From Thursday, January 18 to Sunday, January 21, the annual international ranger meeting of the Alpine protected areas took place on the Wurzeralm and in Spital am Pyhrn.
Danilo Re Memorial
Press release: International Ranger Meeting
National Park Rangers start their eventful tour program at
Kalkalpen National Park Summer program 2024
After the opening ceremony on Thursday, Kalkalpen National Park, this year's host of the event, organized a ranger seminar on the topic of monitoring protected areas. The four-day event traditionally offers the opportunity for networking and exchange, as well as friendly sporting competition. At the "Ranger Olympics", rangers and protected area employees compete in four disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski mountaineering, shooting and giant slalom.
The Danilo Re Memorial is held in memory of the Italian ranger Danilo Re, who died in an accident in his reserve in 1995. The event takes place in a different protected area every year. This year, Kalkalpen National Park was able to host the event for the first time. National Park Director Josef Forstinger was delighted to have the opportunity to exchange ideas and network: "The rangers live and work for the protection of the Alpine protected areas and carry this awareness out into the world. They also want to prove that this does not work without physical fitness in sporting competitions. Language barriers between rangers from the entire Alpine region do not play a role here, because raising awareness and imparting knowledge about the protection of the Alps unites all participants."
Unfortunately, a technical problem with the funicular meant that the competition could not be held on Saturday. Fortunately, rangers are flexible people who accepted the alternative program that was hastily put together with exactly the same enthusiasm that they would have shown in the competition. The Pyhrn-Priel region was explored on their own or under the guidance of the local rangers on skis, snowshoes or on foot in the best Kaiser weather.
National Park Director Josef Forstinger also came up with an alternative for the award ceremony on Saturday evening. A photo competition was held at the closing ceremony of the event and the most creative pictures were awarded prizes. All in all, Director Josef Forstinger is delighted with the extremely successful event, despite the failure of the funicular on Saturday.
