The tip of a nordic walking stick was pointed at the chest of the pensioner. He was pierced him, so the threat of the man with his hand on the stick, insulted and insulted him had already. The background is presumably the 68-year-old's activities as a nature conservation guard, the police wrote about this long ago incident.
Gerd glatzer from hochstadt has not yet encountered anything like this when he was out and about in the same capacity. But not always did his hints of understanding. Last year, a woman freaked out when he pointed out to her that one of her free-roaming dogs was poaching. In the end, neither the official ID nor a witness (he was traveling with a colleague) really seemed to help him in this situation. He just thought: "I hope no one sees us – otherwise they might think we're doing something to the woman!" He had then limited himself to giving a hint to the hunt leaseholder on the spot, he does not know what has become of it.
Free running dogs
Glatzer frequently encounters dog owners who let their dogs run free during walks, but in case of doubt have no influence on their behavior. Especially during the breeding season from april to july, dogs should be kept on a leash near ponds and quarry ponds, he emphasizes. Not every municipality has a corresponding ordinance for dog owners. "I always try to talk things through", says gerd glatzer. Whether he can achieve a change in thinking, he is not so sure. Nevertheless, he still approaches people who do not behave as they should in the woods and meadows – because he loves nature and considers it important that it be protected.
A nature conservation officer has the authority to make a preliminary arrest under the bavarian nature conservation act. But the 52-year-old doesn't really want to act like that; he prefers to keep his head down. "We are not supposed to play policemen, but to act in an enlightening way." For him, that means being friendly and looking for a solution on the spot if possible.
Personality is important if you want to be on the road and be accepted as a nature conservation warden. A confident demeanor and some diplomacy are required. "The most important thing is the sustainability of the means", says glatzer. You have to deal differently with a little girl in an orchid meadow than with an adult depositing gauze in the forest. He has not had many criminal charges, although he has been doing the job for more than 20 years.
Tracking down environmental sinners
How to become a nature guard in the first place? In the district of lichtenfels, when the district office set up this voluntary service, the nature conservation associations active here were written to and asked to suggest expert persons. A team of ten people has since been assigned to support the lower nature conservation authority. Since the death of a nature conservation warden last year, there has been no one to replace him, and a successor is to be appointed in the coming months.
The nine men who are regularly out and about in their areas, from the main valley to the staffelberg and the weismain-alb, are between 50 and 75 years old. Five of them – like toolmaker gerd glatzer – are still at work, the others are pensioners. Recently, after a long time, there was a common meeting again. We want to exchange ideas at least once a year.
The nature guards have to keep a record of the hours they spend on the road and the observations they make – from the beaver burrow to the possible environmental offender they have caught. Then they receive a compensation for their work. There is no hourly target, only a guideline. Someone who enjoys being out in nature as much as gerd glatzer does doesn't need any official accusation to do so.
Ever since he was infected with his enthusiasm for the world of birds by another highlander as a youngster, he can't let go of his hobby. He has acquired a great deal of knowledge and does voluntary work for the max planck institute for ornithology, for example. He knows when and where to spot an eagle owl in the county, notices when the crows fly past his living room window to their roosting place.
He simply has an eye for nature, especially for its feathered inhabitants, and takes pleasure in it. He is able to combine his task in the nature protection guard well with his hobby. And if unpleasant encounters do occur, it doesn't bother him. He speaks calmly about that dog owner. Yes, he would recognize them. No, he doesn't take it personally. Perhaps the reason for this lies in another hobby: gerd glatzer is a soccer coach. And not everyone can behave on the sidelines either…
The nature guards in short
District lichtenfels wilhelm ebitsch (responsible for the ebensfeld area), paul kraub (staffelstein-north), ulrich volker and hans-werner herold (staffelstein-sud), rudolf krapp (lichtenfels-north), benedikt reuther (lichtenfels-sud), gerd glatzer (michelau, marktgraitz, marktzeuln, redwitz, hochstadt), dieter weberpals (burgkunstadt, altenkunstadt), hans knorr (weismain).
Duties controls in protected areas, monitoring of access or. Climbing bans (of valuable habitats); reporting of law violations (mull deposits, wild camping, etc.).); participation in species protection surveys in two one-week courses, the academy for nature conservation and landscape management in laufen (berchtesgadener land) imparts legal and technical knowledge, which must be proven in an aptitude test.
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