Stork Day on 28 April 2024 in Geloi Wetland, the nature reserve chosen by storks to nest safely
Stork Day: a festival dedicated to white storks. In the Gela Plain (Caltanissetta) it is now a famous event that celebrates the nesting of this threatened species in Sicily.
A group of young champions of the environment chose to remain in Sicily and in the middle of the desert of the Piana di Gela (Caltanissetta) created a private natural oasis. Since 2017, with the help of the Pro Biodiversity Foundation and the ODV Environmental Education Center association, a hopeless, arid and disfigured place has been transformed into a lush private nature reserve called Geloi Wetland.
Here, white storks nest on wooden platforms, specially installed by the reserve operators, safe from human threats. A year ago, in fact, they chose electric pylons to build their nests, risking dying from electrocution and injuries from the cables; now they look after their chicks from the top of wooden poles and feed near lakes and marshes, no longer feeling the need to feed in dangerous landfills.
For this reason, the Geloi team organizes, together with many associations, farms and other activities, an entire day dedicated to biodiversity, in the company of Lipu, Cea, Biviere Ente Gestore, FAI Caltanissetta, Slow Food and many other associations.
Sunday 28 April, in the morning there are games and workshops for children of all ages organized by AssoCea Messina and Naturopolys, in the afternoon guided tours and birdwatching and at sunset a new violin and guitar concert by the masters Eleonora Urzì and Davide Fazzio, with typical dishes, local products and association stands.
The stork is the symbol of rebirth and connects agriculture to respect for biodiversity in places that were once tormented and which are now appreciated and recognized internationally.
In fact, we are talking about regional park of the Gulf of Gelaconnector of biodiversity between Niscemi, Caltagirone, the Piana and the Biviere di Gela, in the name of the great European project Natura 2000 and naturalistic, cultural and archaeological valorisation, taking into account traditional agriculture in a sustainable way.
