A long-eared owl has been living in Isopuisto in the centre of Kotka since the end of February.
The owls have left their normal habitats in search of better places to hunt. In particular, they have been observed on the south coast and in south-eastern Finland.
– In all my 25-year career, I have never seen so many owls, especially barn owls, coming into the air.
A bad year for moles in the owls’ normal habitats drives them to seek food in unusual places.
This winter, Hokkanen has received many calls from the south coast and south-east Finland. Owl sightings have come from places such as Kouvola, Hamina, Luumäe, Porvoo and Kotka.
Also, according to Birdlife Finland, Lapland’s owls, which usually live further north, have been observed in Southeastern Finland this winter more than usual.
This winter, people have been amazed by the different celestial phenomena. But observing the Northern Lights and fireballs, for example, requires certain conditions.
Spring-winter is a good time to observe different light phenomena in the sky.
Many people share their observations on social media or on the Astronomical Society of Finland’s Skywatcher service. In late February, for example, the Northern Lights were so spectacular in the night sky that a light show prompted a Finnair captain to change his route to show them.
There are several reasons.
1. The conditions for observations are good
In order for the various celestial phenomena to catch the eye, it must of course be sufficiently dark. In Finland, it means that it is best to make observations from dusk in autumn to spring.
The Finnish League for Nature Conservation and the environmental organisation WWF Finland also want a clarification of the section on the removal of dog foxes in the Hunting Act. The picture shows wolves.
According to the Finnish League for Nature Conservation and the environmental organisation WWF Finland, the Lappeenranta Ylämaa wolf pack should be completely removed in order to stop the risk of spreading.
The Finnish League for Nature Conservation and the environmental organisation WWF Finland are proposing an amendment to the law that would give the authorities sufficient powers to hunt wolverines quickly and effectively. The organisations say it is important to include such an amendment in the government programme.
According to the organisations, however, there must be sufficient evidence of the presence of wolverines before they can be hunted. It is important that animals suspected of being wolverines are immediately reported to the authorities and that DNA samples are taken, for example from faeces or hairs.
In the case of the wolves that have now been found in the Highlands, the organisations call for the appeal against the derogation to be dealt with as quickly as possible, so that the wolves can be removed before spring and the wolf breeding season. Since the appearance of an individual does not allow for a definite identification of the wolf pack, in practice the only way to prevent the risk of wolves spreading is to remove the entire Highland herd.
The Forestry Union already cried foul earlier
At the end of February, the Hunters’ Association petitioned to renew the legislation on the removal of canines.
The Käsivarre wilderness area has had very challenging conditions for camping since the beginning of winter. In the illustration, the snowy fells of the Kilpisjärvi wilderness area.
Nature services regularly meet people at the nature center for whom difficult conditions come as a surprise.
Camping in Käsivarre is not for beginners, reminds Metsähallitus’ Nature Services.
Kilpisjärvi volunteer rescuers have already helped several people in trouble in the fell area since the beginning of the year. Last week, a hiker had to be picked up from the terrain by helicopter in the middle of a hike, says Metsähallitus.
According to it, the Käsivarre wilderness area has had very challenging conditions for camping since the beginning of winter. Nature services also regularly meet people at the nature center for whom difficult conditions come as a surprise.
The lynx in the picture was photographed in an animal park.
The lynx population hunting ended at the end of February. In the whole country, 174 lynxes were caught. The catch was significantly reduced from the previous winter, when 306 animals were felled.
The lynx population hunting ended at the end of February. In the whole country, 174 lynxes were caught. The catch was significantly reduced from the previous winter, when 306 animals were felled.
In the Oulu area, all lynx were cut down. A permit was applied for in the area for 51 lynxes, thirteen were granted a permit.
A permit was applied for in Kainuu to kill six lynx in the reindeer herding area and eight elsewhere. No permission was granted. Some of the hunters said that they did not apply for permits because of animal disputes.
The Finnish Game Center granted a total of 178 population management lynx exemption permits for the hunting season that started in December. The number of permits was significantly lower than the previous year.
The seining tradition is fading due to the lack of professional fishermen. The effects of climate change can be seen in changed ice and wind conditions.
Lumimuutos (http://www.lumi.fi/), which fishes in Puruvedi, is unusually young in its age structure. Three of the members of the four-member crew are young people aged 25–35.
As a seiner, Lehtimäki is as rare a sight as the Saimaa grouse. If there are few young people as seiners, there are even fewer women.
Lehtimäki says that he started working in Muiku as a cleaner a couple of years ago. Winter harvesting is already going smoothly.
– The ice conditions have been quite challenging these two winters: weeks and even days can be very different.
The Kaarenhaara dam regulates the water level of Evijärvi. Thanks to the new permit law, the water level will finally rise by 10 cents.
There has been a heated debate in the municipality about the height of the water level for a long time. The permit decision has been appealed, but new regulation limits can be implemented with the help of a preparatory permit.
After many twists and turns, the water level of Evijärvi is finally being raised by ten centimetres.
The ELY Center of Southern Ostrobothnia, which pushed for the water level to be raised, received a permit for the raising from the Regional Administration Office of Western and Inner Finland in December.
The permit contains a so-called preparatory permit, on the basis of which the withdrawal can be started in accordance with the new regulation limits, even if the decision is appealed.
The municipality has been arguing about raising the water level for a long time.
The climate road map focuses on the most important areas in terms of emission reductions and sinks, such as forests, energy and agriculture. Stock photo.
The plan aimed at carbon neutrality is currently being commented on by stakeholders, including municipalities. The finished climate road map will be published in May.
The goal of the whole of Finland, as well as the province of Etelä-Savo, is to be carbon neutral by 2035.
The regional climate road map of Etelä-Savo is almost ready. The road map has been prepared at the beginning of last year under the leadership of Ely Center in Etelä-Savo. The finished climate road map will be published in May.
The road map can be used, for example, as a basis for green transition projects. The road map is currently being commented on by stakeholders, such as municipalities.
After 2035, Finland’s goal is to strive for carbon negativity. This means that carbon dioxide emissions can be the same as carbon sinks. Carbon sinks are, for example, the vegetation of forests and swamps, which bind carbon dioxide from the air when they come together.
The merging of the Seitseminen and Helvetinjärvi national parks is now being lobbied in the next government’s program. The protected area would double to 21,000 hectares.
If the wishes of nature organizations come true, the largest forested national park in Southern Finland may be born in Pohjois Pirkanmaa in the future.
The Pirkanmaa district of the Finnish Nature Conservation Union (SLL) proposes that Seitseminen and Helvetinjärvi national parks be combined. The 11,000 hectares of state forest between them would be joined to national parks twenty kilometers apart, making the combined park more than twice as large as the current ones.
SLL’s Pirkanmaa district hopes that the next parliament could already decide on the merger. The association has just renewed its initiative to the Ministry of the Environment.
In addition, together with the Häme district of the Nature Union, it has made an initiative to the Pirkanmaa union, in which it hopes that the union will also propose the expansion of the national park.
