2019

Enjoy the Summer with the Mother Nature “In the Forests of Kurzeme” Magazine

Mother Nature (Mammadaba) summer magazine “In the Forests of Kurzeme” (Kurzemes mežos) urges its readers to travel to North Kurzeme. Travellers from Kolkasrags to the magnificent springs of Kurzeme will have countless adventures and discoveries that can be even more enriched by a visit to LVM Jaunmokas Palace and the stories told by the locals, as well as by observations of the wildlife.

For example, folklorist, musician, and teacher Julgī Stalte, who is full of inspirational stories, reveals the magic of Košrags in the magazine and tells about her summer solstice rituals. “It is magical to go out in the woods with closed eyes following the sound of a vargan. It turns out that it is possible to find one's way in nature following the sound and sensation only; it is important to close your eyes as it triggers other senses. First it does not seem to be an easy task at all. But later other instincts begin to work, all the unnecessary layers are dropped. You just start to feel and hear with your skin what is going on around you. And suddenly you realize that you can walk around the forest differently. Strong energies emerge in the solstice, this is the best time to attract the good, to recharge your batteries,” says Julgī Stalte.

The magazine contains information and suggestions on how and where best to indulge in such unusual activity as butterfly watching.

Quench your thirst from a spring, watch butterflies, celebrate summer solstice or go and look for some delicious forest goodies. Or you can look for bright natural colours for dyeing yarn. Useful tips will be provided by Anitra Tooma, a green lifestyle supporter.

Already for more than 10 years JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM) has been urging everyone to go into the wild and spend their free time in the forest drawing inspiration from the Mother Nature magazines. Travel enthusiasts are introduced to the most notable places of recreation, nature trails, marshes, towers, caves, lakes, trees, etc. managed by LVM.

“The idea of the Mother Nature brand for recreation in nature, enjoying the beauty of the Latvian nature together with the family and friends or in complete solitude was created by people themselves. The idea of the Mother Nature magazine was also created by people themselves. With the establishment of JSC “Latvia's State Forests”, we received more and more questions from people about the opportunities of spending leisure time in the forest and where to go. To make it easier to navigate the wide range of recreation areas in Latvia, a map of Mother Nature recreation sites was created, and it is very popular among school students, families and active travellers,” says Tomass Kotovičs, Head of LVM Communication Unit.

Appreciating the opportunities provided by technologies, we created an interactive map of the Mother Nature recreation sites that is available in every smart device. Here everyone can choose the most appropriate activity in a particular area, and receive information on the facilities and other useful things. Work on improving and upgrading this map is still ongoing. In the future, it is planned to improve the map by offering exciting routes from one facility to another.

Alongside this electronic map, a tangible and visually appealing travel material – Mother Nature magazine – that offers more than 350 free LVM recreational facilities around Latvia was created. The magazine also describes LVM's landscaped parks and recreational facilities in the boat bases established on the shores of the managed lakes. Each issue of the magazine is interesting with its view of activities, objects and impressions shared by well-known people and forest friends. The magazine is a true story of inspiration and happiness created by people, which awakens and urges everyone to head for adventures in any season of the year.

“I am delighted that the readers of the Mother Nature magazine appreciate the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air and the richness of our country's green forests every day. To reach every traveller, the Mother Nature magazine is delivered not only to tourist information centres, but also to the waiting rooms of several Latvian medical institutions. Regular walks in the nature can also be one of the components that facilitate the recovery process – there are many people who have recovered from diseases, inspired by the stories told in the magazine. This feedback is important. It is wonderful, in my opinion, that people head for the places described there and get to know with their own eyes, touch and experience.  

Latvia is one of the few countries where it is allowed to move freely in the forest, to collect various forest bounties, to spend a night and to make a camp-fire in specially designed places. When going to the woods, you have to follow some rules and recommendations that LVM has summarised in the book “Laižam mežā!” (Let's Head to the Forest!) – a Mother Nature ABC for safe and green recreation in the forest.