Spruce up the Ponds! Heidesheim

Germany Environment Environment Fixed dates

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

The Wander- and Lennebergverein “Rheingold“ Mainz (hiking club of Heidesheim for short!) is one of the oldest hiking clubs in the city of Mainz. For 140 years now, they have been pursuing the same goals: • to protect and maintain the Lenneberg forest close to the city; • to open it up and preserve it for those seeking recreation. The association\'s area is huge, it covers 752 hectares. Every year, they organise activities for children, hikes, action days and festivals for young and old! This year, the hiking club of Heidesheim is inviting international volunteers for the fourth time and they are looking forward to meeting you. By participating in this workcamp, you are actively supporting biodiversity (UN SDG 15) and help us work against climate change (UN SDG 13).

💼 What the programme involves

Come to the Lenneberg forest and help to restore biodiversity in the area of the “seven ponds“! The area of the “seven ponds“ (“sieben Weiher“ in German) is located about 2 km away from the hiking club\'s house. For years, it was left unattended and the ponds were not in a good condition. Fishes were supposed to live in the ponds but there was almost none to be found. Also, many hikers complained about the state of the ponds. Many knew the area from before and said it used to be very beautiful. This is when the hiking club decided on a new project: sprucing up the ponds! In 2014 a first workcamp supported the hiking club in the seven ponds area and this year, they are again counting on your help to: • Remove woody plants and excessive vegetation; • Cut the paths and the lakes free to make it accessible for visitors. Before this project, nothing was growing in the ponds anymore: The grown vegetation was blocking the light from reaching the plants in the water. If the plants in the water die, then oxygen is missing and the ecosystem deteriorates. With the help of local and international volunteers, new species came back. Therefore, your work will help sustain biodiversity in the ponds and the area around them. In addition, the people of the hiking club need your help for another project: • planting trees! Because of the many periods of drought in the past years, many trees died. In order to keep the forest alive, new ones that are suitable for the changing climate need to be planted.

🏠 Accommodation on site

Your group will stay in a sports hall in Heidesheim. You will sleep on gym mats in one big open room. In the building you will have access to sanitary facilities with several showers and toilets. Both can be separated by gender. In the accommodation there is no washing machine, but if you need, the local hosts will drive you to a washing salon in Heidesheim. It’s not sure if the Wi-Fi works inside the sports hall but you will have Wi-Fi access for sure on the work site, where the hiking club’s house is. On working days, you will take your breakfast and lunch on the work site. For dinners and weekend meals, you will be able to use the kitchen of the hiking club’s house, which is located at your working place. For the transport from the sports hall to the work place/kitchen, bicycles will be arranged (it’s a 10 minutes ride). The food will be bought with the camp budget and everybody will take turns for cooking and cleaning. In order to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet, we encourage volunteers to reduce meat and try more sustainable dishes.

📍 About the location

Heidesheim is a community with approximately 7600 inhabitants. It is located near the well-known river Rhine. You can go hiking or cycling and enjoy the famously beautiful Rhine valley with its picturesque towns and castles. Heidesheim is only 10km from Mainz, the state capital and university town with many cafés, restaurants and clubs. During your free time, the local hosts will try to arrange a small bus (9 seats) and a car, so that you can go about and visit this beautiful region!

⚠️ Requirements

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all volunteers need to be either fully vaccinated (2 to 3 shots of one of the following vaccines: BioNtech/Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson&Johnson) or recovered (date of infection must be at least 28 days old and max 90 days old).