A new ecological trail will open in the "Yelnya" reserve

A new ecological trail will be opened in the Hydrological Reserve of the State Environmental Protection Institution "Yelnya" for the "Cranes and Cranberries of Miory Region" festival, which will take place on September 28-29, the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection informed a BELTA correspondent.

Work on the arrangement of the ecological trail has already begun. The arrangement of a wooden decking 1.5 km long and 1.5 m wide with railings is being carried out by the State Unitary Enterprise "Yazenskoye PMS". The beginning of the trail is located in the "Tabory" tract of quarter 88 of the Miory Forestry of the Disna Timber Enterprise. In the same place, it is planned to arrange a recreation area with the installation of gazebos, canopies, toilets, and a 2.5 m high observation tower. At the end point of the route, there will also be a large observation deck with wooden decking and above the swamp level. In total, along the trail, it is planned to create four observation decks, install information signs with descriptions of the trail, attractions of the "Yelnya" reserve, historical facts, and other interesting and useful information. In addition, information signs will be installed on the Polotsk-Miory, Sharkovshchina-Miory highways and in Miory itself.

During the preparation for the festival, an ecological center is also being created. The latter will be equipped with three rooms with visual information materials on the "Yelnya" reserve, stands, various models, and a simulation of a swampy area will be created. It is planned to install media equipment in the conference hall.

The opening of the ecological center and the new ecological trail is planned for September, however, in case of earlier completion of all types of work, it will take place immediately after these facilities are ready, specialists noted. Financial support for the technical equipment of the "Yelnya" reserve, the creation of an ecological center and an ecological trail on the territory of the swamp is provided within the framework of the EU/UNDP project.

In the Vitebsk region, during 2008-2010, within the framework of the UNDP-GEF project "Renaturation and Sustainable Management of Peatlands to Prevent Land Degradation, Climate Change, and Ensure the Conservation of Globally Significant Biodiversity," restoration and design works were carried out in the Liozno (urochishcha "Zhadenovsky mokh" and "Poplav mokh" - 1 thousand 50 ha), Shumilino (Obolskoye forestry - 780 ha), Dubrovno (urochishcha "Shcherbinsky mokh" - 1 thousand 322 ha, "Osintorf -1" and "Osintorf-2" - over 3 thousand ha), and Miory (zakaznik "Yelnya" - 900 ha) districts. "Most of the implemented measures will remain relevant for subsequent years, considering their significance in environmental protection. In total for the region, over the specified period, works were completed on a total area of more than 7 thousand ha with expenditures of Br1.1 billion," the committee noted.