The festival season is starting and that means that recreation area Geestmerambacht in Oudkarspel will be home to tractors and party-goers for the coming months. Also during the breeding season. But do birds suffer from it?
This weekend the Power Valley tractor pulling event descends on Geestmerambacht and the Indian Summer and Liquicity Festival will take place in June and July. All in the middle of breeding season. Media partner Dike and Waard Central spoke to various experts about the consequences of roaring engines and high decibels for birds in the recreation area north of Alkmaar.
Here yes, not there
According to bird watcher Elias den Otter, there are two sides to the matter. “The function of the park is recreation, so if you look at it that way, events are part of it. Of course enjoying nature is also a function, but they choose very clearly in this area: ‘this part is and this part is not’. So that’s good anyway.”
“Specifically on the site of Power Valley, nothing interesting breeds that will be disturbed. The trees around it do. There are now nightingales, brambles and warblers. That’s why I would say: if the event can be later, that’s better. But I also understand that your main function is recreation and that money has to be made.”
Money for nature
“The money earned from events is also used to maintain the nature reserve,” says bird enthusiast Den Otter. Yet not everyone agrees. Fellow bird watcher Rob Struyk is more firmly in the discussion. According to him, little thought is given to nature in the area and the focus is almost entirely on recreation.
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According to bird watcher Struyk, birds in general may not care much about noise, but you should try to avoid disturbance by people. Something that, according to him, will not happen with the planned Power Valley.
No longer of this time
“In addition, it is a protected area, so with a view to the nitrogen crisis, it is no longer appropriate at this time to organize tractor pulling there. We must stop accepting everything in the Netherlands,” says Struyk.
But according to Mark Scheurkogel of the Vogelbescherming it will run smoothly in terms of disruption. “In this case, the birds are Africa goers and currently have no young. The impact of a one or two day event is likely to be limited and can be tolerated if judged by an ecological test, which is what has been done here.”
“The bird population will probably not disappear overnight as a result of the event. It is important to ensure that the birds are inconvenienced as little as possible. This can be done, for example, by cordoning off the area around the trees.”
Yet Scheurkogel also understands Struyk’s objections. “If you really zoom in on what is important for the birds, then it is of course always better not to organize anything in the area, but at a certain point nothing is allowed anymore.”
Reassess locations
The political party Lokaal Dijk en Waard has expressed its concerns to the alderman about the tractor event during the breeding season. But he sees no possibilities to refuse the event now. And the events calendar does not allow for another date.
“An ecological quick scan is done for each festival, such as breeding bird checks. And organizers must comply with regulations to limit the impact on nature,” the alderman explained this week.
In addition, the municipality will soon assess all event locations anyway. Then we will look at what is desirable in those areas in the future. A new profile will also be introduced for Geestmerambacht.