia
0 testimonials about this trip.
1 testimonial about the provider, Earthwatch Institute:
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Reviewer: L. Reifschneider
located in
St. Louis,
MO
USA
Elephant conservation is what drives my travel destinations. However, I always come home counting the blessings of new friends and an understanding of a culture and way of life I possibly would otherwise have never been introduced to. Through the Earthwatch projects I participate in, I am learning just how big and wonderful this world is.
Disclaimers
*Travel product and pricing information are the travel provider’s base estimates, published here as a convenience to TravelDragon users without verification by TravelDragon. Your actual price will vary depending upon length of trip, travel dates, number of traveling guests, transportation (e.g. airfare, rail passes, etc.), and optional service features such as room categories or individualized food requirements. This base price estimate may or may not include all necessary fees, taxes, government-imposed surcharges. Be sure to confirm availability, total price and trip details with the travel provider using the contact information provided here.
Max group size: 8
Itinerary
In the gently sloping Jizera Mountains, you’ll collect water samples and take temperature, pH, conductivity, and oxygen readings from more than 30 streams and reservoirs. You’ll also help catch and examine reintroduced fish and sample other aquatic organisms. Hiking through beech and spruce forests, you’ll evaluate tree vitality, collect soil and vegetation samples, and study erosion and plant succession. After a day in the field, you’ll be trained to test samples and record data in the lab.
In your recreational time, you can hike or bike in the beautiful Jizera Mountains, or visit nearby castles, museums, botanical gardens, glass factories, cafes and restaurants.
The Jizera Mountains region is situated in the humid temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. This area is on an upper plain at an elevation of 800 meters, with gentle slopes and almost complete (83%) forest coverage. Although forest stands of common beech and silver fir still dominated the region at the beginning of the 18th century, Norway spruce became a prevailing species during the 19th century. In the second half of the last century, spruce forests came to comprise about 90% of the whole forest cover in the Jizera Mountains.
The upper plain of the Jizera Mountains is popular for hiking. It is easy to reach the highest tops, which are Smrk (1,124 meters) and Jizera (1,122 meters). The gentle slopes are also convenient for cross-country skiing during the winter. At the end of the 19th century, the first touring club in Liberec initiated trail-blazing and lookout towers in this region.
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