Since this year, Radotín Scouts have been involved in the Patronates programme, in which the troops take care of a selected site. Together with the conservationists from the HMP Municipality, we selected a beautiful and colourful site – PP Radotínské skály, which provides a wide range of opportunities for the Scouts to get involved in the care, but even to try a little scientific approach (e.g. monitoring of species, comparison with the state before and after the intervention, etc.). At the same time, there are many interesting things for children to learn about in a small space, from individual organisms (orchids and other attractive plants and animals) to landscape phenomena.

So we decided to visit the place in late spring and explore the site through excursions, talks and games. At the first stop in the restored orchard, which the scouts can also partly take care of, we talked about the importance of the old trees, about an interesting bird – the hoopoe, which is returning to us again thanks to the return to the original farming methods (e.g. grazing) and we watched with anticipation the large hoopoe box to see if it was already occupied. We also inspected a site with an abundance of purple loosestrife, which was already fruiting at that time, and we were lucky enough to see white orchids in bloom. 

Then we came to a viewpoint from which we could see the wide surroundings, including the Radotín cement factory and the surrounding hills. This place provided an ideal backdrop for talking about the phenomenon of limestone landscapes and the former use of the landscape, which is the key to understanding the high species diversity today. For this occasion we had with us photographs and aerial photographs of these places as they looked in our grandmothers’ childhood and the children were able to observe for themselves that the former landscape was much less overgrown (and also built up) and thus more easily understand why it is good to actively manage certain places, for example by bush-cutting and grazing, and that many now rare species depend on such management.