THE HULA VALLEY, THE HISTORICAL HULA LAKE & AGAMON LAKE

Part of the tribal allotment of Naphtali, the HULA VALLEY is located in the upper Galilee at an altitude of 70 meters above sea level. The valley is a branch of the Syrian-African rift valley & is sandwiched between the Golan heights in the east & Naphtali mountains in the west. The main source of water is the Jordan river which enters the area from the north & continues south to the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). Additional water sources are supplied by underground springs. Drainage into the Kinneret was however greatly restricted by what is referred to as the Basalt plug.

The Basalt plug is located on what was the most southern point of the now defunct historical Hula lake & defines the southern border of the valley. It lies 200 meters above sea level and is akin to a semi-impervious natural dam wall created by ancient volcanic activity on the Golan heights that caused lava to flow into the valley below.

During Israel's formative years between 1951 to 1958, the swamps were drained in order to create additional arable land & eradicate the area of malaria caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans. In the swamp region north of the former lake, the Jordan river was intercepted & diverted into two newly-dug peripheral canals, the East Canal and the West Canal, therby surrounding & enclosing most of the wetlands. The area between the east & west canals was thus drained of water.These canals later converged near the centre of the former lake. To increase water flow into the valley below & ultimately into the Kinneret, the river was widened and deepened especially at the basalt plug.

Initially the project was hailed as a success but the future ecological implications proved otherwise.

Essential to wetlands is peat, which is made up of partially decayed vegetable matter that is deposited in an area during the dry season. The draining of the swamps resulted in the peat drying up, enabling winds to blow it away. As a consequence, cracks appeared on the ground allowing oxygen to penetrate the surface which resulted in uncontrollable underground fires that led to the deterioration of the soil. Many animal & plant species were lost to the region & the resultant chemical changes to the soil itself due to the underground fires, led to a deterioration in the quality of water that reached the Kinneret.

A strategy to rehabilitate a small section of the former swamp was inaugurated by the J.N.F. (Jewish National Fund) in 1980 which came to fruition in 1994. The area was reflooded and the former & larger 12 -14 square kilometer HULA LAKE was replaced by today's 1 square kilometer AGAMON LAKE, which in addition houses several small islands that provide protective nesting sites.

It is estimated that no less than five hundred million birds pass through the area twice a year on their bi-annual migrations from Europe to Africa and back. Many hundreds of species have been recorded and are comprised of water fowl, birds of prey & song birds. The area is an important stop over, allowing birds to rest, refuel & regenerate their energies. Many of the "guests" remain in the valley during winter & can pose a threat to crops grown in the area. To ovecome this problem a simple solution was found. Those birds that stay, in particular the cranes who remain in December, are fed. A conflict with farmers in the area was thus avoided. The reserve is also home to water buffalo, wild boar, otto's, wildcats & nutria which are large rodents.

All things considered, it is undoubtably a bird watchers paradise.

Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect). Website : rontraub-tours.com Photo's : Rimonah Traub & Gabriel Traub.