ABOUT US
Structure of membersPeriod of holding of Open Days between 12th and 15th June 2013, as it was announced by the Croatian Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs, perfectly matched with the first anniversary of HAgMD's.
Therefore, we joined in the action on 13th June 2013. with a program that we held at the main agrometeorological station in Krizevci, which enabled us Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. We didn't randomly select Križevce. As the cradle of modern Croatian agrometeorology, Križevci are associated with the founding of the Royal Agriculture Colledge and Forestry University in 1860. Also, the publication of the first Croatian Meteorological and agrometeorological textbooks in 1878th by the prof. Ivan Potočnjak "The science of climate and air phenomena" occurred in Križevci.
For our first anniversary, Open Day started with ceremonial handover of membership cards for our members and then it continued in the working tone. Special welcome and hospitality was prepared by our hosts who are also our members, Zdravko Koščević from famous agrometeorological family and Dubravko Juric, the current leader of the main agrometeorological stations. We've widely opened doors to pupils and the head of the Eco-school prof. Koviljka Vitanović, pedagogue prof. Tatjana Strabić and headmaster of elementary school Vladimir Nazor in Križevci, prof. Sanja Petranović , who won the golden status of eco-schools. We pointed out to them the importance of agrometeorology as science and the role it plays in modern agriculture, the protection of forests against fire and importance of phenology, lesser known branch of science that deals with the monitoring and study of developmental stages of plants and animals. Students thrilled us with their knowledge of meteorology and agrometeorology and thus justified the agrometeorological roots, which their city carries. They answered securely and short to the questions that Ivana Tomasevic, mag. ing. , asked.
Afterwards, we took them to the International phenological garden which was established in 1959th and is the only such garden in Croatia. Zeljko Španjoj, Prof. PhD explained some forest types that are observed in the garden and Višnjica Vucetic, Ph.D. together with Marko Vucetic, mag.ing. tried to interest young people in phenological observations, which they can themselves perform in their school garden. For instance, students can record dates of appearances of leafing, flowering, fruit ripening, harvest, yellowing and falling off of leaves. They don't need instruments for that and in return they receive valuable information that monitors the weather and climate change. Later on, headmaster of school, prof. Sanja Strabić, recalled her childhood and time when she played in the phenological garden and to this day she didn't knew importance of this place. Dubravko Jurić has spent the young people from one to the other meteorological instruments and explained what he has to observe and what to measure on the station. Ultimately, we came by instrument that is important for Agrometeorology. It is Garnier's evaporimetar and it measures the amount of water strained through the topsoil, but unfortunately it's not operational. His work explained Drazen Kaučić, MSc.
After a two-hour lecture and tour of phenological gardens and agrometeorological station there were refreshments for students and teachers. Also, we showed them the old weather records. For example, on 13th June 1905. the maximum temperature was only 22°C and on the same day in 1932nd it was 29°C. Therefore, in order to take place our Open Day in the nature, we have set weather conditions to sunny and warm with 26.3 °C and with weak wind.
After we have said farewell to dear people from Križevci, we hurried on to the primary school Kalnik accompanied by prof. Marina Vrbančić, head of Eco-School. Since students from Kalnik couldn't travel to us, we went to them and we held Open Day in their Biblical Garden of Peace. Their headmaster prof. Danica Crnčić, who works at the school 47 years, greeted us with a smile. In a beautiful garden gazebo we held a lecture to students of the eighth grade, who were in a very good mood, because they counted last hours of their stay in school. Moreover, the headmaster hosted us and pointed out all weather adversities that students and teachers have to face. Unfortunately, someone broke their instruments so they can no longer conduct measurements. Often times they are forgotten by the rest of the world and among other things they are abolished in some privileges that they had on their specific mountainous location. Although is easy to get to them when it's not snowing and the wind doesn't blow, nobody visits them in winter conditions. That's why we all come at Kalnik in fine weather.
We parted in a good mood and then headed to the mountain hut Kalnik where specialties of Kalnik waited for us. And how would looked like the first birthday of HAgMD without cake? For that ensured us our member Drazen Kaučić, M.Sc, which surprised the president Višnjica Vucetic, Ph.D with his patisserie skills - Sachertorte. Yet this was not the end of surprises in our long Open Day. Viennese atmosphere filled the center of Kalnik in the event „Križevačko veliko spravišće“. As the ladies in long dresses danced in waltz rhythm with their cavaliers , we slowly left Kalnik landscape and headed to Zagreb.
Participants of the Open Day of the Croatian Agrometeorological Society (HAgMD)
at Križevci on June 13, 2013.
Members of the Croatian Agrometeorological Society and hosts of the
Elementary School Kalnik June 13, 2013.