How, where and with whom do you start your day? 15-year-old Luca Temminck from Haren enjoys working for nature as a Youth Forest Ranger.
Check the water level and report the readings. Check whether fences and information boards are still intact. Whether there are any cows stuck. “I have once experienced a cow lying in the ditch. I immediately informed the forester and he called the farmer.”
15-year-old Luca Temminck is a Youth Forest Ranger for Het Groninger Landschap. An extra pair of eyes, a helping hand for the other forest rangers. He watches over the Onnerpolder nature reserve near Onnen. “It is a large area with many meadows, also known as forests. There are many cows, many meadow birds. In summer the fields are full of geese. And there are sea eagles! We once had a nest here, I went every day to take a look from a distance. Very special to see them fly, they are super big! The wingspan of the wings is 2 meters.
Luca is particularly interested in birds. As soon as he has time, he moves into the polder. “I love being outside, I love nature. I enjoy birdwatching the most. The types, the colors, that’s what I like to work on. I often tell the ranger which ones I have seen during my ’round’. I go alone and I can decide when I go, usually once every three weeks. Otherwise it will be a bit too much besides school, football, golf and tennis. I often go for a few hours in the afternoon when I get home from school.”
Luca has been a Youth Forest Ranger for three years now. “What I really like is that you can also help during the festivals that Het Groninger Landschap organizes. Every season there is a festival with a theme, and on location there are activities for children that have to do with nature. Baking bread, watching ditch animals, sorting through owl pellets. For example, I recently helped with the Mushroom Festival at Ennemaborg.”
Luca has also completed a one-week internship at Het Groninger Landschap. ,,That was fun! There was a very varied programme. For example, we went to replant crocuses and took a boat to an island to explore the place. On the last day, when we went bird watching, it snowed. That was very special.”
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