2018 is already well underway and the days are starting to lengthen, so it's time to propose new dates for different activities. | | Winnner of the 2017 photo competition "blue" Bruno Rostain is the winner of our 2017 photo competition (photo above, "at the edge of the salt marshes") which had the theme "blue". Gilles Bounous, Elisa Confortini and Michèle Bougarel tied for second place and all received the corresponding prize. Céline Felices wins the prize in the smartphone category. The winner of the public prize (with his photo receiving 166 likes on our Facbeook page) is Jean-Louis Granier. All results can be downloaded here. | | 2018 Photo Exhibition This exhibition aims at promoting wetlands rich in biodiversity and welcoming for people. The Friends of Tour du Valat Association, with the theme "blue", seeks to highlight the beauty of the wetlands and the elements that animate them through the personal and artistic vision of the selected photographers. Through these photos, the Association wishes to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands. This exhibition is free for roaming. | | | | | Frozen Vaccarès, it was in 1956 Thanks to Pierre Aguesse, loyal member, for sharing in our last letter this photo of frozen Vaccarès taken by Louis Bigot in February 1956. | | | | | A scholarship offered for a young researcher The Tour du Valat organizes from 16th to 18th May 2018 the 4th "Young researchers" conference dedicated to conservation sciences in the Mediterranean region, in partnership with CEFE-CNRS (University of Montpellier) and IMBE (University Aix-Marseille). Eight scholarships will be offered this year including one by the Friends of Tour du Valat Association for students from Mediterranean countries outside the EU (all information is available on the conference website). | | | | | Friends Seminar As part of the Friends seminars’ series, on Tuesday 27th March at 18:30 in the Auditorium of the House of the Associative Life of Arles, Christian Chené will present his film titled: "La Crau, history of a Provençal desert" Access is free and without registration, we hope to see you there. The formation of this exceptional stony steppe, the Crau, full plain that extends from the east of Arles to the vicinity of Salon de Provence, will be the focus of the 29 minute film by Christian Chéné "La Crau – Histoire d’un désert provençal". A time of exchange with Christian will follow the projection. He will comment on his film and will be pleased to answer participants' questions. To find out more: https://amistourduvalat.org/agenda/la-crau-histoire-dun-desert-provencal/ | | | | | Friends Seminar As part of the Friends seminar’ series, on Monday 9th April at 11:00 in the conference room Jean-Paul Taris of Tour du Valat, René Durocher will present: "Macaya’s wildlife, a photographic adventure in the Macaya National Park". Access is free and without registration, we hope to see you there. Echoing the exhibition of the same name, which will take place in the Lunaret Park from April to June 2018, this conference on Macaya Park’s wildlife will be an opportunity to discover through images the incredible biodiversity of Macaya Park, one of the hotspots for global biodiversity. Macaya Park now houses Haiti's last primal forest and is the last remaining biodiversity sanctuary in the western part of the island, with the world's largest concentration of endemic species per square meter. This conference will be a unique moment to exchange with Haitian photographer, director and conversationist René Durocher. His photographic work is a plea for the conservation and protection of nature. Loving the rich biodiversity of his country, he continues to explore the scattered and diverse habitats of Haiti in search for new species to reveal. The Caribaea Initiative association is pleased to offer photographer René Durocher with the opportunity to present his work as part of the conferences open to all of the Friends of Tour du Valat. Discovery and wonder guaranteed! To find out more: https://amistourduvalat.org/agenda/la-vie-sauvage-au-macaya/ | | | | | Closing evening / aperitif The winners of the photo competition will participate on April 7th and 8th in a photo workshop supervised by David Tatin. At the end of this course, they invite you to the photo studio “la Maison Close” (Passage Robert Doisneau 13200 Arles) for a night of restitution of their photos around an aperitif on Sunday 8th April from 18:30 onwards. The theme of the next competition will be announced on this occasion. | | | | | Nature outing On Saturday 2nd June from 9am to 12pm, wearing your best boots (or other walking shoes depending on the weather), discover the Marais du Verdier with Sylviane Johnson, a member of the Association of Friends of the Tour du Valat and the Verdier Marsh Association. At the heart of an area of 120 hectares, Sylviane will show you the fauna and flora of the site and will also address the specific nature of this shared management project in the Camargue. Registration required until Thursday, May 31st. Meet at 8:45am in the village square of Le Sambuc. | | | | | "Blue" exhibition at the Camargue festival The "blue" photo exhibition will be presented at the Camargue and Rhone Delta Festival in the Tour Saint Louis from May 3rd to May 22nd (for hours, check with the Tourist Office of the city of Port Saint Louis, +33 4 42 86 01 21). | | | | | Christian Chéné joined the Friends Association in early 2017. As an active retiree, he loves travelling and editing videos. He has naturally created his association Objets et Images which aims at intervening in associations and schools, for projections of videos or slideshows with debates on nature and travel. | | | | | When did you first visit Tour du Valat and what was the occasion? It was over twenty years ago for an open house. What was your first impression? The surprise of discovering an important group of scientists working on the protection of wetlands, isolated in Camargue. A pleasant welcome with smiling people looking “comfortable in their own skin"! What is your best memory at Tour du Valat? The discovery of the Saint Seren marshes. What was your best encounter at the Tour du Valat? There were several great encounters but the one that struck me the most was that of Alan Johnson with whom I felt immediately at ease. Because of his simplicity and the need he had to communicate his knowledge and his passion for birds. What emblematic species of Camargue do you prefer? I love the white stilt that I find of remarkable elegance and I appreciate the way it has to protect her chicks by acting as a wounded bird to ward off danger. Why did you join the Friends of Tour du Valat Association? Out of interest for the preservation of nature that is essential for future generations and in this association I can find people who share the same concerns as me. Do you have any advice or messages to pass on to future generations who will come spend some time at Tour du Valat? I do not have any particular advice to give them because those who want to spend some time at Tour du Valat are people necessarily in love with nature. | | Camargue Horse, celebration of the 50th anniversary! On April 28th and 29th, come celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Camargue horse at Domaine du Petit Saint Jean, owned by Tour du Valat. A great weekend of events is proposed to celebrate the recognition of this emblematic horse of the Camargue region, symbol of tradition, authenticity and freedom... On the menu: breeders’ competition, display, a discovery tour of the Domaine, which is developing an innovative agro-ecological project on an exceptional site, conference, exhibitions & photo competitions, local produce and crafts. https://tourduvalat.org/agenda/cheval-camargue-50-ans-en-fete/ | | | | | 10th Festival of the Camargue and the Rhône Delta Tour du Valat will participate actively in the festival of the Camargue and the Rhone Delta, from May 7th to May 13th. The detailed program is downloadable here. | | | | | In short, the Program... - Arnaud Bechet's defense on 4th December 2017 of his Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR) "The emblematic species at the service of conservation: the case of the long-term study of flamingos in the Camargue".
- Meeting "Coastal wetlands facing climate change" on 20th November 2017 organized by the GRAC PACA with the support of the Pôle-relais lagunes.
- Launch of the new website https://pole-lagunes.org and distribution of “la lettre des Lagunes” from February 2018.
- Creation and diffusion of a video presenting the restoration project for the old salines.
- Success of the last open day of Tour du Valat (nearly 600 participants).
| | | | | The team - Recruitment of Roger Käslin, mechanic, replacing Cyril Caillat.
- Recruitment of Sara Freixedas as a postdoctoral researcher for 10 months after five months of consultancy for Wetlands International European Association.
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