 | Wigierski National Park |  |
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| Wigierski National Park | |
Wigierski National Park was created on January 1, 1989. The total area is 15,113 ha. The major parts are forests (61 %) and surface waters (19 %). The closest tourist center is Suwalki located on the Czarna Hancza River, which is the most beautiful of kayak runs.
The symbol of the Park is the beaver (Castor fiber). Since 1977 every year several pairs of beavers have been transferred from its habitat in the Wigierski NP to other regions of Poland.
Natural values
Wigierski National Park encloses post glacial areas, which include a large number of lakes surrounded by vast and well preserved forests. The northern part of the park entails the varied topography of the Suwalki Lakeland, while the flat southern part belongs to the Augustow Plain.
Singular aspects of this park include Lake Wigry (2,178 ha in area) with its surrounding fourteen lakes and eleven small lakes known as the biscuit lakes - tiny mid-forest reservoirs girded by floating moss bogs. Lake Wigry is S-shaped, with a twisting and predominantly forested shoreline. When viewed during the summer, Lake Wigry is deep blue in color; it turns into a steel gray by autumn. Its clean waters, with a depth reaching 78 m, are rich in fish.
Vegetation
The forests contain many species including pine, spruce, oak, lime - tree, birch, grad, and alder swamp. Overall, there are 42 protected species of flora in the park.
Fauna
A major attraction of this park is its wolf, lynx and beaver populations. Unfortunately, wolves and lynxes avoid man; they may be spotted in the Wigierski National Park only by those who spend many hours patiently observing nature. Some of the most popular from over the 80 species of birds are swan, black stork, and eagle.
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