Na Cvičišti Educational Natural Trail: Closer to Nature and Barrier Free. the Jubilee

PRESS RELEASE

Na Cvičišti educational natural trail: Closer to nature and barrier free. The jubilee 40th natural location opened to the public!

Valašské Meziříčí (4 August 2011) – Today, Český svaz ochránců přírody (The Czech Union for Nature Conservation, ČSOP), NET4GAS and the town of Valašské Meziříčí opened a new educational natural trail. It is called Na Cvičišti /The Training Area/ and you will find it on the eastern edge of Valašské Meziříčí. It represents the 40th naturallocation opened to the public within the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme.

“We are delighted that as part of the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme we and ČSOP can open the 40th natural location to the public in a year in which we celebrate 40 years of natural gas transmission in the Czech Republic. Our business is close to nature.Care for the nature and environmental protection belongs to our priorities,“says Jan Nehoda, Managing Director of NET4GAS. ČSOP President Libor Ambrozek adds: “For us, the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme is a unique source allowing systematic and long-term support for projects introducing natural as well as cultural and historic values of our area to the people.“

In towns, it is often not that easy to find a peaceful oasis of nature, let alone if you seek a pushchair walk or if you have visitors in wheelchairs in your group. However, they do have such a friendly place in Valašské Meziříčí.On the edge of the town, there is a former military training area extending over 11 hectares. Today, it is a remarkable natural site where you will find many species of endangered plants and animals. A pool lined by trees is the heart of the area. The Na Cvičišti trail, created by the local ČSOP union, leads around this pool. The 800m long, wheelchair and pushchair accessible trail starts at the upper gate of the military training area and the wooden pavement continues to copy the edge of the pool.

The water, its surface as well as the pool’s vicinity is a home for many precious species of animals, e.g. duck mussel, noble crayfish, lesser spotted woodpecker, penduline tit, king-fisher, green frog, or agile frog. More than 20 species of dragonflies rank among the area’s most precious jewels, scarlet dragonfly, yellow-spotted whiteface or hairy dragonfly belonging to the rarest ones. You will also find protected species of plants, such as water violet or water arum. An old orchard located not far from the pool survived to these days, which ČSOP members treated over 2004-5 and which will later serve as a genetic base of original fruit tree varieties from the Valašsko region (prunus, apple tree, pear tree).

A similar trail used to exist in the area. As time went by, however, its condition deteriorated severely and the area was no longer safe for visitors.“The NET4GAS programme gave us a chance to preserve the interesting trip destination for the wide public, including parents with children and wheelchair users,“said Milan Orálek, the Executive of the local ČSOP office, which put - with the financial support from NET4GAS, the ČSOP general partner, and the support from the town of Valašské Meziřící - the whole project in practice. NET4GAS has been the ČSOP general partner since 2007.

For more details please contact:

Petr Stýblo

Office of the ČSOP Central Executive Council phone no.: 602395473

E-mail:

Milan Orálek

ZO ČSOP Valašské Meziříčí

Phone no.: 602 735 425

E-mail:

Milan Řepka

NET4GAS spokesperson

Phone no.: 739 537 461

E-mail:

The Czech Union for Nature Conservation is a civic association of people who share an active interest in nature conservation and the environment. ČSOP‘s mission is to protect and restore nature, the landscape and the environment, to promote environmental education and support sustainable living. The Union currently has 9,000 members coming from the ranks of professional naturalists, experienced volunteers as well as pure enthusiasts who simply love nature. In 2009, ČSOP celebrated its 30th anniversary. For more information please go to

NET4GAS is aware of its social responsibility and therefore develops and constantly deepens its concept of sponsorship and corporate philanthropy. The company acts as a reliable and safe gas transmission system operator and develops a responsible environmental policy that takes into account the interests of future generations. The NET4GAS long-term sponsorship strategy - which is put into practice through the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme - springs from the close relation between the line of business pursued by NET4GAS on the one hand, and nature-conservation and environmental issues on the other. Supporting also various other entities, NET4GAS is the general partner of the Czech Union for Nature Conservation and of the Peat Bog Revitalization project in the Ore Mountains, organized by the civic association DAPHNE ČR – Institute for Applied Ecology. For detailed information on the sites newly opened to the public and on other natural spots of interest, as well as for destination tips, please see