SIL Postcongress Excursion

7/31/2019 SIL Postcongress Excursion

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ADVENTURINGINTHELANDOFLARGERIVERS

10to15August2013

Minimumnumberofparticipants:8persons

Totalcosts(allinclusive):600EUR/person(100EUR/person/day)

Organizers:

Dr.VeraIstvnovics(BudapestUniversityofTechnologyandEconomics)

Dr.GborBorics(BalatonLimnologicalInstituteoftheEcologyResearchCenter,

Hung.Acad.Sci.)

Importantnotes:

Hospitality will overcompensate for the modest conditions of lodging ascharacteristicforruraltourism(seepictures).Twotofourpersonsmustshare

a room.Alternatively,unsharedtentscanbe setupfree. Internetaccess is

availableatalimitedcapacity.

Awholedayofcanoeing,bicyclingandwalkingmaybeexhausting. Theareaisparticularlyrichinbirdspecies(takeyourbinocs!). Anglersneedpermission;swimmingispossibleintheUpperTiszaRiver. Long-termmean temperatureand precipitation inAugust are around20C

and65mm,respectively.


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ItineraryDay1(10August)alongdayoftravel

7.00 Departure from Budapest to Tokaj (Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural

Landscape,http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1063/)bybuswithshort stops

attheSajandHerndRivers (1stand2

nd ordertributaries ofthe Tisza

River,respectively).

10.30BoatexcursionontheBodrogRiverfromTokaj(1stordertributaryoftheTisza

River,theconfluenceisinTokajatriverkm544)

12.45Lunchwithwinetesting

14.30Visitingtheregionalmuseum(historyofwineproduction,archeology)

15.15Departure toTiszalkhydropower plant (Tisza River, rkm 523),walk in the

floodplainarboretum.

17.30DeparturetoPanyola,occupyingtherooms,dinner.


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Day2(11August)adayofcanoeingalongtheUpperTiszaRiver

8.00Breakfast

9.30DeparturefromPanyolatoTiszabecs(rkm744)bybus(40km)

CanoeingtoSzatmrcseke(ca.25km)orTivadar(ca.40km).Alongthissection,the

TiszaistheborderriverbetweenUkraineandHungary.Picniclunch.

LateafternoonbacktoPanyola,dinner.


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Day3(12August)adayforcultureandnature

8.00Breakfast

9.00 Departure from Panyola to Csaroda by bus (church from the 13th century,

oxbowoftheCsarondacreek).ShortstopattheKrasznaRiver(1storder

tributaryoftheTiszaRiver).

11.00DeparturefromCsarodatoTarpa(horsemill).

11.30DeparturefromTarpatoSzatmrcseke(protectedgraveyard).

13.00DeparturefromSzatmrcseketotheconfluenceoftheTiszaRiver(rkm727)

withtheNewTrRiver(TrCanal),lunchattheconfluence.

15.00DeparturetotheRkspasture(protectedpasturewithsolitaryoakandwild

peartrees,edgedbytheOldTrRiver).

17.30DeparturetoTristvndi(watermillontheOldTrRiver).

18.30DeparturetoPanyola,dinner.


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Day4(13August)adayofbicyclingalongtheSzamosRiver

8.00Breakfast

9.00DeparturefromPanyolatoCsengersimabybus(40km;13thcenturychurch,the

uninhabitedvillageofNagygc,destroyedbythedevastatingfloodsinthe

1970s;guidedwalkingtourintheprotectedfloodplainforest).

Back towards Panyola by bicycle. Picnic lunch. There are several beautiful small

churches alongtheway. InCgnydnyd, thereis a castlewitha large

protectedpark.Dependingonthetempo,wemaybicyclebacktoPanyola

oraskforpick-upbythebus.


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Day5(14August)adayofrestfullearning

8.00Breakfast

9.00WalkingtotheOldTrandtheTiszaRivers(rkm688).

13.30Lunch

15.00WalkingtotheplinkadistilleryalongtheSzamosRiver.(Plinkaisa40-50%

shortdrinkmadeofvariouswildorcultivatedfruits.)Threepresentations

willbeheldinthedistillery(ca.2hours).Preliminaryprogram:

(i) History of the Upper Tisza region during the period of nomad

migrations,mostprobablyheldbythedirectoroftheSatuMareMuseum,

Romania.

(ii)Trans-boundaryrivermanagementexperience,obstaclesandfuture

perspectivesheldbyNelliKocsisfromtheUpper-TiszaRegionalAgencyfor

Environment,NatureProtectionandWater.

(iii) Presentation of a film either about the Tisza River or the Szatmrregion.(Theregionwheremostofourexcursionstookplace.)

X.XX Farewelldinnerwithplinka testing in the distillery,possibilityofbuying the

products.

MapcenteredtoPanyola,lefthandinthe19thcentury,righthandtoday

(http://archivportal.arcanum.hu/maps/html/katfelm2b_google.html)


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Day6(15August)adayoflongtravel

8.00Breakfast

9.00 Departure from Panyola to Hortobgy Unesco World Heritage Site

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hortobgy). Rehabilitation of the nearly dried up

HortobgyRiver,a3rdordertributaryoftheTiszaRiverisunderconsideration.Visit

tothebirdhospitaloftheHortobgyNaturalPark.

13.30DeparturefromHortobgytolunchonthebankoftheTiszaRiver(rkm434).

15.00DeparturetoBudapestpassingthenorthernpartsofLakeTisza,apermanently

inundatedfloodplainreservoiroftheTiszaRiver.

ca.17.00ArrivaltoBudapest.


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Maps(moreinformationcanbefoundintheGoogleEarthfile:SIL_excursion.kmz)

Day 1: Budapest (A) - Tokaj (B, 252 km, highway) and Tokaj (A) Tiszalk (B)

Panyola(C,118km)

Day2:Panyola(A)Tiszabecs(B,41km),wereturntoPanyolaeitherfrom

Szatmrcseke(C)orTivadar(D).


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Day3:Panyola(A,H)theKrasznaRiver(B)-Csaroda(C)-Tarpa(D)-Szatmrcseke

(E)-confluenceoftheNewTrandtheTiszaRivers(F)-Tristvndi(G).Total:107

km.

Day4:Panyola(A)-Csengersima(B,36km),possiblytakingbusfromFehrgyarmat

(C).


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Day6:Panyola(A)-Hortobgy(B)Budapest(C,329km,includinghighway)


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TheSzatmr-Beregregion(http://www.szatmarbereg.hu/)wevisit

is the North-Eastern part of Hungary situated at the foots of the Carpathian

Mountains.TheareaissoflatthatthevolcanichillnearTarpaiscalledtheLarge

Mountain, although it erects from the

alluvial plain only by 60 m. The region

was particularly busy during the

Migration Period, also known as the

Barbarian Invasions from the Eurasian

steppetoEuropebetween400and900

AD. Barbarian visitors included Goths,

Gepids, Vandals, Alans, Huns, Avars,

Slavs, Bulgars, and Magyars

(Hungarians).ThepictureshowstheMagyarearthfortressfromthe10thcenturyon

the bank of the Tisza River (a bit

upstreamofTokaj). The richmosaic

of meadows and forests, the

extensivewetlands fed by the large

rivers providedaperfecthabitat for

these Nomad or semi-Nomad tribes

and their large herds. The map

provides an impression on the

historical extension of inundated

areasalongtheTiszaRiver.


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The axis of the region is the

TiszaRiver,thelargesttributary

oftheDanube(lengthis965km

after a 30% reduction,

catchmentis157,000km2).The

Tisza River springs in Ukraine

andmergeswiththeDanubein

Serbia.Wewill see five of the

seven large trans-boundary

tributaries that enter the Tisza

River in Hungary. The Tr, Kraszna, Krs and Maros Rivers descend from

Transylvania(Romania),theBodrogandtheSajRiverstaketheirorigininSlovakia.

ItisofvitalimportanceforHungarytofindthesuitablemeansofcooperationwith

her neighbors in managing the ecological status and water quantities (floods,

droughts) of these rivers. A number of international organizations (GEF UNDP,

WWF,ICPDR)haveassistedtostrengthenthiscooperationfollowingthecyanideand

heavymetalspillsthroughtheSzamosRivertotheTiszaRiverin2000.

River Catchment Length Confl. at Q (m3 s-1)

km2 km rkm 10% 50% 90%

Tisza 9700 222 53 115 592

Tisza 138000 803 249 420 2398

Tr 1200 105 727 1 3 35

Szamos 15500 554 686 26 61 362

Kraszna 3100 235 684 1 1 20

Bodrog 12900 238 544 36 58 333

Saj 12900 233 492 6 12 46

Krs 28000 298 243 24 46 360

Maros 30000 795 177 52 99 434

The Szatmr-Bereg landscape suffered major changes during the past 150 years.

Drivenprimarilybythehungerforlandduringtheboostincerealproduction,river

regulationsstartedinthe19thcentury.Fromthe1950s,threereservoirswerebuilt

on the Tisza River for irrigation and hydropower generation. Theupper reservoir

(Tiszalk,20km2area,10millionm

3storagecapacity)isamainstreamstoragearea

dammedatrkm518.Themiddlereservoir(LakeTisza;104km 2area,253millionm3


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storagecapacity,dammedatrkm402)wascreatedbypermanentlyinundatingthe

floodplain.Thelowerreservoirisdammedatrkm63(Becej,Serbia).

In spite of these severe hydromorphological alterations and water pollution, the

TiszaRiverhasremainedoneofEuropesmostnaturalrivers.Itsbasincomprises167

oxbow lakes and more than 300 riparian wetlands including 12 Ramsar sites.

Althoughfragmented,thewetlandsformalivinggreencorridoralongtheriver.The

soft wood gallery forests (Salicetum albae-fragilis) and the scattered hard wood

forests (Querqo-Ulmetum) re-grow naturally,

they support an outstandingly high

biodiversity. Many of the endangered and

threatenedbirdsarerelativelycommoninthis

regionincludingtheBlackStork(Ciconianigra),

Trush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), Hobby

(Falcosubbuteo), LesserSpottedEagle (Aquila

pomarina), Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca),

Corncrake (Crex crex), Saker falcon (Falco

cherrug), SandMartin (Riparia riparia), Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) andmanymore.

TheTiszaRiversupportsarichfaunaofmayflies,dragonflies,amphibians,fishand

mammals.TheTiszamayfly(Palingenia longicauda)isthelargestmayflyspeciesin

Europe,measuring12 cmfromheadtotail.Unfortunately,August isnot the best

season for the beautiful and strictly protected flowers like the Snake's Head

(Fritillariameleagris)ortheOrchislaxiflorasubsp.palustris.

Come to explore the intimate connections between

natureandcultureinanunderdevelopedbutthemost

picturesquecornerofEurope!


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The great Hungarian poet, Sndor Petfi wrote in 1847 (translation by WatsonKirkconnell)

The TiszaRiver

When in the dusk a summer day had died,

I stopped by winding Tisza's river-side,just where the little Tr flows in to rest,

a weary child that seeks its mother's breast.Most smooth of surface, with most gentle force,

the river wandered down its bankless course,lest the faint sunset-rays, so close to home,should stumble in its lacery of foam.On its smooth mirror, sunbeams lingered yet,dancing like fairies in a minuet;

one almost heard the tinkle of their feet,

like tiny spurs in music's ringing beat.Low flats of yellow shingle spread away,from where I stood, to meat the meadow haywhere the long shadows in the after-glowlike lines upon a page lay row on row.Beyond the meadow in mute dignity

the forest towered o'er the darkening lea,but sunset rested on its leafy spireslike embers red as blood and fierce with fires.Elsewhere, along the Tisza's farther bank,the motley broom and hazels, rank on rank,crowded, but for one cleft, through which was shownthe distant steeple of the tiny town.

Small, rosy clouds lay floating in the skyin memory-pictures of the hours gone by.Far in the distance, lost in reverie,the misty mountain-summits gazed at me.The air was still. Across the solemn hushfell but the fitful vespers of a thrush.

Even the murmur of the far-off millseemed faint as a mosquito humming shrill.

To the far bank before me, within hail,a peasant-woman came to fill her pale;

she, as she brimmed it, wondered at my stay,and with a glance went hastily away.But I stood there in stillness absoluteas though my very feet had taken root.

My heart was dizzy with the rapturous sightof Nature's deathless beauty in the night.O Nature, glorious Nature, who would darewith reckless tongue to match your wondrous fare?

How great you are! And the more still you grow,the lovelier are the things you have to show!Late, very late, I came back to the farm


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and supped upon fresh fruit that made me warm,and talked with comrades far into the night,while brushwood flames beside us flickered bright.Then, among other topics, I exclaimed:"Why is the Tisza here so harshly blamed?You wrong it greatly and belie its worth:

surely, it's the mildest river on the earth!"Startled, a few days later in those dells

I heard the frantic pealing of the bells:"The flood, the flood is coming!" they resound.And gazing out, I saw a sea around.There, like a maniac just freed from chains,the Tisza rushed in rage across the plains;roaring and howling through the dyke it swirled,greedy to swallow up the whole wide world.

SIL Postcongress Excursion

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