Finish of Back to Nature Project

Around 300 people gathered in Tartu and Baltezers in order to see, read, hear, touch, play and try out the results of the 2-year long intensive work. Project organized two creative closing events - on 28 January in Tartu (Estonia) and on 2 February in Baltezers (Latvia). These were full day conferences, where various involved stakeholders – teachers, environmental organizations and local nature fans could enjoy the results of the numerous activities carried out by the project.

The figures are quite impressive – 15 outdoor education programs, 17 creative print or video materials for nature education, 57 outdoor classes and study trips, several international camps, student competitions and travelling exhibits... and altogether 25 000 hours worked by the Estonian-Latvian project team (22 people from 5 partner organizations).

If anyone thought that bogs and wetlands were just a boring reality of our geographic location, then this project forced to change the mind. It invited children and parents to follow the fairy-tale adventures of Kalli and Modris in wetlands, brought school children into exciting trips to bogs, while the comfort lovers got table and floor games to puzzle their minds about the bogs and wetlands while sitting inside. The secret life of bats is now revealed in an educational video. And anyone can still attend the travelling exhibit (currently in Ķemeri) to test the healing effects of the different soil and flora samples.

All the various creative materials are available at the local school libraries, as well as online. Attend the websites of the  Tartu Environmental Education Centre, Estonian Environmental Board, Latvian Nature Protection Agency and Peipsi Centre for Transboundary Cooperation! See also pictures from the project closing event in our web gallery.