“Coastal Forester’s Lodge” is the only development project from the Pomeranian Voivodeship to have qualified for funding from resources of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management as part of the 2017 “Ecological Education” programme.
The “Coastal Forester’s Lodge” project will be implemented at the Professor Krzysztof Skóra Hel Marine Station of the Institute of Oceanography of the University of Gdańsk.
The project will involve the establishment of two buildings:
The project also assumes the creation of an exhibition devoted to the natural and cultural heritage of the region.
The project takes its name from the fact that the building’s architecture is based on the design of an almost 100-year-old utility building belonging to the local forester’s lodge demolished in 2012 due to its poor technical condition. The building was a rare example of regional functional architecture in Northern Kashubia. Original preserved fragments of the demolished utility building will be used in the reconstructed lodge. The Coastal Forester’s Lodge will be located in the Marine Station’s so-called Blue Village which is already home to the Porpoise House and a conference hall.
The project will also include an exhibition devoted to the natural and cultural heritage of the region, particularly the links between fishing and forestry with regard to the use of the same natural resources i.e. wood and forest plants. Awareness of these links is scarce, as is knowledge of the contemporary role of forestry in shore reinforcement, creating possibilities for fishing settlement in the Hel Peninsula, or in the recreational or pro-natural function of the forest. The exhibition, prepared in cooperation with the Wejherowo Forest Inspectorate, aims to illustrate these issues with the help of information boards and exhibits.
Amongst other things, the new venue will organise classes for children and youth as part of the “Blue School” project (in operation for 17 years) as well as academic classes and society-wide education. Blue School classes spread awareness of the Baltic Sea and its coastal area and promulgate pro-natural coexistence with the environment and sustainable use of its resources. In addition, given the location in a Natura 2000 site, in the Coastal Landscape Park, in one of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Protected Areas and amongst the Oliwa and Darżlubie Forest Complex, the venue will have a didactic mission focusing on the protection of local nature and cultural heritage, emphasising sustainable use of natural resources and disseminating the experiences of the ecosystem approach to managing forest resources in the tourist and fishing sectors.
Project Head: Dr Iwona Pawliczka vel Pawlik.
Project Duration: 1 February 2018 – 31 December 2019
Project Budget: 1,216,418 PLN.
