In Kontiolahti, a two-kilometre trail was created in Lehmo Onkilampi in Kontiolahti by volunteers.
A skating track of more than two kilometres appeared in Kontiolahti at the beginning of December. Now it is flooded with skaters and the lights of headlamps show that even the darkness of mid-winter does not stop skaters from enjoying the ice.
The light of an ice rink shines in the dusky evening on the ice of the small Onkilampi pond in Lehmo, Kontiolahti. Next to the lantern is a fresh sign directing pilgrims to dig the openings away from the newly opened skating rink, so that water does not rise to the ice and spoil the nature sports site, which was built with the help of volunteers.
However, Santa Claus from the Lehmo Village Association heard about the men’s efforts, and remembered them with a gift basket. Now a Lehmo entrepreneur has also started to sponsor fuel costs for the ploughmen.
Backcountry skiing is on a great upswing. In just a few years, the number of enthusiasts has increased by several thousand.
In addition to the people of Talkoo and companies, some municipalities have also made the joys of excursion skating possible. For example, a 10-kilometer track on the ice of Tuusulanjärvi is being prepared in cooperation between the two municipalities.
The most popular places to visit in Liesjärvi were the Kynäränharju and the Korteniemi traditional farm (pictured).
Lake Liesjärvi was particularly popular with young adults. People often visit the national park with their own family or friends.
The Liesjärvi National Park in the Häme Lake District is a popular destination for hikers, especially from the Helsinki metropolitan area. Of the respondents to the recently published visitor survey, 38% said their place of residence was either Helsinki (22%), Espoo (8%) or Vantaa (8%).
In the survey year 2021, a record 61 000 visitors visited the national park, double the number in the previous survey year 2010. Two thirds of the visitors were first-time visitors.
According to a Metsähallitus release, Lake Liesjärvi was particularly popular with young adults. The largest age groups of respondents were 25-34 years old (26%) and 35-44 years old (22%). People often visit the national park with their own family or friends.
On a day visit, you will stay in the park for about five hours. 40 percent of the respondents stayed overnight in the area. The most common way to stay overnight was a tent or other private accommodation, 10 percent of those staying overnight stayed in a rented cabin and nine percent in a mobile home or trailer.
Last summer, Enontekio was the site of Finland’s first successful mink nesting since 1996.
According to Metsähallitus, however, the work to protect the mink must be continued systematically, because, for example, the warming Arctic climate is a threat to the recovering mink population.
Cooperation between Finland, Sweden and Norway has produced good results in protecting the mink. According to Metsähallitus, a total of 762 mink pups were found last summer.
A total of 162 nests were confirmed. One of these was in the Enontekiö fells, when the mink successfully nested in Finland for the first time since 1996. Record breeding results were also achieved in Sweden and Norway.
– However, conservation work must continue systematically. For example, the warming Arctic climate is a threat to the recovering female population,” says Tuomo Ollila, Chief Inspector of Metsähallitus’ Nature Services.
The fox is still extremely endangered in Finland and extremely endangered in Norway and Sweden.
The Ely Centre requires a report on the implementation, management and communication of logging. Archive photo from March 2015.
The Uusimaa ELY Centre requests a report that must show, among other things, the number of trees felled by species and the amount of groundwood left in the area.
The Uusimaa Environment Centre asks Espoo to report on forestry work in the Träskända Manor Park nature reserve. The area was felled under contract to the city because of spruce trees killed by a bookworm and the safety concerns they raised.
A school and two kindergartens are located next to the nature reserve.
The felling was carried out during the Christmas holidays, between 27.12.2022 and 3.1.2023. The City of Espoo continued to move the felled trunks outside the nature reserve, so that the tall trunks stacked in the immediate vicinity of the kindergarten and school would not pose a danger to people walking in the area. The plan was also to return some of the stumps back to the protected area at a later date as ground hops.
The Ely center requires a report on the implementation, guidance and communication of logging. The report must include as accurate information as possible on the amount of trees felled in the area by tree species and degree of roughness, as well as an estimate of how much of the felled wood was left or returned to the nature reserve after the work was finished as ground wood.
The police thought it likely that the same deer would have been the subject of a subsequent police operation, but injured.
A police decision to cull a deer in Tampere has attracted criticism on social media.
In Tampere, an animal resembling a reindeer was seen in the middle of the busy Lielahti shopping area at the end of Easter.
According to the police, the animal was agitated and was moving in an area with heavy traffic. The police patrol said they had put the animal down for safety reasons, as it could not be driven off despite attempts.
The police said in a press release that the animal was later identified as a forest deer. The police received many inquiries on the subject and further clarified the matter.
According to Hanna Kangasaho, forest management in Mikkeli is deliberate and careful.
The forestry engineer assures us that the forest in the reserve has not been felled for destruction or profit.
In Mikkeli’s Kalevankanka, management felling has been carried out both in the protected area and in the urban forest.
The length of the thinning work and the large number of trees may be surprising, partly due to the fact that, in addition to the protected area, a normal urban forest has also been managed in the same area.
– We are thinning out younger trees so that the area can develop into a vibrant urban forest. We’ll leave some untouched areas here.
While moving around in the area, Kangasaho has received mostly positive feedback.
The tawny owl is a truly exceptional visitor to central Finland.
A barred owl amazed and delighted in Muurame in December. The Food Authority investigated what led to the death of the owl, which was in poor condition.
As expected, a long period of starvation was the cause of death of the tawny owl that surprised the public in central Finland.
The owl was in poor condition, according to the Food Authority. Its kidneys had degenerated, its pectoral muscles had atrophied and there was no fatty tissue left. In addition, there were parasites in the owl’s feathers.
Further investigation by the Food Standards Agency revealed that the bird was a young female, probably born last year. The bird weighed just over a kilo, compared with the normal weight of a female of just under two to three kilos.
The fell owl, which was in poor condition, was captured in December and an attempt was made to nurse it back to health at the bird sanctuary in Toivaka.
The lost norpa was last year’s six. The individual in the picture is not related to the case.
The dead ferret was a male less than a year old. Norppa is sent to the Food Agency for an autopsy.
A young Saimaa deer has been found dead in a walleye net at Pihlajavedi in Savonlinna.
A fisherman reported a roe deer drowned in a fishing net to Metsähallitus on Monday, January 9. It was a 29-kilogram, approximately 90-centimeter male norpa that was born last winter.
The fishing net in question was a walleye net anchored in the middle, which was about 12 meters deep. Nets like this are prohibited in Saimaa between April and July. The ban aims to reduce the mortality rate of Saimaa roe deer.
Metsähallitus became aware of three ferrets that died in nets last year. In 2021, there were two norps that died for the same reason.
The city of Rovaniemi has erected a protective fence near Ounaskoski. Tourists have again been seen on the river ice near the melt.
If Finland is threatened with an electricity shortage, the level of the power plant reservoirs in the main river bed of Kemijoki may drop lower than usual. This can raise water on top of the ice and especially on shore areas.
The early winter and January have gone very well at the pace of a traditional winter. During the colder period of December, slightly more water flowed from Lake Kemijärvi than average, and now during the mild and windy period, the flow has been lower. If the weather gets colder and the wind calms down, water will be put in motion from Loka and Porttipahda to be able to meet the needs of the kingdom.
If Finland is threatened with an electricity shortage, the level of the power plant reservoirs in the main river bed of Kemijoki may drop lower than usual. This can raise water on top of the ice and especially on shore areas. The ice can thicken on the shores and even weaken in some places.
The flows of the power plants do not increase, but there is more water in circulation, because if necessary, more water is pumped from Loka and Porttipahda than in the usual winter. The river chain and power plants are operated in accordance with the permit conditions, as in normal winter.
Local knowledge is very important when moving on ice, especially on river ice. The drift and ice mass carried by the river water can change the flow of the river even in the middle of winter, and thaw areas can form in surprising places.
