In March 2004 Mindelsee became an associated member of the network Living Lakes. Since 1972 the regional association of Friends of the Earth (BUND Baden-Wurttemberg with 71,000 members and sponsors) is in charge of the nature reserve Mindelsee. The District Office for Nature Protection and Environmental Care in Freiburg is in charge of Lake Mindelsee. The lake is located near Lake Constance between Untersee (Lower Lake) and Überlinger See.

Geology
During the Riss-Würm interglacial period, glacier tongues of the Rhine Valley glacier formed the Mindelsee landscape. When it melted off 15,000 to 14,000 years ago, a stream channel originated in which the glacier calved, leaving behind moraines,  gravel, sand and grooves, water filled depressions. Only in the extremely deep tectonic Mindelsee stream channel - besides fens - a lake with steep banks has persisted. Siltation and man-made drawdown of the water level contributed to diminish the formerly 8 kilometres long and 1 kilometre large lake to 2 kilometres length and 570 metres width (13 m depth). Parallel to it the water surface shrank to 100 hectares.

Landscape
The landscape around Mindelsee is extremely variegated consisting of the lake itself,  ponds, wells, brooks, ditches, lime marshes, reed, straw meadows, reed and grassland, orchards, pasture, farmland, semiarid grassland, bush land and hedges. Additionally in this area a small strip of primeval forest with beech trees, deciduous woodland, coniferous forest, carr wood and much deadwood is found.

Flora
In the reserve more than 700 flowering species grow. Since many years, Kai Steffen Frank and his colleagues have recorded 52 plant species, among them 3,800 Dark Columbine (Aquilegia atrata), 2,400 Tuberous thistle (Cirsium tuberosum), 10,000 Early marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata), more than Hudson Droseria longifolia (Drosera anglica), 32,000 Broad leafed cotton grass (Eriophorum latifolium), 7,000 Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), and 7,000 stalks of Willow Gentian (Gentiana asclepiadea).

300 Fen Orchid (Liparis loeselii) and 780 Summer Lady’s Dresses (Spiranthes aestivalis) are found in this area. Both plants are rare protected FFH species.  

During the past 50 years only a small number of plants from the reserve has disappeared, but quite a number of new species emerged.

Animals
Up to now following species have been recorded: 594 beetles, 433 butterflies, 146 bugs and 40 dragonflies. Peculiarities among others are Small Red Damselfly (Ceragrion tenellum) and Large Marsh Grasshopper (Mecostethus grossus). In the nature reserve Mindelsee also Bufo Bufo, Agile Frog (Rana dalmatina), and about 30 singing male European Teefrogs (Hyla arborea) are native around Lake Mindel.    

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The species which have disappeared or strongly decreased at Mindelsee have also decreased in the Lake Constance region.

From 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2004, in the nature reserve Mindelsee 127 bird species have been observed. Among them are 29 species of importance according to the EU Bird Directive documenting the high value and the great biodiversity of this area. 

Particularly mentionable among the resting birds are 100 moulting Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) in October 2003, 28,700 Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) in November 2004 and 258 Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) in March 2004.

 
Nature conservation

1936 the Regional Nature Conservation Authority in Karlsruhe filed an application to the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs of Baden-Württemberg for the recognition of Mindelsee and its surroundings as nature reserve. The nazi heavyweight Reich governor Robert Wagner came to Mindelsee and visited the area  and had a letter written to the Department for Agriculture and Domain of the Ministry of Finance and Economy:
(...) How much the lake level has to be drawn down to drain the adjacent wetland and allow to convert it into arable land? How many hectares cultivated land thus can be gained? Does it make sense to completely drain the lake?  And what would it cost approximately?

Robert Wagner abandoned the plan because the drainage costs for the whole Mindelsee or parts of it were too expensive.

The Mindelsee protected area (301 hectares including the surroundings) was established on 15 August 1938. In 1956 the District Administrator Dr. Ludwig Seiterich established areas around the reserve as landscape conservation area. Thus uncontrolled construction could be prevented. In 1976 the reserve was recognised as "Internationally important wetland for waders and water fowl under the Ramsar Convention".
In 1984 a new nature conservancy ordinance for Mindelsee came into force. At the same time the reserve was enlarged  from 301 hectares to 459 hectares.  

In 1989, on proposal of BUND, Land Baden-Württemberg, acquired possession of Stöckenhof, a farm with 40 hectares located adjacent to the park in the east. The agricultural land belonging to the farm was converted into meadows and pasture.   

In 1992 the Conservation Administration established a concept of care and development for Lake Mindelsee. Since 2002 the nature reserve Mindelsee is part of the 6,300 hectares NATURA 2000 area Bodanrück which lies adjacent to other NATURA 2000 areas.

Management
According to an agreement with the Office for Nature Protection and Environmental Care in Freiburg, since 1972 BUND is in charge of the Nature conservation area Mindelsee. 1987 BUND was awarded the title "Partner of the European Environmental Year" and in 1993 the European Environmental Prize. In December 2004 BUND published the 26th Annual Report concerning the Mindelsee conservation area. The annual reports contain important data on plants and animals, as well as new publications on this area.
Among BUND’s tasks are the elaboration of a management and care programme, negotiations with institutions and persons in charge or owners of the areas. In 2002, the Office for Nature Protection and Environmental Care in Freiburg slightly increased the financial contribution for the care of the reserve. This sum, however,  never covers the real costs even though a lot of the work is done by volunteers. 

Improvements
The measures to improve the biodiversity in the nature reserve Mindelsee are a real success story. The goals of these activities are the creation of a mosaic where nature can freely develop and structures which have become rare in our overused country. 

Grassland    
Due to reduced agricultural use large areas became fallow and scrubby land. A part of the scrubby areas which continually are developing into forest was conserved, and in another area, small wood was removed to provide extensively used grassland, the adequate habitat for these plants and animals.    
Since 2002 wet areas which formerly were straw meadows are mown with a kind of amphibian vehicle. At the same time the hay is being shredded and remains on the site thus the creation of fens is being initiated. The effects on animals and plants are being studied on test areas. Today grassland mostly consists of sheep pasture, hay meadows, and straw meadows.

Wood
Since 1959 on the southern shore a wood strip is no longer cultivated. Meanwhile this strip has become a real jungle. Tree logs which fell into the water now are a superb hiding place for small fishes which are often visited by Common merganser in winter when fishing. Colonies of Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) live on the wood logs in the lake and Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) eat them.
The maintenance and care of the wood is carried out in accordance with the Forest Management and BUND. In the reserve coniferous forest which is not autochtonal is being converted into deciduous forest  by thinning out of coniferous forest and then allow natural succession to produce a mixed woodland. On some lots of land oak trees (Quercus robur) were planted. From harvestable European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) all trees with woodpecker caves are preserved. Are left untouched also all dead trees or trees with split trunks as well as trees with two tops or with branches all over the trunk. Fallen dead trees remain in the forest. In many parts of the forest the share of dead wood is as high as in virgin forests.      

Improvements at the lake
In 1972 at the outflow of the lake Mühlebach a weir easy to surmount by amphibian was built. On an anchored raft in the lake, constructed by BUND, Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) and Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) are breeding.

Waste water  
Until 1971 communal waste water of five municipalities ran entirely untreated or more or less unpurified into the lake. Since then the waste water is treated in purification plants and enters the lake purified.

Small water bodies
In 1978, after prior consultation with the official nature authorities,  BUND had 28 ponds and pools created. In 2002 another shallow pond was dug. Immediately grass frogs spawned in the pond. In other ponds BUND volunteers removed leaves and branches/twigs to make them more attractive for amphibian.

Streams  
Since the end of the 1990s, streams and brooks are no longer cleared – they restore  themselves since.

Fishing 
The only fisherman is only allowed to drive a rowboat – temporarily and regionally restricted – in order not to disturb moulting divers. Feeding in net cages is forbidden.

Hunting
Since 1984 hunting of water fowl is prohibited.

PR work
Every year, BUND organises guided tours around Lake Mindel which enjoy great popularity. Repeatedly reports on the plants and animals of the Mindelsee area are published in journals and magazines.

Selected scientific publications   
Landesanstalt für Umweltschutz (1983): Der Mindelsee bei Radolfzell. Natur- und Landschaftsschutzgebiete Baden-Württemberg 11:1 – 797 - Lake Mindel near Radolfzell. Nature Protection and Landscape Conservation Areas in Baden-Württemberg

Contact:

Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND)

BUND Landesverband Baden-Württemberg

Contact persons: Kai-Steffen Frank

Mühlbachstraße 2

D - 78315 Radolfzell, Germany

E-mail: bund.moeggingen@bund.net

Website: www.bund.net/bawue