At the outset of deep summer Snowchange fisheries come to a close. In restoration inventories of new 100 hectare OGF forest-peatland complex in Siikajoki, Ilvesmaa and Leväkangas proceed. A new marine scientist Annukka Pekkarinen, also an accomplished marine sailor, joins the science team.
Captain Karoliina has led great efforts harvesting fish on lake Onkamo. Now we have a clearer view of the structural and composite roles of the species and their abundance in this Snowchange restoration landscape. A controlled break will commence now until August when the fisheries will resume. Brand new Snowchange canned fish products have begun to move in Helsinki, Germany and Belgium as pilot market areas. Thank you to the fisheries team for a great start to the summer!
In restoration and rewilding news, the early summer has been very busy as we settle into mid-season. In Koitajoki the Niittysuo and Tervasuo peatlands are almost complete and the work will proceed to Kivisuo, a 100 hectare state-owned critically important peatland in northeastern part of the catchment. GHG measurements are under way in Valkeasuo peatland complex. Likewise large effort of inventories to document status, trends and abundance of wildlife is under way in all of the 2025 sites. One of the highlights of the year so far is the Siikajoki natural forests and peatlands complex – Ilvesmaa and Leväkangas. They are located in northwestern Finland and constitute some of the only natural intact landscape-level sites in the region. Restoration is under way in Makkaralatva-aapa, an Arctic Circle peatland and we will work with the Luiminkajoki river association to commence the Petäjäsuo peatland restoration in July. Work proceeds through the season.
Lastly new staff additions strengthen the marine team. Annukka Pekkarinen has joined Snowchange after some part time works in the past. Annukka is a Finnish science project coordinator with education in Maritime environmental research, Marine biology and coastal and marine management. She is also a wilderness guide and a professional seafarer, with a decade of experience in the Arctic, mainly Iceland and Greenland and Antarctica.
She has been working since 2011 in various international coastal and marine management projects in the Baltic, North Sea, the Arctic and the Indian Ocean, on themes varying from eutrophication, Marine Spatial Planning to invasive species, hazardous cargoes and effects of shipping and noise to marine mammals. Lately she has been working with interaction, communication and coordination of freshwater and coastal research projects focusing on mapping & measurement technology in the boreal region.
With these exciting news we welcome the deep summer and will see you in August! When relevant updates appear we ll report here – check back!