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Israel By Peter Abelow

On and Off the Beaten Track in... The Reserve Photos: www.sassontiram.com

Five hundred million arrive annually. They come by air, but do not have to wait in long lines at passport control or watch the baggage carousel make endless circuits until their luggage finally appears. The names of some of these visitors—storks, cranes, egrets, gulls, cormorants and ducks—detail a bit about their travels. And their destination? The Hula Valley , the site in most identi- fied with numerous species of birds, many of which are just passing through. Ad- ministered by the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority, the Reserve is located in the Hula Valley.

n October, Israel’s skies are filled ing a huge noise with their calls and surrounding swamps, however, were with millions of birds, on their flapping wings that lasts until darkness also the breeding grounds for the I way from and to their falls. The birds rest on the lake until the mosquitoes that brought to winter habitats in . In the first signs of dawn, when they again as- Jewish pioneers who settled in the spring they return, tracing their jour- cend to the skies and feast in the fields. in the early part of the ney in reverse. Israel is located at the At the end of the day, they spread their twentieth century. crossroads of the three , wings over the Hula Valley for a final In 1948, the fledgling State of Is- and hundreds of species of birds use rest and continue on their way to Africa rael made a decision to drain the Israel’s airspace as a part of their mi- or back to Europe. swamps and pond, which covered gratory route. As one “birder,” some- Maps of Israel through the first more than fifteen thousand acres, and one who visited the Reserve to half of the twentieth century show a convert the area into agricultural observe the wildlife, put it in an on- lake along the , about fields. While this decision could have line article: forty miles north of the Kinneret (Sea put an end to the bird migrations, At about a quarter to five the birds of ). The lake is apparently there was an urgent need to create start arriving for their nighttime rest. thousands of years old. It was called farmland for the budding agricultural They come from every direction, creat- Semechonitis by Flavius, the society, and to provide employment first-century CE historian, and was opportunities for the large number of Mr. Abelow is a licensed tour guide and known as “Hulata” in . In the unemployed olim, immigrants, who the associate director of Keshet: The Cen- , it is referred to as “Yam Sum- had flocked to Israel in its early years. ter for Educational . chi.” For thousands of years, the lake, So in 1951, the Keshet specializes in creating and running known in modern times as the Hula embarked on a massive project to inspiring family and group tours that Lake, provided a natural habitat for drain the Hula Lake and its surround- make Israel come alive “Jewishly.” He can many species and was a welcome ing swamps. This would also elimi- be reached at 011-972-2-645-1865 or at stopover point for migratory birds. Its nate the constant threat of malaria. [email protected].

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It took seven years to reroute the cool, refreshing water of the lake as the Jordan River and eliminate Kiryat Shemonah you touch down for a landing. Children

most of the lake. In order to pre- Hula Valley Nature Reserve and adults alike will enjoy this Epcot- serve some of the indigenous veg- like experience. etation and wildlife, the GALILEE The Reserve’s main attraction is a Sea of government set aside 800 acres of Galilee one-and-a-half kilometer (one-mile) trail Mediterranean the pond; in 1964, the Hula Valley Sea that leads you onto a specially designed cov- Nature Reserve became Israel’s ered walkway over the water, from which you first nature reserve. However, it can observe the various species of fish, turtles soon became apparent that the re- and birds who call the Hula Valley their home. Tel-Aviv gion’s flora and fauna were disap- You may also catch a glimpse of the herd of pearing and the wildlife grazing nearby. population declining. In addition, Jerusalem Before your visit, check out the Reserve

it was discovered that without the Dead on the Israel Nature and National Parks Pro- Hula Lake to serve as a natural fil- Sea tection Authority web site at tration basin along the upper parts www.parks.org.il. Follow the Parks and Re- of the Jordan River, the quality of Beer Sheva serves link to the “, Sea of the water that was reaching the Kin- Galilee, Galilee” link and you will quickly find neret, Israel’s main supply of fresh ISRAEL the Hula Valley Nature Reserve. water, was significantly deteriorating. The Reserve is on Route 90 (Rosh Pina- In an unprecedented move, the gov- Kiryat Shemoneh). Three kilometers after the ernment decided to undo the damage by Yesod Hamale Junction, turn east into the Reserve. restoring the Hula Valley to its former state. Don’t forget to wear good walking shoes and bring a On April 25, 1994, as a first stage, the waters NEGEV hat, water and, of course, binoculars. You will be re- of the Jordan River once again flowed into a re- warded with a delightful few hours, and, if your tim- stored section of the drained area. As the project ing is right, you might see some of the many bird continues into the twenty-first century, visitors species that continue to visit Israel twice a year, un- can now visit the Reserve and spend a few hours deterred by rising fuel costs or security considera- enjoying the rare species of plants and fish that Eilat tions, as they follow in the footsteps of their live there. migratory ancestors.

The new Visitors Center in 2EAL%STATE!GENCY0ROPERTY-ANAGEMENT the Reserve offers a series of multi-media presentations about the wildlife of the area as well as a computerized quiz to ascertain how much you’ve 9OUR#ORNERSTONEIN learned during your visit. Unfortunately, to date, this part of the exhibit is only available in Hebrew. There is a won- 1ERUSALEM derful 3D film, however, which can be viewed in both He- brew and English. Its special effects are thrilling—you are -ÌÕ`ˆœÊ-V ˜iˆ`iÀ made to feel as if you are flying over the Hula Valley on the wings of a migratory bird and can almost experience ^lje`e`hiddidd ÜÜÜ°Vœœ˜Þ°Vœ°ˆ

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