Organic vegetables are still grown on the clay. There are small orchards where various animals feel at home. When we go out with ecologist Atze van der Goot, we even find a den that most likely belongs to a marten. But the city is advancing and the Lutkemeerpolder is slowly turning into yet another industrial estate. Activists are standing in the breach.
“We are now five meters below NAP,” Atze explains. “Beautiful with old-fashioned small farmyards, messy orchards and small ditches. Ideal for many birds and other animals.” We look out over a field, some lawns with rows of berry bushes and old standard fruit trees. Particularly between Amsterdam Osdorp and Zwanenburg.
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We forage around the Boterbloem farm for Natural North Holland, just like the animals do. Atze: “Many animals still find some shelter here. And don’t forget food.
Countless worms and small insects live in such a heap of old wood that are essential as food for birds and mice, which in turn are on the menu of birds of prey and the like.” We suddenly see a special bird in a bush. “That is a stonechat!” exclaims Atze. “In Amsterdam!”
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At the edge of the orchard we find a branch groove, which is a wickerwork of prunings, a large cave. “That’s special!” says Atze.
“It’s too small for a fox hole and too big for a rat hole. Hares don’t make such a hole and rabbits don’t sit here. That could well belong to a marten, even a pine marten.” A marten is a slender feline predator of about 75 cm in length from head to tail tip.
It is a special sighting and Atze will soon install a wildlife camera here to see which animal dug the hole. To be continued!
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Unfortunately, all this beauty is in danger of disappearing. “Amsterdam wants to have distribution warehouses built here. A GroenLinks city council! How is it possible!” Iris Poels is a fervent advocate of a green Lutkemeerpolder. “They talk a lot about organic vegetable growing near the city, but they don’t lift a finger to protect it.”
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It is a typical case of the song Along the Garden Path Van My Father. The song full of melancholy by Wim Sonneveld. “The New Age is just what you say…”, but Iris has not yet accepted it.
“We just have to hold the Amsterdam city council to their promises. Talk doesn’t fill holes. You can’t have ‘green’ in your party name and then dance to the tune of American investors!” On redonsgroen.nl you will find more about the struggle that Iris and others are waging to preserve the Lutkemeerpolder as a green area.
On March 13 there will be a demonstration at the Stopera for the conservation of biodiversity in and around Amsterdam.