{"id":17578,"date":"2026-07-31T09:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T07:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npvelkafatra.sk\/straze-prirody-sa-netreba-bat-nasa-hlavna-cinnost-nie-je-kontrolovanie-ludi-hovoria-strazcovia-prirody-velkej-fatry\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T14:45:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T12:45:22","slug":"straze-prirody-sa-netreba-bat-nasa-hlavna-cinnost-nie-je-kontrolovanie-ludi-hovoria-strazcovia-prirody-velkej-fatry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npvelkafatra.sk\/en\/straze-prirody-sa-netreba-bat-nasa-hlavna-cinnost-nie-je-kontrolovanie-ludi-hovoria-strazcovia-prirody-velkej-fatry\/","title":{"rendered":"No need to fear park rangers. ‘Our main activity isn’t about controlling people,’ say the rangers."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ideal hiking weather, friendly guides, beautiful views and plenty of interesting information awaited participants at the latest Day with an Expert, which the Administration of Ve\u013ek\u00e1 Fatra National Park organizes free of charge for the public.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

The programme of Day with an Expert on Saturday, 25 July changed first thing in the morning. Nature rangers Pavel Plavec and Ivan Miku\u0161 chose a less demanding route for the hike than originally planned. Instead of following the green trail from Belianska Valley through Doln\u00fd Bori\u0161ov Valley and Ko\u0161arisk\u00e1 to the Chalet under Bori\u0161ov, the group was taken by bus deep into Necpalsk\u00e1 Valley, about two kilometres from Balcierovo, saving time and energy for everyone. \u201cIf we went the original route, we\u2019d finish the ascent at the Chalet under Bori\u0161ov. This way we\u2019ll have enough time and strength to climb Bori\u0161ov itself,\u201d the organisers explained the last-minute change. <\/p>\n\n

After basic information about how the Ve\u013ek\u00e1 Fatra mountain range was formed and some organisational instructions, Ivan Miku\u0161 concluded the opening remarks: \u201cWe\u2019re here to be in nature, to draw energy from it\u2014whether from the trees, the flowers, the sun, the sounds of nature, or the stream. Up at the chalet there\u2019s an amazing atmosphere, so let\u2019s hope we have a lovely day.\u201d We set off.<\/p>\n\n

Butterbur isn\u2019t burdock<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Even before Balcierovo, the head of the Ve\u013ek\u00e1 Fatra nature rangers, Pavel Plavec, pointed out the butterbur plant, which many people mistakenly call burdock. \u201cBurdock is a completely different plant. The root of butterbur was used here in traditional folk medicine, much like ginseng is used in China. Butterbur is a legally protected plant of European importance. We might say it grows everywhere here, in every valley anywhere in Slovakia, but in Western Europe it has already disappeared. That\u2019s why it\u2019s protected across Europe. Industrialisation and the ever-increasing human use of the landscape have dramatically reduced its numbers. That\u2019s why it needs protecting. Even here, butterbur is being pushed out by invasive plants, for example Japanese knotweed. Right at the start of Necpalsk\u00e1 Valley there\u2019s a fairly large colony that crowds out all plant species in the area. Knotweed has the unfortunate advantage that it can sprout from tiny cuttings even after several years. So it can end up in a new place by being carried in, for example on the tyre of an off-road vehicle. In the national park, we\u2019re gradually clearing all land of invasive species,\u201d Pavel Plavec explained. <\/p>\n