News Archive 2020

"We are there for you!" say the national park authorities to the grouse. The Gesäuse National Park is also supervised during the winter months. The sworn organs take care of the ski routes and their signposting, monitor compliance with legal regulations and are contact persons* for everyone who visits us.

For the second time, the Gesäuse Partner Network awarded the Innovation Prize for the best product or service in the region. First place went to Susanne and Christian Weissensteiner from the Genussmosthof Veit-lbauer with the apple land for self-picking.

1st place: "Apfelland im Gesäuse", Genussmosthof Veitlbauer, f.l.t.r. Susanne, Florian, Anna, Christian and Julia Weissensteiner
2nd place: "X'eistee Bio", Kräuterbergbauer Stangl, Sandra and Gerhard Stangl
3rd place: "NaturparkResort Alte Schule Hieflau", Landl Infrastruktur Entwicklungs KG, Andreas Danner

Helmut Tschitschko ran the Buchsteinhaus for 10 years. New innkeepers are being sought for 2021.

The hut also changed hands: from the Steyr local branch to the Bad Ischl local branch of the Naturefriends.
Interested parties should contact:

https://www.facebook.com/naturfreundebadischl

We would like to thank "Tschitschi" and the Steyr branch for the wonderful years and look forward to a good cooperation with the Bad Ischl branch.

The Gesäuse National Park offers winter sports enthusiasts a new and potentially life-saving service. At popular starting points for ski and snowshoe tours, so-called avalanche beacon checkpoints have been set up, which are activated when there is sufficient snow.
There you can test the functionality of your avalanche transceiver (avalanche beeper) before you start your tour. A tour should not be started without a functioning avalanche transceiver! Danger to life!

Locations:
- Gstatterboden
- Johnsbach: Sebring
- Johnsbach: Kölbl
- Johnsbach: Ebnerklamm car park
- Johnsbach Gscheidegger car park

The Winter 2020 issue of the National Park Magazine "Im Gseis" is out. This time we portray the wallcreeper, look at Lake Sulzkar and the larch tree species. There is also a focus on photography. Martin Hartmann tells us about his photographic Corona walks, Stefan Leitner was out in the rain for us. The history of the mountain huts in the Ennstal Alps rounds off this issue. The magazine will be available free of charge from the end of October at the information office in Admont and at the information stands of our Gesäuse partners. The pdf can be downloaded from the download page of our homepage. You can also subscribe to our magazine free of charge. Please send a mail, letter or fax with your name and address to:
Karin Lattacher, Gesäuse National Park GmbH, 8913 Weng im Gesäuse 2
karin.lattacher@nationalpark.co.at
Fax: +43 3613 21000 18

... is the highest speed measured so far by the new measuring board at the Weidendom visitor centre on the B146.

At a permitted 50km/h, 85% of all vehicles drive at a speed of 70 km/h. This is far too fast for a crossing area and an area where pedestrians and especially school classes often have to cross the road. Much too fast for an intersection and an area where pedestrians and especially school classes often have to cross the road.

So: GET OFF THE GAS! This protects health, life, nature and your wallet.

Picture: Herbert Wölger

On Friday, 11 September, a massive rockfall occurred on the eastern side of the Großer Buchstein, which caused quite a stir!

Exactly at 17:03, a rock scaly broke loose just below the summit plateau and fell hundreds of metres down to the valley, before the rock masses, after hitting and breaking many times, ran into the inaccessible cirques of the so-called "Rohr"... In glorious late summer hiking weather, many people in Gstatterboden were able to both hear this event and observe the enormous cloud of dust that rose immediately afterwards - a clear indication that here in the Gesäuse, too, nature is in a constant state of flux and that even the stone wall alignments of our impressive mountain world do not last forever!

Three-day tour: With two rangers across the National Park!

Multi-day tours in the Gesaeuse National Park provide a particularly intensive experience of nature. According to the motto "Wilderness at every turn", we learn interesting facts about animals and plants, some of which are rare, which find a largely untouched natural environment here in the Gesäuse National Park. Our route takes us on paths and hiking trails, partly along the lynx trail, and also over peaks right across the Gesäuse National Park. We spend the night in cosy huts - hut evenings included!

Application deadline extended until 30 September! Fancy an adventure in nature conservation? Then apply now to become a Junior Ranger in the Gesäuse National Park! As a Junior Ranger you will have the unique opportunity to actively participate in your National Park for several years, to spend an exciting and eventful time with your friends in nature, to make a valuable contribution to the region, to experience fun days and nights in the National Park, to climb huts and peaks with National Park Rangers, to exchange ideas with other Junior Rangers internationally, to visit other National Parks in and around Austria, to forge ideas for your future, to be creative, and to be a part of the Gesäuse National Park.

Are you? between 10 and 15 years old, like to be outdoors, ambitious in sports, open to new friendships, curious, committed and up for fun, speak English?
...then apply quickly as a Junior Ranger of the Gesäuse National Park and show us what you've got!
Be creative with your application and tell us how you would like to help the National Park team! What are your strengths that you would like to contribute? What are you particularly good at? What fascinates you about nature? Just tell us a little bit about yourself!
I look forward to exciting and eventful years with you, because:
We need your support!
Application by 30 September to: johanna.eisank@nationalpark.co.at

On 1 September we had the pleasure of welcoming a very special guest: "our" Provincial Councillor for Nature Conservation, Ursula Lackner, visited the Gesäuse National Park. The traffic situation at the Gesäuse entrance was visited and discussed as well as the renaturation of the Johnsbach and the attractions in the Weidendom adventure centre. A lunch at the Gstatterboden National Park Pavilion and the presentation of a scientific illustration of the endemic Ennstal lady's mantle rounded off the visit.

The Himmelstoß fir is well on its way to growing into the sky. A measurement showed that it is an astonishing 47 metres tall and has a huge circumference of 3.95 metres at chest height! However, this is not quite true, because trees cannot grow into the sky. That is due to physics. Leaves evaporate water. Evaporation ensures that water can be drawn from the roots into the crown via complicated conduits. However, the higher the tree gets, the more difficult it is to transport the water that far up and at some point a limit is reached where gas bubbles would form and the system would no longer work. This is why trees - not even the sky pine - do not grow to the sky.
P.S.: This fir is named after the legendary forestry director Franz Himmelstoß, head of the Steiermärkische Landesforste forestry operation from 1953 to 1967, who campaigned massively and emphatically for the preservation of the strong solitary trees.

The "one" cherished souvenir picture from the Gesäuse National Park, as a selfie or with the whole family, for school classes the perfect frame for the class photo as a souvenir of the visit to the Weidendom, or simply the cosy togetherness with an unusual backdrop...
We have now created the appropriate setting for these pictures: a spectacular mountain landscape as the background and lots of wilderness in the foreground - the essential elements of the Gesäuse National Park as important photo ingredients!!!
Try it out!!! Works in any weather and at any time!!! At the Willow Dome Adventure Centre!!!

Many a secret lies dormant in Sulzkar Lake. For example, two spruce trunks have been lying in the lake for almost 1400 years. As part of the Sulzkarsee project, one piece of each was recovered and has now been dated. Trees produce wood during their lifetime. In our latitudes, this wood growth is interrupted in the winter half-year. This results in clearly defined annual rings and, depending on the weather sequence over several years, a unique pattern that is recognisable in all trees of a wood species and region. The pattern can be used for dating.
The two logs from Sulzkarsee in the Gesäuse National Park fell into the lake in the years after 617 and 590 AD, respectively, and were at least 150 and 377 years old. The older one was therefore already standing on the lakeshore around the year 200 AD!

Since this summer there has been the opportunity to participate in an impressive natural process just a few steps from the willow dome on the path towards the visitors' car park: the cycle of life! At regular intervals, a dead piece of game is laid out by the national park administration in a specially prepared place. This carcass is an important source of food for a large number of creatures and makes another valuable contribution to biodiversity and the nutrient cycle! Within a short period of time, it is colonised by a large number of specialised insects such as blowflies and flesh flies, short-winged moths, or multicoloured and carrion beetles. After only a few weeks, only bones, skin, cartilage remains and some fur are left, which are now decomposed in a much slower process.
So: close your nose and participate... because death is also an indispensable part of life!
About the pictures: On Friday, 31 July, a fawn was found freshly dead;
Date of recording image 01: Saturday, 01 August
Date of photo 02: Monday, 03 August
Date of photo 03: Tuesday, 04 August

At the end of July, a team of 7 people went out with spades and shovels to once again get to grips with an occurrence of Japanese knotweed in the national park.
Japanese knotweed is considered a highly invasive neophyte that affects the diversity of our plant and therefore animal life through its rapid growth and large-scale spread.
To bring knotweed to its knees, it must be dug up as deep as possible. This is easier said than done - meter-long rhizomes and deep-reaching roots make the task difficult. And last but not least, the battlefield must be thoroughly cleaned up, because a small, forgotten piece of stem can develop into a complete plant again within a short time.
The knotweed stand on the Enns River was treated for the third time this year and the control measures are showing initial success. In the meantime, its growth has been reduced by two thirds. A total of nine garbage bags, each containing 80 liters of plant material, were removed and taken to the waste management association in Liezen for proper disposal.
In fall, there is still a follow-up inspection to remove any new shoots.
The Neophyte Action Day took place, as in previous years, in cooperation with the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein. Many thanks for your great support!

World Ranger Day is celebrated every year on 31 July to remember rangers who have been killed or injured in the line of duty and to honour the work rangers do to protect the planet's natural resources and cultural heritage.
In more than 4,000 internationally recognised national parks worldwide, rangers work to protect nature, maintain infrastructure and provide education.
It is time to simply say THANK YOU.
You want to travel with a ranger? Book your guide!

Not only the Enns and the Johnsbach flow through the National Park, but also traffic. Railways and federal roads wind their way through the valley. These transport links always need some repair and maintenance work.
In 2019, the rehabilitation of the Kummer railway bridge was started and has now been successfully completed. The road bridge of the B146 will also soon receive a new road surface in the same area. Of course, we in the National Park make sure that all construction sites are carried out in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Thanks to the accompanying ecological planning, the Natura 2000 assessment and the consensual planning and implementation, the cooperation between the National Park, the Province of Styria, the contractors and the ÖBB works very well in this respect.

During a violent thunderstorm, not one stone is left on the other...
The normally dry stream bed of the Haindlkar turns into a torrent of water, mud and debris within minutes during heavy rain. The way to the Haindlkar hut is then life-threatening and impassable.
The Weissenbachl east of Gstatterboden is a small, clear stream. This changes abruptly during a thunderstorm. Water, mud and debris make their way down to the Enns. With best thanks to Christoph Strobl from AOS rafting. www.rafting.at

A call to +43 3613 21 000 99 is all it takes!
It's finally fixed: the popular shared taxi is taking off again this year and is now available daily from 08:00 to 20:00.
Nothing stands in the way of a mountain experience independent of your own car!

Within the framework of our guided excursions, the general rules of conduct for protection against the Corona virus are valid. We therefore ask you to keep a minimum distance of one metre and to pay special attention to hygiene. If you feel ill, we request that you refrain from participating in our offers - for the protection of our guests as well as staff members. Please take your own mouth-nose protection with you.

Pssssssst, it's that time again! The sandpipers have arrived in their summer home and have already started breeding or at least found their own territory. A record-breaking 10 pairs have made their way to the Enns in the National Park this year. Provided that no floods endanger the brood or the young and that visitors abide by the rules, we can expect many offspring of the sandpipers this year. Therefore, please observe the ban on entering the gravel banks when you are in the National Park! If you want to see sandpipers yourself, with a bit of luck you have a good chance at the lookout point at the end of the Leierweg near the observation hut. Here you can often find them foraging on the alluvial islands. But "Psssssst" the birds are very shy and sensitive.

Finally, the time has come again - the new summer 2020 issue of the National Park Magazine "Im Gseis" is here. This time we have worked on the entire appearance and are proud to present the magazine in the new layout. The magazine is available free of charge at the information office in Admont and at the information stands of our Gesäuse partners. The pdf can be downloaded from the download page of our homepage. You can also subscribe to our magazine free of charge. Please send a mail, letter or fax with your name and address to:
Karin Lattacher,
Gesäuse National Park GmbH,
8913 Weng in the Gesäuse 2
karin.lattacher@nationalpark.co.at
Fax: +43 3613 21000 18

In the Gesäuse National Park, many things are a little easier than in the cities. Our events take place in very small groups, our rangers have been specially trained in corona protection measures and those who go hiking individually will often not meet anyone for hours. From June onwards, our events will take place regularly again. We go in small groups anyway, and our rangers have been specially trained on top of that! The restaurant in the National Park Pavilion in Gstatterboden will be open from 29 May (Monday closing day) from 10:00 to 22:00. The exhibition "Planspitze - mountain of contrasts" in the National Park Pavilion Gstatterboden can be visited by families and small groups from 10:00 to 18:00 with free admission.
The Willow Dome is supervised from 30 May on public holidays and weekends from 10:00 to 18:00, research programmes with limited group size are offered daily from 01 July to 13 September at 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00. The Wilder John, Lettmair Au and Leierweg theme trails as well as the Ecological Footprint are free to walk. The mountain bike trails Hochscheibenalm, Ennsbodenweg and the Rauchbodenweg are open to the public, the Johnsbacher Almrunde only from around mid-June due to residual snow.
The exhibition "Passion for Nature" at Admont Abbey is closed until further notice, as is the entire museum. The information office in Admont is now open to visitors from Monday to Friday from 10:00 - 15:00. Most of the refuges in the Gesäuse National Park will be open from 15 May, but unfortunately do not currently offer overnight accommodation.

Nationalparks Austria Media Scholarship 2020: Three professionals visit the Gesäuse National Park as photographers and writers. The National Parks Austria Media Scholarship is often awarded to young talents who want to record their experiences in the wilderness of the Austrian National Parks in photographs, films or literature. This year, however, three specialists in their field are coming to the Gesäuse National Park: journalist and author Leonhard F. Seidl has been recruited for literature, and Nadja Thaler and Silvan Lamprecht, who have made a name for themselves primarily as wildlife photographers, will be on the road in the Gesäuse. We are looking forward to the results!

Nationalparks Austria - the umbrella brand of the Austrian national parks - offered several media scholarships in recent years. You could apply for a scholarship in one of the national parks in the categories of literature, photography or video design. Last year, two creative minds were again selected from over 100 applicants for the Gesäuse. The two-week stay should lead to the most intensive nature experiences possible. The National Park therefore provided the young people with very secluded and isolated accommodation without electricity or any other infrastructure. Ariane Wrumnig completed a scholarship for literature, Matthias Ledwinka was on the road as a photographer.

In science, new species are sometimes named after deserving personalities. Recently, a new butterfly species from Iran was named after the Styrian butterfly researcher Heinz Habeler, who died in 2017. "In honour of Heinz Habeler, one of my mentors, we have named a Noctuid species from Iran after him," writes Benjamin Wiesmair from the Tyrolean Provincial Museum about the new species "Orthosia habeleri". Habeler researched the butterfly diversity in Styria for decades and was very attached to the Gesäuse National Park. His book on a total of 1,234 butterfly species in the protected area was published at the end of 2017. Go to the Gesäuse National Park research series here!

Creative minds from the fields of film, photography & literature are wanted! And YOU can apply until 15 March 2020.

Are you looking for an internship or a seasonal position? NEW: Seasonal position in the pavilion in Gstatterboden.
Apply with us!

Avalanches characterise the landscape in the Gesäuse. After a snowy January 2019, the 2020 season has been rather quiet so far. We have pointed a webcam at the Scheibenbauernkar in the National Park. Here you can follow in time-lapse how this avalanche gully below the Tamischbachturm develops over the entire winter.