Pedagogical experiences on Rivers
Interest in Environmental Education

Group work at River Amata, LV: Per Werge, Denmark; Liesma Abolina, Latvia; Tiina Söber, Estonia (background) and kneeling in front of her: Rasa Lakickiene, Lithuania 
The water quality of the river was good, almost unpolluted. 

Liesma Abolina, Ilguciems Secondary school reports on the 'Rivers and Recultivation' course in Ligatne, Latvia on August 26th - 29th 1999:

I am interested in environmental education. My school has taken part in the BSP since 1992.

Rivers run into the Baltic Sea - not straight, but typically like River Vitrupe, Latvia (Photo:BZ)

Therefore it is necessary for me to master new methods of investigations and to get new experiences in environmental education. The course in Ligatne was very practically oriented and allowed the participants to the river directly: 

We investigated the rivers Amata and Salaca, and determined the quality of the water using Andris Urtans and Loreta Urtane's methods. I was acquainted with this method as my school investigate a little river Lacupite in Riga. We try to study the fortune of the river and its sense in ancient times and till to-day, and the corresponding ecological problems as well. 

In Klaipeda April 1999 BSP teachers investigated restoration of small streams under the guidance of Mr. A. Kontautas, Klaipeda University, CCB Lithuania. Lars Davidsson, Nacka Gymnasium, Sweden in front taking a water sample (Photo: Dan Sterup, Denmark)

Therefore the method was not new to me, but it enabled me to work together with Andris and Loreta for the first time. International groups are very important and we had an excursion to Ziemelvidzeme Biosphere Reserve where Andris showed us how to involve students not only in river investigations but also in its recultivation: 

The students have transformed the river by adding stones, and Andris demonstrated how biodiversity depends on factors such as the width of the river, the speed of the current, the profile of the river bed: 

Video production by Bengt Littorin, Sweden in action in Biosphere Reserve, Latvia. River restoration principle: Each pupil puts in his/her personal stone, and keeps follows the development of succession. The pupils effective work has enabled otters to enter and replenish. (Photo:BZ)

There are e.g. not many hiding places in a flat river bed. 

We also visited Ligatne Paper factory, working only ten days per month, producing paper out of waste paper from printers', high quality water mark paper etc. To-day 200 people were engaged compared to 1500 some ten - twenty years ago. A thousand cubic meters of water was consumed to produce one ton of paper, the waste water containing two components: Cellulose and chalk.

The Ligatne paper factory (single industry in the area) works only 10 days a month using recycled paper from printing industries to produce high quality paper, bank notes, watermarked paper. Production leads to two waste products: cellulose and chalk.

During the course I made new contacts with teachers around the Baltic Sea. I believe that these contacts will help me in the future to keep elaborating the joint BSP programmes further, and the experience gives me confidence in my work with my students, not only in the BSP but in my everyday life as a biology teacher. I hope to inspire my colleagues at school, and at the annual teachers' conference. The course was organized extremely well, and I am thankful that I could participate.

Salagrieva students in plant determination action at river Salaca, Latvia for the BSP video, 'It All Starts with the Rain' (Photo:BZ)