COMÚN Foundation activates “Förderkreis” to collect 10,000 euros for UnterWasserReich, city of Schrems doubles donations, ending with “Success Celebration” on October 26th, 2024
Vienna (OTS) – They only cover 3 percent of the land area, but store around 30 percent of global carbon in soils: Peatlands are crucial in the fight against the climate crisis and have a balancing effect during extreme weather events. They are unique hotspots of biodiversity and offer a habitat for countless animals and plants, which is why raising awareness about the preservation of moors is essential.
This is exactly what the “UnterWasserReich” education center in Schrems is dedicated to, which also includes the Hochmoor Schrems Nature Park, which, with an area of 1.1 million square meters, represents a huge recreational area. In order to support the financing of this refuge, the COMÚN Foundation and the city of Schrems have awarded the “Hochmoor Schrems support group” brought to life.
Bohrn Mena: Every euro pays off many times over
Private individuals and companies from the region and beyond are involved in this. Together they want to collect 10,000 euros, which will then be doubled from the city of Schrems’ budget. In this way, 20,000 euros in additional funds can be made available for the “UnterWasserReichs” budget. Money that is well invested there right now, emphasizes COMÚN board member Sebastian Bohrn Mena:
„Every euro we invest in raising awareness about moors pays off many times over in the interests of the common good. We have to start with children and young people and help them become aware of the enormous importance. We cannot undo the past, but we can actively influence the future. We therefore hope that many people will take part in the collection.“
City of Schrems doubles donations
The support from the city of Schrems, which is participating in the “Förderkreis” for the second time in a row, is also crucial to the success of the collection, thereby doubling the positive effect. Mayor Peter Müller said:
„As the owner of “Naturpark Hochmoor Schrems UnterWasserReich GmbH”, the municipality of Schrems is not only responsible for the operation, but also for the preservation of our unique nature park. We would like to use the resources we have at our disposal to support the UnterWasserReich in the best possible way in preserving and maintaining the moor areas but also in being able to take other necessary renaturation measures to keep this valuable ecosystem healthy.“
UnterWasserReich: Extremely grateful for any support
The donations represent a welcome financial injection for the UnterWasserReich, as the range of services is constantly being expanded. Currently, for example, as part of the special exhibition “The Changing Climate”, which runs until November 3rd. The content managing director Thomas Kainz says: “Education is the most important nature and climate protection measure of all. We work tirelessly to protect these sensitive habitats and the species they contain as best as possible and are extremely grateful for any support.”
And the commercial director Christiane Mader adds: “I have been in business since 2012, and from 2012 to 2023 over 300,000 guests have visited the UnterWasserReich educational and nature park center. The consistently positive feedback shows us that we are on the right track. The trend in nature tourism is very good, especially in the Waldviertel. But a destination of our size and type is of course very expensive, despite very satisfactory visitor numbers. In order to be able to continue to offer our visitors a high-quality offering in the future, we are very grateful for any outside support!”
Big “success celebration” on October 26th. upon reaching the donation goal
If the donation amount is reached, there will be a big celebration in the UnterWasserReich on the national holiday, October 26, 2024. Families will be informed and entertained free of charge all day long; there will be music, food and an extensive cultural program. More information about the “Förderkreis” and its previous supporters can be found at www.hochmoor.at.
The collection runs from July 1st to September 30th, 2024, and all proceeds will benefit the UnterWasserReich & Naturpark without any deductions. You can donate via comun.at/hochmoor or directly to the donation account:
Recipient: COMÚN Foundation
Intended use: raised bog
IBAN: AT96 2011 1839 3960 9200
BIC: TESTWWXXX
Questions & Contact:
COMÚN Foundation, board of directors@comun.at, +436607038864