News

01.09.2020 As the new school year begins, the Czech Union for Nature Conservation rolls out another year of its time-honoured natural-science competitions, with the Environmental Olympics going into their 26th iteration, whereas the Golden Leaf will be 49 years old already. With a bit of tweaking, both competitions were able to be organized even in the era of coronavirus, especially since they will largely take place outside, in open nature.

24.07.2020 18 stations with 3 panels along a 9-km route "Through the Bohemian Karst's Heart" – this is a new educational trail seeking to acquaint visitors with the natural treasures and history of the Karlštejn National Nature Reserve in the Beroun district. The trail also marks a centenary: 100 sites have now been completed within the Closer to Nature programme, a long-standing joint initiative of the Czech Union for Nature Conservation and NET4GAS.

20.07.2020 The new nature trail will take visitors through the most beautiful places of the Karlštejn National Nature Reserve. We will meet on Friday, July 24 at 10 am in the village of Srbsko near Berouna, details can be found in the attached invitation.

12.02.2020 The NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme also serves to support management projects: unique practical measures to restore habitats or support certain species. Five such projects were successfully seen through last year and deserve to be given recognition.

09.11.2019 The densely wooded hilltop named Baba near Mladá Boleslav, which has been a nature reserve since as far back as 1950, may as of today pride itself on having a new educational trail with an interesting concept that is bound to captivate adults and children alike. It was built by the local Klenice chapter of the Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ČSOP) within the context of the NET4GAS Closer to Nature Programme and with the support of the town of Kosmonosy.

22.10.2019 The Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ČSOP) today unveiled yet another unique geological site to the general public – the Křížov Quarry, located in the foothills of Blaník Mountain. Making the quarry accessible to visitors was possible thanks to the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme.

17.10.2019 Thanks to the kind support of the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme, Spálené Poříčí, the local chapter of the Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ČSOP), was able to restore a wayside well known as "U cesty", which is found on an extremely popular hiking route to Radyně Castle near Pilsen. With this latest addition, the programme has so far helped restore ten wells across the Czech Republic, putting a protective canopy over them.

14.10.2019 Let us invite you to two events to be held in the coming days. The first one will take place on Thursday 17th October at 10 am in Starý Plzenec, where we will open a newly reconstructed well "U cesty", which lies on a busy tourist route to the castle Radyně. On Tuesday, October 22, at 3:30 pm, the Křížov Quarry, an interesting geological and natural location with a number of interpretative elements, will be inaugurated near the village of Křížov in the Benešov region.

05.09.2019 Those who find themselves in Kynšperk nad Ohří cannot fail to notice, near the local train station, two large bodies of water known as the Liboc Wetlands (after the small village of the same name). These pools provide suitable living conditions for a wide range of aquatic animals and are an ideal nesting place for birds. With this in mind, members of the local Kynšperk chapter of the Czech Union for Nature Conservation, with the help of the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme, have built a bird-watching platform, which makes it easier to follow the subtle wildlife dramas unfolding in this particular spot.

02.09.2019 As the new school year rolls in, further instalments of the natural science contests organized by the Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ČSOP) get into gear. In the 25th Environmental Olympics, more than 500 secondary school students will pit their wits against each other, whereas more than four thousand children from primary and lower secondary schools will compete in the 48th Golden Leaf contest. Regional rounds of the two contests will be held in all corners of the Czech Republic to establish the best teams across the regions – who will then proceed to the national rounds, where the nationwide winners will be determined.

02.09.2019 Let us invite you to the opening of the 13th lookout built under the NET4GAS Closer to Nature program. It is located near Liboc wetlands in Kynšperk nad Ohří. An interesting program will take place there on Thursday, September 5, the opening ceremony itself at 3 pm. See the invitation to learn more.

30.08.2019 About a kilometre east from Strakonice, within the intensively farmed alluvial plain of the Otava River, one finds the Hajská Pools nature reserve. Dozens of pools of water are scattered across a little less than seven hectares, and are inhabited by many rare plant and animal species. Onyx, the local chapter of the Czech Union for Nature Conservation, decided to highlight the biodiversity of the site, and in collaboration with the South Bohemian region and the city of Strakonice, and with funding from NET4GAS, created an educational trail into the heart of this green oasis.

26.08.2019 Let us invite you to the opening of a new educational trail Tůně u Hajské, which will take place on Friday, August 30, at 1 pm near the village of Hajská near Strakonice. We will take you through the 95th NET4GAS Closer to Nature site, this time a natural monument with dozens of pools and wetlands that provide the environment for many protected plants and animals. We look forward to meeting you there. 49°15'34.340"N, 13°57'0.285"E

07.06.2019 The Cattle Trail is becoming a major thoroughfare: after last year's festive opening of the first waystation – Banner's Well – today marks the addition of another three: Sedlnice Snowdrops, Roveň Forest, and the Sad Tale of the Old Na Lapači Road. In this manner, the Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ČSOP), drawing upon the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme, has launched a project that will keep it busy for several years, and that focuses on the restoration and unique interpretation of natural and cultural heritage within the corridor known as the Oxen Trail – an ancient pastoral route that centuries ago connected the Krakow area to Vienna.

07.06.2019 The Raduň Wetlands, with their system of pools, are found on the northern edge of Raduň, a municipality a few kilometres south of Opava. As little as 15 years ago, it was non-existent – today, it is a vital sanctuary for numerous amphibians and other protected wildlife. How and why the Raduň Wetlands came into existence, and what hidden wildlife treasures can be discovered here, can be gleaned from newly installed info panels and other educational elements, courtesy of the NET4GAS programme Closer to Nature.