Friendsof the DunesCommunities Protecting Nature

The Friends of the Dunes project will create change in perceptions and behavior to further coexistence between people and the environment for the benefit of the presentgeneration and those to come

Donor’s ProspectusGivat Shaul, Jerusalm, 95463 Israeltel.972-2-5005444, fax. 972-2-5005409www.parks.co.il

Am Ve’ Olamo Street ,3

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) is a governmental body under the aegis of the Environmental Protection Ministry. The INPA is responsible by law for some 500 sites (some 380 nature reserves and115 national parks), which constitute approximately 20% of Israel’s land mass (totaling approximately 1.62 million acres, or 657,628 hectares or6.5 million dunams

The goals of the INPA are:To protect biodiversity, the ecosystem and landscapes in national parks, nature reserves and open spaces.To protect and foster heritage sites, national parks and nature reserves for visitors.To educate toward values of nature protection, landscape and heritage in order to increase public awareness of these issues.

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People, particularly those with an ongoing interest in the region and its valuable assets of nature, heritage and landscape, must protect these assets as a way of life.The Sharon Region is the most populated area in the country; about 3.3 million people — almost half of Israel’s entire population — live here. The region extends from the Hadera Stream in the north to Ashdod in the south, and on the east it reaches the Green Line. The new millennium has been characterized by technological progress and an increasing rise in the standard of living. However, this progress has also led to continuing deterioration of the resources of nature, landscape and heritage. The Sharon Region is a living example of the tension inherent in this situation. Nature reserves and national parks in this region are small, isolated, and usually not contiguous. They are under great pressure from the push toward development and the construction and industry that surround them.

we in the Sharon Region believe that protecting the assets of nature, landscape and heritage in central Israel is possible through increasing awareness and investment in education and by strengthening the bonds between the inhabitants and their environment. The work we do will also impact people’s behavior wherever they travel in the country.

VisionThe Sharon Region

Friends of the DunesVision of the project

Israel’s beaches are a unique environmental system and a major leisure-time attraction. Friends of the Dunes will bring about change in the understanding of the types of behavior that further coexistence between people and nature, for the present generation and those to come.

Overall GoalTo protect and preserve Israel’s coastal ecosystem.

AimsTo raise awareness in the community of the values of nature, landscape and heritage protection on and near the beach. To involve the communities located along and near the beach in the protection of the beaches as a way of life.To protect the beach and its surroundings for the people of Israel now and for the generations to come.

Means of achieving the aims Working in and with the school system. Changing the environmental agenda by involving

individuals who are key in transmitting the message of the vision and goals of the project in the communities with which we work: teachers, youth and community workers, education department heads in cities and towns, etc.

The creation of a training program and a cadre of volunteers in communities near the beach.

Communities Protecting Nature-the Community Adopt-a-Site ProjectLike the Friends of the Dunes model, a project for communities is now being developed for the benefit of nature reserves and national parks that are not adjacent to the beach. Following training, and directed by INPA experts, the members of the community that has adopted the national park or nature reserve will become active at the site.

Partnership communities: Schools, youth groups, adult groups, and soldiers on army bases. The Adopt-a-Site program is adapted for various communities, and usually includes a preliminary training course, year-long enrichment activities and hands-on work at the site (according to its needs as determined by authorized INPA experts such as ecologists, environmental planners, the development director and the community liaison director, and overseen by the region’s head ranger). Groups will also receive instruction and tours at the site. Each group of “friends” will be overseen by a facilitator from the Sharon Education Center.

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Friends of the Dunes - Target audience: elementary (grades 4-6) and junior high schools.The activity involves getting to know the habitats and hands-on work according to the needs of the adopted site, overseen by the head INPA ranger. A touring plan is developed with the school’s teachers and coordinated with the curriculum of each class. The students meet with their INPA tour educator three times over the course of the year.Schools involved so far:

Avihail School (Moshav Avihail) has adopted Avihail National Park. Weizmann School (Beit Yehoshua) has adopted the Poleg Stream Nature Reserve (southern bank). Begin School (Netanya, Ramat Poleg) has adopted the Poleg Stream Nature Reserve (northern bank). Rimalt School (Netanya, Ramat Poleg) has adopted the Poleg Stream Nature Reserve (northern bank). Eldad Junior High School (Netanya) has adopted the Iris Reserve and the Dura Pool. Hof Hasharon Junior High School (Shefayim) has adopted the Sharon Beach National Park. Gan Raveh School (Ayanot) has adopted the Mouth of the Sorek Stream and Palmahim Beach national

parks. Communities Protecting Nature - like Friends of the Dunes, in this program a school adopts a nearby site, national park or nature reserve.Partners so far:Herzog High School (Beit Hashmonai) has adopted Tel Gezer National Park.Rabin High School (Mazkeret Batya) has adopted the Gibton Springs Nature Reserve.Gan Raveh School (Ayanot) has adopted the Beit Hanan Purple Iris Reserve.

Programs involving Arab and Jewish Schoolchildren - These programs focus on coexistence between nature and people and among people. In this program, students from Arab and Jewish schools get to know each other at a specific site that allows the groups to bond. The activity focuses on bringing the children together as they work for the good of the environment. This model went

into action in 2003, with the Ramot Hefer School at Kibbutz Ma’abarot and the Abu Sina School in Kalansua, in the Alexander Stream area. The students met the same tour educator four times over the course of the year.

Educational programs for schools

Educational programs for schoolsItem Small

adopting schools

Large adopting schools

Jewish-Arab coexistence program

Coordinator of programs

20,000 22,000 3,000

Tour educators on touring days

7,440 (12 touring days x NIS 620 per day)

16,740 (27 touring days x NIS 620 per day)

4,960(2 tour educators x 4 tours x NIS 620 per tour)

Main event 5,000(8-10 tour educators)

6,000 (10-12 tour educators)

2,000

Work at the sites - equipment for activities as required by site guidelines: fixing paths, signage, etc.

6,000 7,000 3,000

Products - stickers, T-shirts, hats, etc

Approx. 1,000 Approx. 1,000 5,000 (including production of booklet at the end)

Supervision, evaluation and documentation

5,000 5,000 2,000

Incidentals 4,000Buses

Total NIS 44,440 NIS 57,740 NIS 23,960

Cost per year (in NIS)

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Youth groups are active in two projects:

Friends of the Dunes - Adopting a site(a national park or nature reserve) adjacent to communities near the beach.

Communities Protecting Nature -Adopting a site in the region near their community. In these projects, teens undergo training to get to know the area and the habitat as well as an annual course to lead other teens in their activities at the site, cooperating both in nature protection and maintenance of the site (path repairs, transplanting and keeping the site clean).

Our partners so far (2009)

The Hamamika teen group from Kibbutz Shefayim, which started working with the project in 2000, has adopted Hof Hasharon National Park.

Teens from Kibbutz Palmahim, who began working with the project in 2002, adopted Mouth of the Sorek Stream National Park.

Teens from Moshav Gan Yashia, who began working with the project in 2008, have adopted Kakun National Park.

Youth Projects

Cost per year (in NIS)

Item Cost per group

Program coordinators 15,000

Teen tour-educator course 10,000

Enrichment (four meetings over the

course of the year)4,000

Work at the sites - equipment for the work as per site guidelines: path repairs, signage, etc.

8,000

Products - stickers, T-shirts, hats, etc. 1,000

Supervision, evaluation and documentation

2,000

Total NIS 40,000

Youth Projects

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In this type of project, adults adopt a site near their community or workplace. Cooperation with adult groups has many benefits in terms of both on-site activities and “extra pairs of eyes” - involvement and impact on planners and decision-makers. The adoption project is adapted to the needs of the group and the site, and includes training of group members, partnership in nature protection and maintenance of the site (path repairs, transplanting, etc.) public relations and touring the site.

Workplace Nature Protection Groups - Site Trustees

Businesses, Communities and Nature and Heritage ProtectionBusinesses interested in expanding their social action and community work can join this aspect of the project. Partnership includes creating a program suited to the needs of the company and its employees, which combines employee volunteer work at a site near the workplace and monetary contributions to educational programs.

Our partners so far (2009)

The Alexander Stream Site Trustees are in partnership with the Emeq Hefer Regional Council, which has adopted the general area of the Alexander Stream including Alexander Stream National Park.

Sea Coast Trustees in the framework of Friends of the Dunes

Kakun National Park Trustees has adopted Kakun National Park.

Workplace Nature Protection Groups - Site TrusteesCost per year’s activity (in NIS)

Item Cost per group

Group coordinators 25,000

Enrichment (12 meetings over the course of the year)

6,000

Work at the sites - equipment for the work as required by site guidelines: path repairs, signage, etc.

8,000

Products - stickers, T-shirts, hats, etc. 1,000

Supervision, evaluation and documentation

2,000

Total NIS 42,000

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Much has been written about the connection between the IDF and nature protection. The IDF, deployed over a large part of the country, is committed to the national effort to improve and protect the environment and therefore works to increase awareness and nature protection activities in open spaces.

In the framework of our partnership with the IDF, the Sharon District offers two projects:

IDF bases adopt adjacent sites – This program includes training of the base’s education and command personnel, and hands-on work at the adopted site by soldiers stationed at that base...path repair, pruning to raise trees-crowns to allow clearance above undergrowth, lectures on nature protection, etc.

Our partners so far (2009) -Training Base 8 (Wingate), which started working with the project in 2004, has adopted the Poleg Stream Nature Reserve Palmahim Base, which started working with the project in 2001, has adopted Palmahim Nature Reserve (Palmahim Orchards and Palmahim Paths).

One-day activities - Ongoing contact with an army unit, which sends groups of soldiers for one day’s hands-on activity, each time at a different site, in keeping with the priorities of the region’s head ranger. Activities include: beach clean-up, uprooting of invasive species, path repairs, pruning, transplanting, etc. A tour educator from the Sharon Education Center accompanies the group to raise awareness of nature protection issues as an introduction to general hands-on activities and understanding the area where they are stationed.

The Israel Defense Forces Protect Nature

IDF ActivitiesItem Base adopts a site

(per year’s activities in NIS)

One-day activities (in NIS)

Program coordinators including training and supervision

13,000 1,000 (including liaison, planning of activities and group instruction)

Group instruction 620 per group

On-site activities (equipment for activities as per site requirements: path repair, signage, etc.)

8,500 2,000

Products (stickers, T-shirts, hats, etc.)

1,000 500

Supervision, evaluation and documentation

2,000

Total NIS 24,500 NIS 4,120

The Israel Defense Forces Protect Nature

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Friendsof the DunesCommunities Protecting Nature

The Friends of the Dunes project will create change in perceptions and behavior to further coexistence between people and the environment for the benefit of the presentgeneration and those to come

Donor’s ProspectusGivat Shaul, Jerusalm, 95463 Israeltel.972-2-5005444, fax. 972-2-5005409www.parks.co.il

Am Ve’ Olamo Street ,3

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) is a governmental body under the aegis of the Environmental Protection Ministry. The INPA is responsible by law for some 500 sites (some 380 nature reserves and115 national parks), which constitute approximately 20% of Israel’s land mass (totaling approximately 1.62 million acres, or 657,628 hectares or6.5 million dunams

The goals of the INPA are:To protect biodiversity, the ecosystem and landscapes in national parks, nature reserves and open spaces.To protect and foster heritage sites, national parks and nature reserves for visitors.To educate toward values of nature protection, landscape and heritage in order to increase public awareness of these issues.

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