Lower mountain stream close to nature

Lower mountain streams are mostly undeveloped and not straight. They twist and turn their way through the landscape. From their mouths to their source the flow speed of streams and rivers gets slower and slower.

Detail: Beaver project near Oberzell

Unspoilt, cool and always in motion

Small lower mountain streams often still flow very fast. As a result they have a characteristic water surface structure with many stones and gravel, very little sand and practically no muddy areas. The water is very clear, usually cool and has a very high oxygen content. Spineless organisms can be found in great abundance, such as water scavenger beetles, stoneflies, caddisfly larvae and black flies. The typical vertebrates living in lower mountain streams are fish such as brown trouts and bullheads or fire salamander larvae.

Only a few meanders, but still dynamic

The valleys in low mountain ranges are mostly narrow, and ascend quite sharply on both the right and left of the river bank. For this reason their little streams very rarely develop pronounced meanders like large lowland rivers. However, the small streams of low mountain ranges have their own very unique dynamic. Mainly their riverbeds are subject to continuous change. After heavy rain or melting snow, rubble and gravel is moved from one place on the riverbed to another. Therefore, pronounced vegetation is rarely found in these small streams. Join us and help us to buy more land for nature! To our current projectMore about the wet fallow
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