What does that mean?
“We are taking everything we know about biology and building it ourselves. There is no truly natural material here. The lake was dug, and it is sealed with plastic sheeting. The small stones are gravel from quarries, not river stones. The water is moved not by a natural gravitational system, but by a circulating pump. When we uprooted a eucalyptus tree, we did not hide what was left of it, but placed parts of it on the island in the middle and along the fish habitats on the banks.”
An artificial wetland created behind the lake, in an area closed to visitors, serves as a natural water purification system. The soil was dug to a depth of approximately one meter and filled with gravel and water. The gravel fills the function of river stones in streams and rivers. “Microorganisms grow on the stones and purify the water that flows through them. The vegetation that was planted there also has the ability to break down toxins and pollutants, and deal with other things in the water,” Vaxman says.
“A Wonderful Place along the Bird Migration Route”
Although the artificial site has just been launched, the biological system is already visible in all its glory. Tadpoles and frogs have begun showing up in the lake, which is filled with tap water. Dozens of birds have been landing on the artificial island, and fish are multiplying in the water habitats, which are made of concrete. One bank, which receives particular benefit from sunlight and wind, is almost completely covered with various plant species, and Vaxman says that a battle has begun on the second bank against invasive vegetation that was never planted there. “The challenge in the first years is not to allow the invasive plants to develop,” Vaxman says. “It is near-impossible, but the more we succeed the more it will pay off, since the vegetation we want will establish itself and be self-sustaining in the future.”
Yaron Charka, chief ornithologist at KKL-JNF, predicts that many songbirds will visit the site as early as the autumn migration, and that the shallow-water habitats will be good for wetland birds such as sandpipers and snipes. Local species, some of them invasive (such as mynas and rose-necked parakeets) will also come to the site, to which no bird has ever been brought to nest. “The new birdwatching center is located in a wonderful place along the bird migration route,” Charka says. “But birdwatching has two sides: birds and humans.” The way the center has been planned will benefit both.
Observation Pavilions that Blend into the Land
Three elliptical wooden observation pavilions have been placed around the lake, almost at water level. Each pavilion can hold approximately fifty visitors — the number of passengers on a bus filled to capacity. “The elliptical shape also brings the group together, like in a boat, and obscures the size of the structures a bit,” says Vaxman. “We didn’t want to build ‘elephants’ on the site.”
The shape of the observation pavilions and the natural material from which they were built (wood from the Zeyheria tuberculosa tree, known as îpe tabaco), not only avoid causing an eyesore in the park, but also contribute, with delicacy and respect, to the environment’s appearance. The wooden paneling, which leans in various directions, creates such exquisite patterns of light and shadow on the walls and floors of the pavilions that bird-lovers are liable to look inside instead of outward. But the wooden walls serve a purpose in addition to beauty: the creation of a controlled and pleasant microclimate. The pavilions are airy, naturally cooled, and provide shade
Each pavilion has observation windows at child and adult height. “The openings are placed above one another, allowing parents to stand behind their children and watch everything together,” Vaxman says. The pavilions, which are also accessible to people with disabilities, have observation windows of a proper height for people who use wheelchairs.
In addition to the pavilions, an outdoor classroom has been built for visitors and teaching sessions, as well as two concrete booths with a eucalyptus tree growing from their wooden coverings as a rest area for visitors. “The elliptical pavilions have a sophisticated and delicately-shaped shade system, while the pavilions on the perimeter have concrete bases, industrialized profiles, and simple forms. There is a gap between sophisticated and brutal,” Vaxman says, glancing at the fresh graffiti that has already been scrawled on them.