100 stories from the hiking route

1957 – The foundation of Matsalu National Nature Reserve

Information

Topic

People and nature

Coordinates

Long-Lat WGS 84

Latitude: 58.7145121

Longitude: 23.8172938

L-EST 97

x: 6508330.8
y: 489412.8

Location

Penijõe-Aegviidu Hiking route

The first proposal for the foundation of 600 ha Matsalu bird reserve in the area between Penijõe and Kloostri was made in 1936 by Erik Sits, then a student of Tartu University, later to be known under the name of Eerik Kumari. As this region was also known as a good bird hunting area, the proposal was rejected due to the opposition of the Cabinet of the State Land and Forest and Tallinn Hunter Association.
The Matsalu Bird country got its long awaited protection in 1957 with the establishment of the Matsalu National Nature Reserve. Biologist and ornithologist Olav Renno was appoint as the first head of the nature reserve. In 1976, Matsalu was added to the List of Wetlands of International Importance or the Ramsar List.
Nowadays, the visitor centre of Matsalu National Park in Penijõe has about 5000-6000 visitors every year. The best time to visit the national park is during migration time in spring from March to May or in autumn from September to October. During these times movement is only allow on water and marked hiking trails to give the birds the chance to rest and gain energy for the migration.