Following courtesy of WorkingAbroad.com.
Wilderness Management Programme - Iceland
Volunteer to work, restore and preserve the Skaftafell National Park in Iceland - a collaboration between BTCV, Iceland's Environmental Agency and WorkingAbroad ProjectsIceland
- "Iceland is a country filled with legend, sagas, rich history and folklore, and its wild landscape contains mist-filled volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, hot springs, dramatic valleys and waterfalls everywhere you look. The first impression when you come to Iceland is that you are stepping into an unknown landscape, not unlike that of the Moon! The winters provide a spectacle of the Aurora Borealis and in the summers, the sun never goes down and shines at midnight."
Skaftafell National Park, Southeast Iceland (the following text is taken from the Environmental Agency's website)
- "Skaftafell National Park is an oasis wedged between sand and glacier. Its unique natural beauty is a result of favourable weather conditions and the interplay of fire and ice. Beneath the Vatnajl ice cap the hot energy of one of the world's most extensive geothermal sites clashes with the cold power of Europe's largest glacier. The history of fire and ice in the region and the way in which the powerful forces of nature have struggled to form the National Park is told in the Skaftafellsstofa Visitor Centre along with the story of the culture which has thrived in the shadow of the glacier and the lives of people surviving in an area ruled by fire and flood."
Following courtesy of WorkingAbroad.com.
Wilderness Management Volunteer Programme Details
"Two week programmes:
- 18th of June to 2nd of July 2005 (3 places)
- 2nd of July to 16th of July 2005 (6 places)
- 16th of July to 30th of July 2005 (5 places)
"The project will focus on Morsa lur, which is an area inside the Skaftafell Park and also in a recently expanded crater area. For two weeks, you will complete a series of conservation/restoration tasks that will include:
- Lupin cutting
- Way marking
- Trail repair work etc. as elements of the wilderness management programme
- Other activities that come up during the work period
"As a team of six volunteers, you will be supervised by experienced long term BTCV volunteers and the Project Manager, who works for the Iceland Nature Conservation Agency and BTCV."
Food and Accommodations
"The conditions will be quite tough! There is a base camp in the National Park where you will be staying and eating, however, please note you will have to bring your own tent. You will need a tent that is sturdy and can withstand strong winds! Simple light weight cooking facilities will be provided at the base camp, as well as your food supply for the two weeks. So you will cook as a group and live in your individual tents. The base camp has the following facilities: an eating group area, a drying area, dry toilet etc. A list of personal items to bring will be given to you with your final package if you are accepted on the project."
Transport
"The meeting point for the commencement of the programme is on the starting dates: 18 June/2 July/16 July at the Skaftafell National Park visitor centre. Buses from Reykjavik's central city coach station can drop you off here and the journey takes approximately six hours; the cost is around $55 USD single. It is recommended that you fly into Reykjavik the day before your starting date where you can spend the night at the Youth Hostel (cheapest in Reykjavik) and catch the bus in the morning; please note the bus only runs once a day. Flights to and from Iceland are usually with Icelandair; however, for those volunteers coming from England and Denmark, a new cheap airline called [link url=http://www.icelandexpress.co.uk] now has daily flights from London Stansted and Copenhagen. Please note, you are responsible for all of your bus and airline costs to and from the meeting point at the visitor centre in the National Park. There is also the possibility to take a ferry, passing the Faroe Islands."
Please go on to the next page for more detail on types of volunteers needed and costs.
"Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things."
--Frank A. Clark
