One of the goals of the "ActiveKPN” project is to control alien species on land purchased for the project. During one of the controls of the property purchased under the project in the village of Górki, the location of one of the most dangerous invasive species – japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) was detected. On May 28th 2013, the first actions to eliminate it were taken. The location of the knotweed was excavated, and the plant’s stems and rhizomes removed. Unfortunately this species is highly difficult to control. We became convinced of this when knotweed shoots began to grow back intensively. However, we did not give up, and since May we have taken several steps to eliminate it. Currently the knotweed is still growing, however the regeneration is less intense than in the beginning. This gives us hope that, if not this year, in the ones to come we will win the fight against the japanese knotweed.

The "ActiveKPN" project started on September 1st, 2011, and is to be completed by March 31st, 2015. Recently half of the time provided for its implementation has passed. We would like to take this opportunity to present what has been done so far.

The main objective of the project is to purchase private land located within Kampinos National Park. Till the 31^st of August 2013, as part of the project we purchased 156.67 hectares of land, including 17 built up households, from the planned 200 hectares of land and 18 built up households. Because they are in the vast majority of land transformed by human activities they now require renaturalization actions. Currently, natural expertise on the purchased plots is carried out. It will not only answer the question how valuable this land is environmentally, but also what to do on it. In "ActiveKPN" the following renaturalization activities are planned: mowing (100 ha), cutting bushes (30 ha), afforestation (20 ha) and planting in support of natural succession (80 ha). The land that was bought the earliest and for which nature expertise have already been made, first such treatments will be conducted this autumn.

On May 8th, 2013, in Morsko near Zawiercie a conference inaugurating the project entitled. "Protection of valuable natural non-forest habitats typical of the Orle Gniazda Landscape Park", LIFE11 NAT/PL/432 implemented by the Silesian Voivodeshiptogether with the Silesian Voivodeship’s Landscape Parks Complex. Three representatives of KNP took part in this event: a representative of the Department of Science and Nature Monitoring Anna Kębłowska and the LIFE + project coordinators Karol Kram and Ryszard Tlaga. During the first session of the conference four presentations were shown.

On the 22nd of April2013,thecooperationbetween ourproject andanother LIFE+ project("Protection of valuable natural non-forest habitats typical of the Orle Gniazda Landscape Park" LIFE11NAT/PL/432) was officially established. That daywe had the pleasureto host visitorsfrom the Silesian Voivodeship’s Landscape Parks Complex involved in the LIFE+ project – Mr.ArthurWojtasik(project coordinator) and Ms.MagdalenaWitek(accountancy).

On the 21^st of February 2013 in the Gromada Hotel in Warsaw took place the “LIFE+ Information Day”, organized by NFOŚiGW (National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management). The idea of this meeting is to gather in one place all the LIFE+ program beneficiaries and representatives of institutions plan to apply for a LIFE+ grant. And thus, on one hand to propagate the program, and on the other to show that the obtaining of the European Commission’s funds is not only possible, but also not very difficult. During direct discussions between beneficiaries many technical questions related to the implementation and financial reporting of LIFE+ projects were commented.

Since the beginning of 2013 a new Kampinos National Park program targeting individual tourists was launched – field trips with KNP’s staff. Until now, there were two such trips. The first was held on January 12th, 2013 along the route Opaleń – Góra Ojca – Przedłuże – Michałówka – Opaleń, and approximately 40 people participated in it. The second, which began and ended in the parking in Roztoka, took place on February 9th, 2013. The attendance on this trip was just as high, as it gave the participants the opportunity to visit the Roztoka valley from one of the park’s educational trails.

At the end of the year 2012 the Mid-Term Report was submitted to the European Commission to assess. The Mid-Term Report shows the degree of fulfillment of the tasks of the project, which were completed since the 31^st of March 2012 (when the Inception Report was made) until December 31^st 2012, and the physical and financial progress of the whole project. This report is a document mandatory for all LIFE+ projects.

Below we provide the summary of the activities undertaken by the project during the reporting period for the Mid-Term Report.

In autumn 2012 10 boards about the "ActiveKPN" project in Kampinos were erected. These boards are situated in places frequently visited by tourists and residents of the park and its buffer zone. They are located in the following places: parkings in Truskaw, Roztoka, and Granica, the bus stop at the children's hospital in Dziekanów Leśny, a meadow near the church in Lipków, a narrow gauge railway station in Wilcze Tułowskie, an educational trail near the museum in Palmiry, a junction point of hiking trails in Wiersze, a bus stop in Górki (the last two close to properties purchased within the project) and one board hangs in KNP’s headquarters in Izabelin.

On the 13^th of September 2012, a meeting with Mr. Łukasz Poławski – staff member of the LIFE+ project “Wisła Warszawska – took place. The meeting was organized by the City of Warsaw Council. The meeting in the seat of KPN was attended by: Łukasz Poławski, Mirosław Markowski – Deputy Director in Kampinos National Park, Karol Kram and Ryszard Tlaga – coordinators of the project "ActiveKPN", and Paweł Dzirba – nature conservation specialist. Mr. Poławski got acquainted with the area where the project “AciveKPN” is implemented. It was agreed that the contacts between the projects will continue.

Activities for networking with other projects aim to provide effective exchange of experiences necessary for the proper implementation of the project.

On Saturday, September the 8th, 2012,inKampinos National Parkthe Open Day was organized. Everyone could comeand learn about everyday workof theemployeesof the Park. The aim of the Open Day was to find outwhat kind of problems park faces, what toolsareusedandhow these work may help the nature of Kampinos Forest. The coordinators of the project “AciveKPN” also joined the action inter alia by explainingthe mainobjectives of the project and what EuropeanUnionprogramLIFE+ concerns.