Valley of the Little Örtze

	Valley of the Little Örtze IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
	Small places between Trauen and Oerrel
location	Southeast of Munster , Heidekreis district , Lower Saxony
surface	450 ha
Identifier	NSG LÜ 207
WDPA ID	165811
Geographical location	52 ° 57 ' N , 10 ° 10' E Coordinates: 52 ° 57 '0 " N , 10 ° 10' 20" E
Setup date	2nd September 1993
administration	NLWKN

The valley of the Kleine Örtze is a nature reserve in the Lower Saxony town of Munster in the Heidekreis district .

The nature reserve with the sign NSG LÜ 207 is around 450 hectares . It is almost entirely within the FFH area "Örtze with tributary streams" and is adjacent to a large extent to the conservation area "Munster Oerrel". The area was originally placed under nature protection on September 2, 1993 along the Kleine Örtze . On January 26, 2019, a new nature conservation ordinance came into force. In the course of the new version of the Protected Area Ordinance, the area, which was initially around 330 hectares, was expanded to include a section of the Örtze south of Munster, increasing to around 450 hectares. In this area, the "Munster-Oerrel" nature reserve merged into the nature reserve. The responsible lower nature conservation authority is the district of Heidekreis.

description

The nature reserve, which consists of two parts, is located east and south-east of Munster in the river valley of the Örtze and the Kleine Örtze. It protects a section of the Örtze south of Munster and the Kleine Örtze, which runs in a relatively narrow valley, and their bank areas. The eastern part of the nature reserve, which begins about 800 m below the source of the Kleine Örtze, runs in a south to south-west direction to Kreutzen, a former district of the municipality of Trauen , where the Kleine Örtze flows into the Örtze. On an approximately 500-meter-long stretch of water just before the mouth, the nature reserve is limited to the Kleine Örtze. There is a campsite here in the bank area .

By placing it under protection, the near-natural to natural development of the Örtze and the Kleine Örtze, their lowlands and adjacent areas is to be achieved. To this end, early interventions were partially reversed. For example, the valley of the Kleine Örtze in the area of the upper reaches of the Heidebach was previously filled with a raised bog through which the Kleine Örtze flowed. The course of the stream was developed into a drainage ditch, the moor drained and the area then reforested with coniferous forest . The coniferous forest was removed after it was placed under protection and replaced by natural deciduous forest . The creek of the Kleine Örtze is left to its own dynamic development above Trauen.

Örtze and Kleine Örtze are often surrounded by swamp forests with black alder and peat birch as well as oak and beech forests with English oak and red beech . Furthermore, reed beds , sedge reeds and moist tall herbaceous vegetation can be found on partially swampy sites. In places are small Moore, Schlatts and heathland with Erica , Heather , beak-sedge, bog lily and gentian , but also sand heaths to find with heather. Grassland is located in the area from Trauen to the confluence of the Kleine Örtze in the Örtze, which is extensively cultivated, as well as in sections of the Örtze. The grassland areas are mainly used as hay meadows .

Örtze and Kleine Örtze are habitat for bullhead , brown trout , wolffish , minnow , grayling and brook lamprey . The brooks with their lowlands are the habitat of the otter and various dragonflies , including the banded demoiselle , the blue-winged demoiselle , the Asian wedge damsel , the green mermaid and the two-striped damsel . The streams also offer kingfisher and dipper a suitable habitat. The nature reserve is still the habitat of various bat species .

Below the Munsteran district of Oerrel was the Hahnenmoorsee, created by damming. The weir has since been removed so that the stream is no longer dammed here. The continuity of the brook is still hampered by a former, now dilapidated mill jam near the district of Trauen.

The nature reserve is crossed by the federal road 71 near Oerrel and south of Munster and by the state road 240 near the farming community of Kreutzen . Other roads cross the protected area at Oerrel and at Trauen. In Trauen, it also borders on Landesstraße 240 and is crossed by the Beckedorf – Munster railway line.

The area borders in the northeast on the Uelzen – Langwedel railway line , which runs along the Munster-Nord military training area. In the northwest it extends to the locality of Munster.

Broken forest in the nature reserve
Small Örtze valley with marigolds
The former Hahnenmoorsee is slowly silting up

Web links

Commons : Nature reserve Valley of the Little Örtze - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Nature reserve "Tal der Kleine Örtze" in the database of the Lower Saxony State Office for Water Management, Coastal and Nature Conservation (NLWKN)