The Drava as a Classroom: Straight from the Center to the Field

The Educational Water Center in Legrad yesterday hosted the County Professional Council of Biology and Chemistry Teachers of Koprivnica-Križevci County as part of a professional workshop dedicated to the Drava, hydrology, nature protection and invasive alien species.

We presented the work of Croatian Waters, the results of the DRAVA LIFE project and, above all, the possibilities of using the EVC and the surrounding area for field teaching — from biology and chemistry to monitoring changes in the riverbed, sediment, water and habitats. After the presentations and the film A New Life for the Drava, the programme continued out in the field, along the confluence of the Mura and the Drava and at locations where invasive alien species are being removed, as well as possible new restoration projects by Croatian Waters.

Thank you to our colleagues from the Public Institution for organising the event and for their interesting professional contribution to the programme, both at the EVC and in the field. After a series of joint activities, we can already say that we’ve become a truly good and well-coordinated team — each from our own field of expertise, but sharing the same space and the same goal: passing on knowledge about water and nature.

This is also the beginning of the next step: a new call for expressions of interest will soon go out to schools and other educational institutions, and we also expect new cooperation agreements as well as concrete programmes for field teaching, thematic days and student projects.

The EVC is the base. The Drava is the classroom.