Volunteer Work at Parc Ela

It’s time for our Judo goes Orient team to do something for the community again… We decided to carry out a volunteer work assignment in Parc Ela — the largest nature park in Switzerland — in Graubünden…

So our Judo goes Orient team travelled to the Graubünden region for an extended weekend. On Friday we checked into a charming house in Schmitten. The very first evening was a jolly get-together.

On Saturday we got going early in the morning. Our assignment was to make a contribution to biodiversity in Parc Ela through a nature conservation project. Under expert guidance we built metre by metre of new “dry stone wall”.

Dry stone walls were historically built in mountain areas mainly as pasture boundaries and drove roads, for terracing fields, or as avalanche barriers. Many dry stone walls, however, have not been maintained for a long time and are falling apart. Nature conservation teams restore selected dry stone walls to enhance the landscape and promote the rocky habitat. The gaps and hollows in the walls provide shelter for small and large creatures alike.

The project leader from Parc Ela also explained to us why dry stone walls are so important for animals, as well as sharing so much about the nature in the Landwasser valley region.

Who knows — perhaps we’ll carry out a similar project again soon and keep you updated on our homepage www.judogoesorient.ch as well as on Facebook and Instagram in a timely manner.

At this point we would like to thank Parc Ela from the bottom of our hearts for making it possible for us to build a dry stone wall together.

Your Judo goes Orient – Team