Herman Ottó Natureconservation Group

A few articles appeared in the newspaper of the local self government, under the name HOTEK (Herman Ottó Nature Conservation Group), in 1991. A few young naturalist founded the legal Herman Ottó Nature Conservation Group in November, 1991, with three members.

The activity of the organisation was only writting articles and environmental education, and with the new members we could start the active work, in 1992. Firstly it appeared in the construction and placing of bird feeders and artificial nests. We had the opportunity to help of making a wet-land reconstruction in the Ecsegpuszta Nature Reserve, in Kóré-zug, in 1993, so we organised our first nature protection camp for the youth, who became the first active members of the HOTEK.

The major of Túrkeve asked the HOTEK to organise the "nature protection month" from the Day of Water to the Day of Birds and Trees, so we organised many high leveled programs in the town, in 1994. Two separate camps were organised for two age-groups, in summer. The HOTEK organized the regional environment and nature conservation meeting, in Túrkeve, in 03. December 1994, so it became a foundation member of the biggest NGO of the region, which does a meaningful activity in the field of nature conservation, called "Nimfea" Nature Conservation Association and it started its education program. As the HOTEK was the biggest member organisation, it undertook the foundation and maintaining of the Central Office.

The Council of Europe proclaimed the year 1995, the year of the European Nature Conservation, with the motto "Think about the future, protect the nature". Using this opportunity we organised almost a hundred programs in Túrkeve, and its region, related to nature and environment protection, so we reached the admition of the leadings of the town. In connection with our successful programs the leadership of the town wrote the next appreciated rows about us in the newspaper called Túrkeve:
"The activity of the Herman Ottó Nature Conservation Group turned for adventages so far for the town of Túrkeve. The great actions organized by them are wothily admitted by the town, and it supports them in comparison with its possibility. Their activity has got a big effect on the landscape protection, the public education, and the developing of the culture.

The membership reached the two hundred persons, so the HOTEK has got the biggest membership, among the NGOs of Túrkeve. We rented and partly bought the Makkos forest, in the eastern part of the town, where the building of our education-path and the Fekete István Environment- and Nature Protection Center have been started. This place is going to be the base and the camp site of our organisation. The editing of the "Green News" started that year, this is the newspaper of the HOTEK and the "Nimfea" Nature Conservation Association. The Green News carries about environmental education, and the public life of Túrkeve.
The developing of the nature protection programs started in 1997, we worked out our decree-suggestion for the town, for growing the local environmental culture, and researching of the wildlife of the non-protected areas of the region. We have wone on nation wide level a fourth, two third, one second, two first and an advantaged first position, which was handed over by the deputy under-secretary of state, during three years. The membership was over 500 persons, and the summer camps runned in five places, with the active participation of more than a hundred persons, in that year.

Get torn off the umbrella organisation (but still working together in the same office), the county court registred the HOTEK, in 1998, as an individual legal personality advantaged useful organisation, with the next activities:
- Active work on every field of the nature conservation, specially with the birds and the protection of their habitat, its social promotion and popularization.
- Widely initiation the youth into the bird and nature protection, forming of the good attitude.
- Systematization and processing the obtained informations about the wildlife, natural values of Hungary.
- Working out of nature conservational proposals, and presenting to the proper authority.
- Cooperating with the nature conservation authority of state and self governments.
- High quality researches.
- Creating and maintaining of connection with the Hungarian and foreign nature conservation authorities.
- Social controlling of the regulations concerning to environment and nature protection.
- Rewarding people reaching success on the field of studying birds and developing of nature conservation. The rewards can be divisibled by definite rules.
- The Association can start managing and venturesome activity on the field of nature conservation for laying the economical foundation of the activity.
- Environmental education on the field of energy efficiency and waste management. The Association can take part in the moderation of the social differencies of Hungary, and solving the tasks of child and youth protection.
- Saving the traditions of Hungary, initiations worthy of our eponymous with ethnographic, regional history and tradition saving aims.

The "Pro Natura" prize was handed over to the HOTEK collectively with the "Nimfea" Nature Conservation Association by the minister of the Hungarian Environment Protection Ministry, admitting our education programs, in April, 1998, on the International Day of World.

        Personal background
    The organisation was founded in 1991, by jr. Szollosi Kálmán, Kontos Tivadar and Sallai R. Benedek. The leader of the Group was Sallai R. Benedek, till October, 1998.
The secretary became Faragó Anikó, since 1992, founding the future of the organisation, with recruiting many students.
The vice-president was Szabó András, from 1993, till 1998, and the new secretary became Bordács Zsuzsanna, who put the environmental education into foreground. They made the base of the organisation more stable.
The number of new members raised, who determinate the future of the organisation notably, and some of them became the members of the leadership, in 1995.
The new members of the widen leadership are Gyarmati András (new vice-president), Szabó Tünde, Nagy Anikó, Forgács Mariann, Hajdú Péter, Finta Péter, Forgács Éva and Nagy Sándor, since 1996. Pabar Zoltán and Nagy Norbert got the Herman Ottó Memorial Prize, for their volunteer work.
Since 1998, new persons arrived, who became determinators of the work, like Bacskai Attila, Gyori József, Talpalló Piroska, Laskai Ferenc, id. Gyarmati András, Bornemissza Imre, and Barna Tamás (who is the delegated-leader, since October 1998.) A very important thing was that Vad Károly could be applied in the works around the Györffy farm, who obtained imperishable merits.
    Széll Antal, Csíder Lajosné, Monoki Ákos, Sallai Zoltán, Oszonics István, Harmos Krisztián, Kapocsi Judit and Sallai Károlyné shouldered very important volunteer work in the life of the organisation, thanks for their help. Enumerating all of the helpers of our work is impossible here, but we would like to thank them their work.

Introduction of the past and the work of the HOTEK

This organisation had come a long and tiring way in the last years, and it took a real success way, independently from that the local self government of Túrkeve helped the HOTEK only symbolically.