Headwaters of the White Gelster

Headwaters of the White Gelster IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
View over the reserve to the Meinetsberg and the western slope of the Hoher Meißner.
location	In the district of Laudenbach , a district of the city of Großalmerode and in the district of Velmeden , a district of the city of Hessisch Lichtenau in the Werra-Meißner district in North Hesse .
surface	11.5 hectares
Identifier	1636022
WDPA ID	165060
Geographical location	51 ° 13 '  N , 9 ° 49'  E Coordinates: 51 ° 13 '17 "  N , 9 ° 48' 30"  E
Sea level	from 360  m to 410  m
Setup date	April 1991
particularities	Special protection as a nature reserve and as part of a flora-fauna habitat area and a European bird sanctuary .

The source area of ​​the White Gelster lies in the Velmed Valley, south of Laudenbach in the western Meißner foreland . Is surrounded by the Kalkquellsümpfen , Hochstaudenfluren , sedge and wet broke embossed area of agricultural land. In order to keep disturbances away from the area, which has become a habitat for rare and endangered plant species and threatened animal species, the property was designated as a nature reserve in 1991 . It is also part of a flora-fauna habitat area and a European bird sanctuary .

White gelster

The brook owes its nickname "white" to the light coloration, which occurs especially after heavy rainfall, when the washed out particles of the calcareous soil give the water a milky, cloudy tint. The actual name of the body of water, which is called “Weisse Gelster” in colloquial language , is Laudenbach . It flows north of Uengsterode into the Gelster coming from the west . The water, also known as the “Black Gelster” in its upper reaches, rises from a northern foothill of the Hirschberg in the Kaufunger Forest . The nickname “Black” probably originated a long time ago when the water from the Gelster was used to clean the machines and equipment of the Großalmerode refractory industry and mining in the Hirschberg area, and brown-black coal dust polluted the young waters. After the confluence with the Laudenbach, the Gelster flows further north, where it joins the Werra on the left in Witzenhausen .

location

The headwaters lie in the valley of an open, predominantly arable landscape, on the northwestern slope of the Meinetsberg in the Werra-Meißner district in northern Hesse , at an altitude between 360  m and 410  m . Administratively, the area belongs to the districts of Laudenbach, a district of the city of Großalmerode and Velmeden , a district of the city of Hessisch Lichtenau . State road 3238 limits the protected area to the west .

The reserve belongs to the " Geo-Naturpark Frau-Holle-Land ". In terms of natural space , it is assigned to the "Velmeder Valley" in the " Fulda-Werra-Bergland " of the "East Hessian Mountains" .

The Velmed Valley is located in the Gelstergraben, a break in the earth formation that runs from south to north and is flanked by the low mountain ranges Kaufunger Wald in the west and Meißner in the east. The Gelstergraben belongs to the branched sequence of depressions of the Witzenhausen-Altmorschen valley . They are so-called saxonic trenches that have collapsed as a result of clod tectonic processes . These began in the Upper Cretaceous around eighty-five million years ago and lasted until the late Pliocene around two million years ago. Triggered by the north drift of the African plate and the upstream small plates against the Eurasian plate , the pressure on the earth's crust in what is now Central Europe increased. In contrast to the Alps, in which overflow thrusts with fold formation predominated, here the crust clods were lowered or raised along faults .

The sanctuary

The source rock for the soil formation in the source area is the Keuper with the groundwater-influenced soil type gleye . It occurs in different forms and has a high base supply .

Due to the altitude on the western slope of the Meißner, a cool mountainous climate with high levels of precipitation with delayed vegetation development determines the protected area.

Species-rich grassland communities of fresh and wet meadows as well as sedges occupy the majority of the area .

vegetation

The vegetation- specific features of the protected area include Davallseggenriede as well as pipeline and golden oat meadows . For a long time they lay fallow for a long time and from the mid-1980s onwards they are mowed by farmers in late summer under maintenance contracts.

Several exit points feed the young Laudenbach in the headwaters.

• Davallseggenried

The stocks of the Davallseggen Society mostly include low-growing sedges and rush formations . The Davalls sedge , which gives it its name, as well as the broad-leaved cottongrass and the marsh stendelwort are considered to be characteristic species . Blue - green , yellow and millet sedge , marsh pippau , narrow-leaved cottongrass , marsh horsetail and marsh valerian also characterize the population . Some tall-growing species such as the cabbage thistle or the brook avens achieve a considerable dominance in places . A species-rich layer of moss is usually formed in this area. Typical deciduous mosses in the wet, calcareous habitat with star gold sleepmoss , variable stony nerve moss and hair fern-like split-toothed moss are special species that are regarded as threatened.

Because of the large number of rare plants that grow in the headwaters, the protected area is given nationwide importance. To those in the " Red List Hesse " as endangered or critically endangered classified treasures include: Flat source bulrush , Flea and Davalls Rush, eleocharis quinqueflora , Marsh Helleborine, Narrow- and Broad cotton grass, spotted and marsh orchid , Parnassia palustris , marsh Finial , swamp trident, and globe flower .

• Pipe grass meadows

This type of vegetation on the limestone-rich soil above Keuper was created through extensive use with few mowing dates per year. The blue pipe grass gave this habitat its name because of its dominant occurrence. Typical species, some of which are endangered, grow on the meadows, such as caraway-leaved silge , Heil-Ziest, Nordic bedstraw , Purgier-flax and devil's bite . They mix with species of the Kleinseggenriede, limestone grasslands and wet meadows, which leads to a high number of vascular plants .

The stock in the source area is characterized by a particular diversity of species after the basic data collection with regard to habitat structures relevant to assessment , from whose large supply of flowers, seeds and fruits numerous insects benefit. A small-scale, changing mosaic has been able to form on the herbaceous and multi-layered surface.

• Gold oat meadows

The grassland, which botanists call golden oat meadows, is assigned to the habitat type "mountain hay meadows" according to the Habitats Directive. The colorful and species-rich areas are considered to be the characteristic meadow community of cool, damp locations in the low mountain range. At the Meißner they can usually be found on the medium to shallow soils, with stands that usually lack a closed upper layer due to nutrient factors. This allows more light to reach the ground, which enables low-growing species to live better. Characteristic species found in the reserve, are soft haired Pippau , wood cranesbill and spiked devil's claw . In addition, there are the separating types mountain meadow lady's mantle , wood anemone , spotted St. John's wort , meadow knotweed , bloodroot and forest buttercup .

The occurrence of numerous Red List species is regarded as remarkable. The endangered Bergwohlverleih and globeflowers were able to develop in the protected area . There are also other endangered rarities such as meadow flax leaf , spherical devil's claw and Nordic bedstraw . The bastard lady's mantle and mountain forest hyacinth that grow here are still common in Hessen, but are endangered nationwide.

Features of the fauna

• Birds

The characteristic birds that live in the extensively used and richly structured open landscape, the authors Sieglinde and Lothar Nitsche name in the book "nature reserves in Hesse, protect-experience-care": Red-backed Shrike , Great Gray Shrike , Meadow Pipit , Whinchat , Marsh Warbler , Skylark and grasshopper warbler .

• Butterfly and ram

Due to the small size of the nature reserve, the studies for the basic data collection in 2006 on the species group of butterflies and rams also included the adjacent areas. Even so, only a few different moths were found. Special species that could be observed were the yellow-cube thick-headed butterfly , meadowsweet mother-of-pearl butterfly , purple forest blue , round-eyed black butterfly and the six-spotted ram .

Protected position

Grassland surrounds the limestone swamps and wetlands in the protected area.

• Nature reserve

With the ordinance of the regional council in Kassel of March 19, 1991, which came into force on the day after the announcement in the Hessian State Gazette of April 8, 1991, the lime spring swamps and wet fallow land in the source area and the surrounding agriculturally used areas were declared a nature reserve. With the protection, the nutrient-poor lime spring swamps, tall herbaceous meadows, sedge meadows as well as wet and poor meadows were to be preserved and further developed. Over time, they have become the location of rare and endangered plant species as well as the habitat of threatened animal species. The protected area has a size of around 11.5 hectares, has the national identifier 1636022 and the WDPA code 165060.

The nature reserve lies entirely in two Natura 2000 areas and is thus part of the Europe-wide network of protected areas for the conservation of endangered habitats and species. Legal protection took place in January 2008 with the "Ordinance on Natura 2000 areas in Hesse".

• Flora-fauna habitat area

In the FFH area "Meißner und Meißner Vorland" with the area number 4725-306 and the WDPA code 555520067, the area of ​​the nature reserve belongs to the westernmost of eleven sub-areas. The FFH area, which is more than 2000 hectares in size, includes the Hohe Meißner and its foreland, a low mountain range which, according to the Frau-Holle-Land Geo-Nature Park, is one of the most attractive landscapes in Hesse and the most valuable in terms of nature conservation. With the Kaufunger Forest and the Werra valley, the area forms a “hotspot of biological diversity”. ("Hotspots" are regions in Germany that have a particular wealth of characteristic species, populations and habitats.)

In addition to the protection of twenty-one natural and semi-natural habitat types, which are classified as “of community interest” according to Annex I of the Habitats Directive and “special protection areas must be designated for their conservation”, the flora-fauna-habitat area also serves “the Protection of the lynx , the bat species Bechstein's bat and great mouse- eared bat, as well as the lady 's slipper orchid and the green broom moss . There are animal and plant species for which, according to Annex II of the Habitats Directive, special protection areas must also be designated ”.

• European bird sanctuary

The 3,690 hectare “Meißner” bird sanctuary with the number 4725-401 and the WDPA code 555537560 is regarded as an important breeding area for bird species in the forest and the near-natural forest edges. It consists of hardwood-rich beech forests on the slopes of the Meißner and spruce forests on the flat, undulating high plateau . In between there are grasslands and mountain meadows, spring meadows, moors and basalt block fields. Among the species that led to the designation as a bird sanctuary, include Tengmalm and pygmy owl , eagle owl , black stork , Central , black and gray-headed woodpecker , peregrine falcon , red-backed shrike , red kite , honey buzzard and regularly occurring migratory birds Tree Pipit , Dove , Wood Warbler and Woodcock . With the red kite and the middle spotted woodpecker, the Meissner harbors two so-called types of responsibility , for the preservation and protection of which Germany has committed itself to under the National Strategy for Biodiversity .

Tourist development

There are no hiking trails through the nature reserve, it can be reached via farm roads that affect the protected area. The protected area is easily visible from the new cycle path between Velmeden and Laudenbach, which was inaugurated in September 2018 as a “gap closure” of the Meißner-Herkules-Wartburg cycle path .

literature

• Lothar and Sieglinde Nitsche, Marcus Schmidt: Nature reserves in Hessen, protect-experience-maintain. Volume 3, Werra-Meißner district and Hersfeld-Rotenburg district . cognitio Verlag, Niedenstein 2005, ISBN 3-932583-13-2 .
• BÖF - Office for Applied Ecology and Forest Planning: Basic data acquisition for FFH area DE 4725-306 “Meißner and Meißner Vorland” . Client: Kassel Regional Council, Kassel 2008.

Web links

Commons : Headwaters of the White Gelster  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Classification of natural areas according to Otto Klausing. In: Environmental Atlas Hessen; accessed on January 26, 2020.
2. ↑ Adalbert Schraft: GeoTouren in Hesse - Geological walks through the most beautiful regions of Hesse. Volume 3 - East Hessian Buntsandstein-Bergland and Werra-Meißner-Bergland . Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology, Wiesbaden 2018, ISBN 978-3-89026-384-7 , p. 498 f .
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Sieglinde and Lothar Nitsche: Nature reserves in the Werra-Meißner district. In nature reserves in Hessen, protect-experience-care. Volume 3, p. 146 f.
4. ↑ Red List of Fern and Seed Plants in Hesse. In: Hessian nature conservation information system Natureg Viewer ; accessed on April 12, 2020.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e} BÖF - Office for Applied Ecology and Forest Planning: Basic data acquisition for FFH area DE 4725-306 “Meißner and Meißner Vorland”.
6. ^ Ordinance on the nature reserve "Headwaters of the White Gelster" of March 19, 1991. In: State Gazette for the State of Hesse. Edition 14/91 of April 8, 1991, p. 884 f.
7. ↑ "Headwaters of the White Gelster". In: World Database on Protected Areas ; accessed on April 18, 2020.
8. ^ Ordinance on the Natura 2000 areas in Hesse. In: Law and Ordinance Gazette for the State of Hesse. Part I - No. 4, dated January 16, 2008.
9. ↑ Hotspots of Biodiversity. In: Website of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN); accessed on April 18, 2020.
10. ↑ Profile of the FFH area 4725-306 "Meißner and Meißner Vorland". In: Website of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN); accessed on April 18, 2020.
11. ↑ "Meißner and Meißner Vorland". In: World Database on Protected Areas ; accessed on April 19, 2020.
12. ↑ Profile of the EU bird sanctuary 4725-401 "Meißner". In: Website of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN); accessed on April 19, 2020.
13. ↑ "Meißner". In: World Database on Protected Areas ; accessed on April 19, 2020.
14. ↑ Information on the “Herkules-Wartburg-Radwanderweg”. In: "Cycle Route Planner Hessen" ; accessed on April 19, 2020.