volunteers go hunting for shells in the Vercors

In the Vercors (Isere)about thirty hikers came to pick up shrapnel. The operation is organized by the natural reserve of the highlands. “It is part of our missions as a nature reserve, both for the preservation and conservation of fauna and flora, but also of natural environments and landscapes. So it’s a bit of a depollution mission in the highlands”Explain Anne-Julie parsyguard of the nature reserve of the high plateaus of Vercors. From 1954 to 1970, the highlands served as a field of shots military. Thousands of shells were fired from Gresse-en-Vercors (Isere) to the sector of the plain of the Query (Isere).

“The metal pollutes, and as it degrades, it is full of chemical elements, and it will seep very gradually into the groundwater, and it pollutes“, details Raoul Urruvolunteer. “I said to myself : ‘This is a great way to hike with people, get to know each other, and in a fantastic place”adds Serge Lenhard. In a few hours, the volunteers, supervised by the guards, unearthed several dozen shells. Others have been spotted, and will be taken down later. The task is immense, and the participatory day must be renewed.