Koutsouras

LOCAL PARTNER: Municipality of Ierapetra – Department of Environment & Culrural Association of Oreino village. Local partners believe that international volunteers are an incentive to the whole local community to get involved in the solution of local problems. Last year, because of the International workcamp, a very vast network of local people has been mobilised and have been involved in all phases of the camp life. This involvement had a positive impact not only in terms of work but also in the community cohesion and initiated an interesting dynamic.

WORK: Volunteers will be involved in forestry work. In cooperation with local environmental groups and villagers, volunteers will work in the Gorge of Koutsouras , also known as Gorge of Butterflies. This is a unique gorge with many pine trees and springs with fresh water. Despite of its name, you won’t see many butterflies in the gorge. During the last few years they appear mainly during the spring months. The reason is the great fire of 1993, which disrupted the area’s balance. The Gorge of Butterflies is in need of care in order to continue developing in a healthy way after the disastrous fires of the past.

More specifically volunteers will:

a) Clean from old trees and other materials the canyon, as fire protection measure.

b) Clean a small ancient stone bridge from vegetation and bushes.

c) Create and place sign posts and information panels along the path (15 in total).

d) Create a protective wooden fence in a very exposed part of the path (150m)

e) Clean the fountain at the exit of the canyon.

f) Help in the organisation and of course participate in the Oreino village traditional party on the 9^th of July.

Volunteers will work 5 hours per day, 6 days per week. We might need to adapt the daily schedule (e.g start working at 6 in the morning or work in the morning and afternoon) in order to avoid the hottest hours of the day. The distance between the accommodation area and the work area is long, so on some of the days volunteers will be transported by cars. Any changes in the working schedule and/or type of work will be discussed and decided as a group and in close cooperation with the local host.

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD: Volunteers will be hosted in a school near Koutsouras village by the seaside. Volunteers are expected to sleep on the floor on mattress provided by the local host.Showers and warm water as well as all basic facilities are provided. Volunteers will be given all necessary equipment and materials from the local host and they will prepare their meals in shifts. We cook using local products and donated row or cooked supplies and we adapt our menu to the supplies we have.

LOCATION AND LEISURE: The Forest Park of Apigania in Ierapetra (5000 acres) consists of the Koutsoura woods (100 acres), with infrastructure for miscellaneous educational and leisure activities and an afforested land of 300 acres, where the creation of a Botanical Garden of Apigania is planned, with species of Cretan and Mediterranean flora.

In the broader region of 5000 acres nature trails can be designed (which include The Butterflies’ Gorge that ends up to a small cascade), climbing fields as well as religious tourism trails (churches, monasteries etc). The region was burnt down in 1993 but then thousands of school children and citizens of the Ierapetra Municipality planted more than 10.000 trees of local Cretan flora. Last year two international workcamps have been hosted in the area and volunteers have pruned more than 8000 trees (pine trees, cypresses, locust trees, cedars and others) as a fire protection and supporting healthy growth measure.

Oreino village on Thripti mountain is surrounded by walnut, pine and plane trees. In the area there are also many fresh water springs. Oreino is at the top end of the Canyon while the Kourtouras forest and entrance of the Gorge is 4 hours walk south. Oreino, is a very small mountainous village with very friendly and hospitable community.

The school is next to the see side, so swimming on a daily base is one of the main free time activities. Ierapetra is a town in the south east of Crete Island. The forest park of Apigania where the camp will take place is 30 min by car way from Ierapetra. Visits and environmental education excursions to the most important sites of the area are going to take place, including an excursion to the island of Chrysi, one of the most important environmental protected areas of Greece. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to visit and participate in some of the cultural events organised in different parts of the area. Camp-leaders will organise free time activities in co-operation with the volunteers and the local partner. Host organization does not cover free time activities expenses

TERMINAL: Heraklion or Sitia airports. Heraklion port. Ierapetra Bus Station

PARTICIPATION FEE: 20€. Due to the current social and financial situation we are obliged to charge a fee of 20 Euro for incoming volunteers that will be used to cover insurance and health costs. This fee should be paid upon arrival to the workcamp leaders.

ACCESSIBILITY: This workcamp is accessible to A4A volunteers (no wheelchair).

NOTE: The work will be physically demanding mainly because of the weather conditions (sun, high temperatures and wind). The best travel option would be to arrive in Heraklion before 12:00pm and depart from Heraklion after 12:00pm.

SUMMARY (This description can be used for promotion of the project by the sending partners on their social media channels):

An important environmental workcamp will take place in the Greek Island of Crete, in collaboration with the Municipality of Ierapetra, local cultural associations and local volunteers. The Gorge of Butterflies is in need of care in order to continue developing in a healthy way after the disastrous fires of the past.