Big Green Weekends

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The Big Green Weekend, organised by Iceland Conservation Volunteers (ICV),  is held during an October weekend each year, when local volunteers give their time and effort to help with projects near where they live.


This one was at Eldborg, a volcanic crater near Reykjavik, in 2012. Volunteers from Reykjavik spent two days repairing damaged moss by transplantation.

Arrival at Eldborg

Donor Site - moss for transplantation is lifted in small amounts from sites where there is plenty, and where its removal won't leave scars...

...and carried carefully on boards to where it is needed. It's very fragile and will only grow if it's kept as a whole piece of half a square metre or more...

...and laid in place with all edges protected,

like a big green duvet.

ICV revisited Eldborg during the 2014 Big Green Weekend, with a group of High School students from Reykjavik. Eldborg is made of fragile scoria which is becoming badly eroded along the path up to the rim. Our plan was to lay steel reinforcement to protect the surface from further damage.

Also we planned to reinforce the access path with new gravel, and define and limit the parking space with large stones. All being delivered here on the day before.

Then overnight snow and high wind prevented work taking place.

So we went on a walk in Esja, the iconic mountain area on the other side of town, kept below the snow line, and enjoyed a sunny Autumn afternoon.

Tool Talk  October 2013, with High School students at Esja

 Removing old sheep fencing at Reykjanes - BGW 2013 with High School students

BGW 2014, second day. After being driven off by snow and wind on day one, our second day was blessed with Autumn sunshine. The student volunteers put in drainage to limit water damage on the much-used path.









'This is how we do it ...'

It works! It works!

Iceland Conservation Volunteers (ICV) is the volunteer arm of Umhverfisstofnun, the Environment Agency of Iceland.  For more information about ICV and BGW's see:

http://www.ust.is/the-environment-agency-of-iceland/volunteers

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