November Newsletter - Heritage

Hula Nature Reserve

"The Hula Valley was at one time the most important resting place for birds migrating from Europe to Africa and back, with tens of thousands of birds making their homes in the lake and wetland here. Many species of rare fish and plants also lived in the Hula Valley, creating a wonderland of flora and fauna. Immediately following the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the government decided to drain the wetlands and lake (which covered more than 15,000 acres at the time) and convert them into cultivated fields. The task was entrusted to the Jewish National Fund, which began to drain the area in 1951. This was the largest engineering project undertaken by the young state.

"Profoundly disturbed by the massive scale of the enterprise, scientists and nature lovers in Israel waged a vigorous battle to conserve at least part of the landscape of the lake and wetland. Although the idea of conserving a swamp sounded rather bizarre in 1951, the Jewish National Fund was convinced of its merit and agreed to set aside 1075 acres of the lake as a nature reserve. Because of a water shortage, the area slated for conservation was subsequently cut back to 800 acres. These 800 acres became the foundation for the first nature reserve in Israel, which was officially declared in 1964."

You can read a lot more about this amazing place if you want here and here. (The above text is from their brochure.)