With the excavator for a good cause

In the rural areas of Grabenstetten on the edge of the Swabian Alb there is a nature conservation project that is being promoted by the “NaturRaum” foundation. Rolf Mößmer set up the foundation last year. With the foundation and the project, he focuses on preserving nature and the environment and securing habitats for animals and plants.

What originally began as an initiative by the mayor at the time became Mößmer’s area of ​​activity a short time later. He had taken over the area near Grabenstetten – consisting of meadow, forest and two ponds – from the municipality more than 20 years ago. In order to promote the amphibian population, especially grass frogs, toads and newts, the area has been expanded to include two ponds in recent years. When a nearby building area was developed, additional compensation areas were also added.

In the last century, the area was used intensively for agriculture and numerous drains were used to drain it. The main task at the moment is to dismantle these drains and seal the ponds. As many frogs as possible should spawn their eggs there in spring. For this reason, the ponds should not only provide warm and standing water, but also be well sealed to prevent seepage and drying out in summer. This is where our excavator comes into play.

Working with the excavator and our bucket is an enormous asset to the project. By digging holes to get to the earth to seal the ponds, new habitats are created at the same time that can serve as small bodies of water or new spawning sites for various species of frog.

Rolf Mößmer’s big goal: to keep the frogs on site and strengthen their population. And with success, because the population has increased significantly in recent years and seems to be continuing to grow. But in addition to the frogs, Mößmer is also creating important habitats for other animals and plants. Although the desired colonization of snakes and natterjack toads has not yet taken place, he remains optimistic.

Rolf Mößmer’s commitment is supported not only by the community, but also by companies like ours. Because for us at HENLE, sustainability is an important issue. We are all the more pleased that we can support such a great project with our excavator and the appropriate attachments.

However, working on a project like this is not just a question of practical implementation, but also a question of attitude. “You either do nature conservation with passion or not at all,” says Mößmer. For him, nature conservation is a matter close to his heart and he is proud of what he has achieved. He makes an important contribution to the preservation of local nature and biodiversity.

And when Rolf Mößmer observes in the summer how new plant and animal species are conquering his biotope, he knows that all the hard work over the winter months has definitely paid off.