Excursions​ - August 26

Join us on August 26 for a day of exploration! We’re offering two full-day excursions and one half-day excursion. Browse the options below to see which experience excites you most, and be sure to indicate your preferred choice when you register.

1-Peat Meadow Excursion (Full day, 60 euros, max 60 participants, lunch included)

Visit the characteristic Dutch peat meadow landscape, where grassy meadows are intersected by ditches, drainage channels, and canals.

In the morning, you will visit the PolderLab and explore the peat landscape by augering, "jumping," and walking through it to experience its beauty, learn about its history, understand the challenges it faces, and discover solutions for preserving it for both people and nature. Be prepared to do some earthworm sampling as well!

In the afternoon, the excursion concludes with a boat trip on the Nieuwkoopse Plassen, a former raised peat bog. Since the 10th century, this area has been rapidly reclaimed by digging ditches and drainage channels through the peatlands to support grain cultivation. From the 14th century onwards, as the land became too wet for growing grain, peat was extracted for fuel, and this continued well into the 19th century. As a result of this "wet" peat extraction, the characteristic pattern of peat pits (petgaten) and narrow strips of land (legakkers) was created. Today, this former raised bog forms a high-lying "bathtub" within the surrounding low-lying peat meadow landscape.

Afterwards, the bus will take you back to the WUR campus or, if you plan to attend, to the conference dinner at Arnhem Zoo.

Departure time - 8:30

Image: Daan Stalenburg

Image: Holland.com

2-Journey into the Veluwe (Full day, 60 euros, max 130 participants, lunch included)

Experience a unique tour in one of the most beautiful natural areas of the Netherlands. This excursion includes a personalized visit to the national park, guided by experts who are closely involved in ongoing projects—such as tackling nitrogen deposition and its environmental impact. As part of the tour, you’ll also enjoy exclusive access to the Kröller-Müller Museum, home to one of the world’s largest collections of Van Gogh’s works, located right within the park. Afterwards, the bus will take you to the conference dinner at Arnhem Zoo, should you plan to attend. You will spend most of the day outside and the tour includes 1-2 hours of either cycling or walking.

Departure time - 9:30

3-Zoo Excursion: EcoDisplays Experience (Afternoon, 40 euros, max 50 participants, lunch included)

In this personalized excursion, you’ll discover how the zoo has designed diverse ecosystems to reflect the natural habitats of specific species. Guided by one of the zoo’s biologists, we’ll also investigate whether earthworms are thriving in these environments. Following the excursion, you’ll already be onsite for the conference dinner, should you plan to attend.

Departure time - 13:00