Hello friends! Amazingly, but fact, the new ministers started off with a flying start against the four most important and emblematic nature pro- The new season of the Ministry of Environment and Dam- tection cases – , Irakli, Strandzha and . ages and the Ministry of Personal Development is under- Minister Karadzhova (Environment and Waters) took a walk to way! the new hotel-hut by the Seven Rila Lakes with the illegal ski-lift of Rila Sport! She issued the order for Natura 2000 protected zone “Irakli-Emine” without taking into consideration the position of the experts. The order allows construction and overbuilding in the area by people and companies like AKB-Fores, Swiss Proper- FOR THE NATURE COALITION ties, Petar Dikov and Liubka Kachakova. Minister Plevneliev INFORMATION NEWSLETTER (Regional Development) announced he was not sure whether the AUGUST 2009 illegal complex of Crash 2000 in has to be destroyed despite the decision of the Supreme Administrative Court. For details see here and here. And Minister Nona Karadzhova said that the illegal actions of the regional environ- mental inspectorate in Sofia regarding the ski zone in Vitosha Na- ture Park were not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Envi- ronment and Waters! See more here: http://forthenature.org/ news/909/. The new Parliament started its work a little bit better. After ru- mors that the draft decision for moratorium on changing the des- ignation of state forests and land acquired as a result of swap deals would contain too many exceptions in favor of “good- intentioned” investors, the actual decision adopted by Parliament on September 4 did not give physical and legal persons the per- mission to change the designation of the state forests they have received after forest swaps. This door was left open only to the municipalities, which have “important” infrastructure projects. This project is supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway Maybe such an important infrastructure project will happen on the through the EEA Financial Mechanism. thousands of decares of state forests and lands that Smolyan Mu- nicipality acquired through a dubious forest swap deal. There, the new mega ski resort “Super Perelik” is planned to spring up?!! The meetings with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Environ- ment and Waters that the experts of For The Nature Coalition re- quested numerous times are not being scheduled so far. And rep- resentatives of the non-governmental sector are still not being admitted as observers to the commissions of the legislative power. Leaving aside the institutions, the Coalition, its partners, village, Lakatishka Rila, the Obesen kamak area and finished at and the citizens’ groups were quite active during the vaca- the Seven Rila lakes in . See more details and tion month. pictures here: http://forthenature.org/news/896/.

We opened the season with the anniversary tenth clean-up ac- tion in Mountain from August 1 to 5, organized by “Za Zemiata” environmental association. More information here: http://www.zazemiata.org/.

Снимка: Боян Христов Източник на снимката

From August 5 to 8 the month continued with the second edition of the wonderful festival Beglika Fest. More about the fun, the music and the useful workshops on agriculture, preparation of creams and souvenirs from recycled materials, can be read here: http://forthenature.org/news/901/ and here: http:// forthenature.org/news/881/.

After that the international hiking tour “I love Rila, I walk on foot!” took place. For five days, from August 12 to 16, over 70 people aged 15 to 60, walked on foot over 90 km. There were people from and four other countries: USA, France, Peru, and Austria. The tour started from Aleko hut in Vitosha, climbed Cherni vrah, passed through Verila Mountain, Klisura The photo competition “Madness by the Lakes” has started. Here falcon: http://forthenature.org/news/892/. you can see details on how to take part: http://forthenature.org/ news/878/. First results from the SMS campaign “Help me grow up”: http:// forthenature.org/news/883/.

Here are some interesting events that have already Eco festival “The magic of Pomorie Lake” 2009: http:// passed: forthenature.org/news/876/. The festival was organized by Green Balkans organization and the visitors could watch birds with pro- The Salvation Centre for Wild Animals and the Directorate of fessional equipment and be consulted by an ornithologist, they are pleased to welcome you to the lib- could test the healing features of the mud from the lake, they eration of birds that successfully passed healing procedures in could learn how to make bricks from adobe, etc. the centre: http://forthenature.org/news/914/. In August, one of the many liberations of birds (20 kites and owls), successfully healed in the Green Balkans centre, took place in Vitosha Nature Park: http://forthenature.org/news/908/. Another 25 owls enjoy their liberty in Balgarka Nature Park after healing and rehabilita- tion in the centre: http://forthenature.org/news/890/.

A young stork was saved in Popovica village: http:// forthenature.org/news/911/.

Visiting the vultures in East Rhodopes: We are pleased to wel- come you on a trip on September 5 to the place where the vul- tures are fed in Pelevun village (near Ivaylovgrad): http:// forthenature.org/news/907/. A couple of unnerving and terrifying nature news:

The 14th working vacation in Pomorie Lake already started: Protected birds shooted at in Sofia: http://forthenature.org/ http://forthenature.org/news/895/. news/891/.

Association “France-Rila” organized a concert of the French piano Beautiful Bulgaria – myths and legends! A citizen signals that player Didier Raquillet in the National museum of Earth and Man Kamchia river is being destroyed: http://forthenature.org/ in Sofia on August 19. The motto of the concert was “Music for gallery/191/. Rila”: http://forthenature.org/news/894/. The concert was visited by 100 people. Letter from a citizen to BNT (Bulgarian National Television) con- cerning their news from 14.07 about the public discussion of the For a few weeks the nature preservation centre “Poda” of the Bul- new specialized zoning plan of ski zone Aleko: http:// garian Society for the Protection of Birds was the centre of active forthenature.org/news/912/. nature preservation activities. A specialized team of volunteers took on the responsible task of building 200 nests for red-footed Unique platanus trees in Sofia are threatened to be logged down: quires. an article in Dnevnik newspaper. 2. Who stands behind the project? Vitosha Ski AD is not paying the required fees for the lifts in Vito- sha, says Novinar newspaper. Vitosha Ski AD – 90 % owned by an offshore company, regis- tered on the Virgin Islands. One of the members of the Board of Eco Varna: Every 3 days the Arctic is getting smaller by a size Directors, Peter Petrov, is registered as a member of the Board equal to the surface of Germany: http://www.ecovarna.info/ of Directors of AD, the company that holds the concession pageDispatch.php?pid=8&cntId=57&lang=BG. of ski zone . There is no transparency regarding who stands behind Vitosha Ski and what the source of its capitals is. And after this shuttering, exhausting and exhaustive list The state offers for a completely unknown company to manage of weblinks we want to tell you what happens with the public state property, such is the land under the ski facilities in painful cases of Bulgarian endangered nature. Aleko ski zone.

3. Violated laws and procedures VITOSHA • The project violates the Management Plan of Vitosha Nature Because the investor, “Vitosha Ski” AD, hides from us what the Park, which allows for replacement and repair of the existing new plan for widening and modernizing the ski zone Aleko envis- ski lifts, but not for construction of new lifts and tracks. So ages, here is what we managed to find out: in practice the Plan which is accepted after a long process of coordination with the experts and the public (with decision 1. What the project for Aleko ski zone envisages of the Council of Ministers Number 305 from 22.04.2005), is being made null and void. According to the report on the ecological assessment, presented • A court action was brought against the decision of RIEW- for public consultations in the period June 18 – July 2, 2009, the Sofia to start the ecological assessment procedure. project of the specialized zoning plan of the ski zone includes: The law says that the procedure must be frozen until the court makes its decision. Despite that, on August 26 this • Area of the plan – 914, 65 hectares; year, the expert council of RIEW-Sofia (Regional Inspector- • Entirely state forests; ate of Environment and Waters) approved the project. On • Area of ski tracks – from the current 19 hectares – increas- September 4, the director of RIEW-Sofia signed a positive ing to 142, 5 hectares, part of them on meadows, and standpoint. nearly 20 hectares forests, which means cutting of forests • The case is similar to Bansko ski zone in Pirin, which was with the size of 30 soccer playgrounds; constructed a few years ago with similar violations of laws • 8 new ski tracks and 18 ski lifts and drags. and procedures. The investor in Bansko ski zone Yulen AD and Vitosha Ski AD are related through one and the same Самият The document of the new plan itself wasn’t shown to the person in the management of the two firms. citizens of Sofia. On the Internet page of the firm only two cards can be found, which is far less than the detailed information and numerous maps that the assignment by Sofia Municipality re- 4. Violations that Vitosha Ski AD already made and ab- The plots of the most famous investor in the area – Swiss Proper- sence of sanctions ties – are excluded even from this temporary ban on construc- tion. It is strange that the Ministry of Environment and Waters • In October 2008, on the ski track Vitosha Tulip and in the re- continues to refer to the old Territorial zoning plan of Nesebar gion over the stone river at the foot of Malak Rezen peak Municipality, whose ecological assessment has long expired (since over the middle station of the lift Vitosha Tulip over 400 1998). Another “misunderstanding” is that according to the Habi- stones sized between 0,5 and 3,5 cubic metres were blasted, tats Directive (which supplements and develops the Birds Direc- taken out and moved, and a new ski path was practically tive), only scientific arguments concerning biodiversity have to built at the foot of Malak Rezen peak. have the leading role in making conclusions regarding the declar- • Around 18 decares of stone rivers and grass vegetation were ing and management of protected areas. In this sense, an old destroyed with excavators and blasts. These are symbols of territorial zoning plan is not a valid argument... Vitosha and Natura 2000 habitats. More details and worries see here: http://forthenature.org/ 5. What do we want? news/915/.

• Maintеnance of the existing ski lifts, for which Vitosha Ski AD RILA has permission, but until that moment hasn’t done anything. • The previous government, with its actions and inactions, Worrying things have been happening in the area of the Seven helped and tolerated the legal violations in Vitosha Nature Rila Lakes all summer – the illegal ski lift from Pionerska hut Park. We insist that the procedures connected with Vitosha transports thousands of tourists every sunny day in the circus of Ski’s project for Aleko ski zone be stopped, that the misuse the Seven Rila Lakes. And there is absolutely no control. The gar- of public resources be stopped and that Bulgarian and Euro- bage near the lakes and in the lakes is doubling every day. There pean laws be observed. is no one from Rila National Park to sanction the violators of the regimes in the protected area. The state decided that the illegal Here are the details: http://forthenature.org/cases/28/. Please lift does not need any environmental impact assessment and in sign the petition “Let’s save Vitosha” here: http:// the moment there is absolutely no assessment of the human load forthenature.org/petitions/7/start/30. that the ecosystem can carry so that the Lakes stay clear and the hiking trails do not erode and cause eutrophication of the lakes. IRAKLI The biggest madness around the Lakes this summer happened on An order for declaring the protected zone “Irakli-Emine” № РД- August 20, when the Regional Inspectorate for Protection and 560/21.08.2009 was issued. The order prohibits completely the Control of Public Health (RIPCPH) in Kyustendil closed the old hut “construction of facilities for the production of electricity using “Seven Lakes” and made the 40 checked-in tourists gather their wind power” on the territory of the whole zone. There is how- luggage and leave. We are still waiting to be informed which is ever no clear ban on construction as a whole. the legal act that gives RIPCPH-Kyustendil the right to close the hut. The formal reason are tests from the water from the Fish According to point 8 from the order, there are fixed places where lake (Ribnoto lake) which is used by the hut for cooking, that construction is forbidden, but only until the adoption of a new showed that the water was on the border of the highest allowed general spatial plan of Nesebar Municipality or its amendment. concentration of microorganisms and wasn’t suitable for drinking. It is not clear what is the source of pollution of the water in the Fish Lake. It is not clear whose interests the closing of the old hut serves. We might very soon witness a “contest” for finding a new manager to “beautify” the hut like the new hut “Rila Lakes”, which already is the most expensive high-mountain hotel in Bulgaria. We will continue following the case and will inform you in due time.

And so we finish our review for August and in the end we want to inform you that the new government started to rule without keep- ing its promises! We are not going to live in such a country with- out fighting! We count on your help and intolerance against the violations and immoral politics!