On 18 April 2024 a lecture on “Meadow bird protection for Lapwings in East Frisia” took place at the Nature Conservation Station Ems. Joachim Schwane and Felix Närmann from NLWKN welcomed a small audience, introduced the Bird of the Year 2024 in a one-hour presentation, and discussed the causes of the Lapwing's decline as well as protection options. In addition to interested parties from the field of nature conservation, farmers from the region were also present. All participants agreed that meadow bird conservation can only be successful together and in partnership. The good (collaborative) work of the colleagues in the Fehntjer Tief was emphasized by the attending farmers.
On the following Saturday, 20 April 2024, an excursion on the topic “What does Lapwing conservation look like on the ground?” was held at the Großes Meer. All 15 excursion participants and the excursion leaders Jan Juffa, Joachim Schwane and Felix Närmann had luck with the weather and remained dry, contrary to what the weather forecast predicted. In addition to resting Eurasian Whimbrels and a few ducks, there was a fairly manageable amount of meadow birds to observe. However, the problem of predation was brought home to the participants in the truest sense of the word: A fox struck a bird (probably a Greylag Goose) while they were watching. This scene was seized by the participating local journalist as the guiding theme of his article about the excursion.