As part of its mission to encourage green living and nature appreciation among the Israeli public, KKL-JNF works with local communities to create community forests and other outdoor recreation areas.
The new Limans Trail in Meitar Forest, which is located to the north-east of Beersheba, is the fruit of one such collaboration, in this instance between KKL-JNF and the Meitar Local Council, who asked residents what they’d like to see in their community forest. A special KKL-JNF liaison was appointed to manage communication between it, the local council and the community.
As part of the implementation of the conclusions that were reached, the "Limans Trail", which is unique to Meitar Forest, was brought back to life, and this past Pesach, local visitors got to walk it.
Among the visitors were the Barel-Maor family, who showed up on this pleasant morning with backpacks, ready to walk. When we asked 9-year-old Shaked about her expectations, she replied that “she wasn’t expecting anything new.” Her father hastened to clarify that they’re already very familiar with the forest.
The Limans Trail is a family-friendly circular route about 4 kilometers long, with observation points overlooking breathtaking panoramic views, including the star of the show – the Liman, a method of planting adapted by KKL-JNF from the ancient Nabateans that farmed this semi-arid region. A liman is created by planting trees in a shallow depression of earth - either man-made or at the lowest part of a dry streambed – that traps rain and floodwater, allowing the trees to grow.
Another water-harvesting method KKL-JNF employs in this region are the shikhim - furrows or terraces that channel the water around the trees and create a type of irrigation trench.
After taking in the view and getting their bearings of the area, the event participants began to walk the trail, propelled by a pleasant breeze. Matanya, the KKL-JNF guide, made plenty of stops to acquaint the group with the various flora and fauna encountered along the way.
At one stop, for example, the guide identified a small hole in the ground, and asked the children to guess its function, before explaining that they were dug by Antlions for food and nesting. He also pointed out the shade-giving eucalyptus trees, now in bloom, as well as the red fruits on a pistachio tree, which will ripen into the nuts we know and love in the next few months.
Other trees you can expect to encounter along the trail include sycamores, Aleppo pines and carobs. If you’re lucky, you may even spot one or more of the many birds, reptiles and mammals that make their home here, such as jays, crested larks and raptors; beetles and bugs; lizards and turtles; foxes and jackals, and more. This is a healthy ecosystem bustling with flora and fauna, and the Limans Trail allows locals to rediscover their surroundings and ensure that this natural treasure continues to thrive.
A new sign along the way explained that since the forest is located on an elevation, many of the trees are planted on terraces, whose water is harvested using the aforementioned shikhim system. Other such explanatory signs have been installed all along the trail by KKL-JNF’s community relations department for the southern region, headed by Oranit Ginat.
"One of our goals is to show people what they have right outside their doorstep", said Yuval Hadad, the KKL-JNF liaison to the community, explaining that they will soon be offering sunrise and sunset hikes free of charge.
At the end of the hike, we checked back in with 9-year-old Shaked to see if she learned anything new. She shrugged. "There were too many explanations, they held up the hike, and who cares what terraces are?"
"So, you know what vertical growth is, right?" we probed.
"Yes," Shaked answered, "we have it at home."
"And did you know that this is what terracing is?" Shaked was asked, and she responded a sheepish grin.