More Than an Eyesore
One of the most dramatic successes in the conservation of the desert environment was putting a stop to uncontrolled offroad driving. Two rangers of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), Yoni Sharir and Shahar Issacharoff, deserve credit for, singlehandedly and against all odds, changing the jeep-owning public’s behavior.
Israel Florilegium
During the 1950s picking bouquets of wildflowers became a national pastime. To save the flowers, a law protecting many species was enacted, and the Nature Reserves Authority launched a campaign with brochures and posters. To this end, two illustrators from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew were invited to illustrate the country’s wildflowers. The two, Mary Anderson Grierson and Heather Wood, painted over 400 flowers. However, the paintings were lost for fifty years. It turned out that the magnificent drawings were tucked away in the Nature Reserves Authority armory for five decades. ERETZ Magazine is now preparing an album of these beautiful illustrations.
The Vineyards of Ein Gedi
Nearly two decades have passed since the battle over water usage at the Ein Gedi Oasis. Today, the waters of Nahal David and Arugot flow freely, and the Ein Gedi River has come back to life. Lush vegetation grows along the stream, and the trees that once covered the slope are beginning to flourish without irrigation — a narrative of environmental coexistence.
The Miracle of Beit Guvrin
The thousands of human-made caves carved into the gleaming white chalk hills of the Judean Lowlands included caves for many purposes. The most popular attraction of the caves was the unique chalk quarries called Bell Caves. The collapse of a massive chunk of rock was the catalyst that turned them into a world-renowned video art venue
