Eider-Treene-Sorge river landscape
The river landscape Eider - Treene - care is one of 22 from the Ministry of energy transition, agriculture, the environment of the country Schleswig-Holstein repeatedly selected active region . The name of the region goes back to the Eider-Treene lowland , which, according to its own information, is the largest contiguous river and lowland area in Schleswig-Holstein.
In the AktivRegionen program, the rural regions of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein are strategically funded in line with the LEADER approach. After in the previous funding period (2007-2013) the layout of the funding area was largely occupied by the eponymous lowland area at the intersection of the districts of North Friesland - Dithmarschen - Schleswig-Flensburg - Rendsburg-Eckernförde , today it extends to near Flensburg in the north and covers an area of more than 1,600 km 2 with 116 communities with around 100,000 inhabitants.
Emergence
The landscape between the rivers Eider, Treene and Sorge was created during the last two glacial periods . During the Saale glaciation over 130,000 years ago, glaciers pushed up chains of hills and , as they melted, left moraines of sand and rubble behind . Meltwater made its way in mighty rivers, the Eider, Treene and Sorge emerged as deep, wide rivers. In the following warm period, the North Sea penetrated far inland. Nutrient-rich sediments were deposited and the water table rose. That was how plants could thrive. Moors formed in the wet lowlands. During the last glacial period , the Vistula glacial period , the region was no longer covered by ice. However, cold and wind cause a change in the vegetation, meltwater widened the valleys of the Eider and Treene and carried away the deposits of the Saale glacial period. Only in the lower part of the rivers remain moraine remnants - the " Holme " typical of the region . Because the history of the Eider-Treene-Sorge river landscape can still be seen particularly well today, geologists rate the area as particularly valuable. There are seven geotopes here, which are irreplaceable "contemporary witnesses" and are subject to the State Nature Conservation Act. Today's Eider-Treene-Sorge region, however, is a human-shaped area. Over the centuries people tried again and again to make the river plains usable. In the 17th century, Dutch Remonstrants settled in Schleswig-Holstein at the invitation of Duke Friedrich III and founded Friedrichstadt, which was named after him. The experienced hydraulic engineers finally succeeded in draining the regularly flooded marshland and making it usable for agriculture. Drainage ditches and sluices, sluices and pumping stations kept the levels of rivers and lakes low. The water table sank. Valuable bog areas were also lost through this process. Nevertheless, the Eider-Treene-Sorge river landscape was able to retain part of its originality. In some places, nature conservation advocates renaturation. Today the region is both a natural and a cultural monument.
Calm rivers and shallow lakes
For centuries the people fought against the influence of the tides on the level of the Eider and its tributaries Treene and Sorge. This process was only completed with the construction of the barrage in Tönning in 1973. Since then, streams that often overflow their banks have turned into still waters - their meanders are reminiscent of more eventful times. After the sturgeons no longer migrated up the eider to spawn in the mid-30s, the number of freshwater fish species has been growing for several decades, and even if the once clearer river water looks cloudy and brown - its quality is excellent. The Hohner Lake was the only one of the shallow water lakes typical of the frequently flooded landscape to be preserved. The reed warbler breeds on its banks in the reed beds, and even white-tailed eagles can be seen regularly.
The Geest lowlands
Shallow lakes, swamp forests and moors originally shaped the lowlands of the Eider-Treene-Sorge river landscape. After the drainage in the 15th century, fields, meadows and pastures were created. Marsh and water birds withdrew, the population of meadow birds temporarily increased. However, with the expansion of agriculture, biodiversity decreased again. Only the endangered common snipe was able to hold up. In the springtime, you can watch their courtship flights in the protected areas on the Alte Sorge loop, on Lake Hohner and in the Ostermoor near Seeth .
High moor and low moor
Pond warbler, reed warbler, bittern or water rail are available. In the raised bog, whose plants, unlike the fen, have no contact with the groundwater, only specialists such as sundew can survive, which compensates for the natural lack of nutrients by catching insects. The Dellstedter Birkwildmoor is an example of a largely preserved raised bog. In the mid-1980s, attempts were made to reintroduce black grouse , which gave the moor its name, to the wild.