In Tours, preserving terns takes precedence over republican festivities. For the third consecutive year, the July 14 fireworks display in Tours will therefore not be set off on the banks of the Loire in order to comply with national environmental protection directives.
La marseillaise à pétanque 2022, 61st edition of the world –
The Loire, a quiet river, even on July 14! Gone are the days when you could sit down with your picnic basket and wait until dark to celebrate the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille near the Wilson bridge.
After two years without noise, due to Covid, the terns have taken a liking to the calm of the Loire summers. The diurnal bird does not appreciate the backfires of July. This was observed the Bird Protection League (LPO) of Touraine. In 2019, after conducting pre- and post-fireworks follow-ups, the result is there: after July 14, the population drops.
During the 20 minutes of festivities, the parents fly away and permanently abandon colonies. Emblematic birds of the Loire, the common terns and dwarfs have been protected since 2009.
Of course, we have nothing against pyrotechnic shows and if another site is possible near the water, a place compatible with the nesting of terns, we will start firing fires again on the banks of the Loire.
“These are birds that travel 5,000 kilometers to come and nest in the Loire, so we are proud of our decision to commemorate July 14 in a different way, other than leaving a catastrophic footprint on the environment.“ we say at the town hall of Tours.
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By protecting nature, the town hall of Tours is only applying the law. The decree of July 31, 2020 protects endangered species and limits “the shooting zone (… which ) must be at least 400 meters away from the birds. “A german study recommends a distance of 1,000 meters between fireworks and nesting areas. After traveling 5,000 kilometers to come to our region, they deserve a little respect.
The town hall of Tours therefore proposes a plan “B”. “Instead, we will hold three popular festivals in three different sites, Tours Nord at the Andy Warhol space, Balzac Island in the south and near the guinguette for the city center”.
A rich program, orchestrated by the Touraine company the small world with wanderings of articulated chimeras, those of the company the Adults d’Aubervilliers.
The company Between Earth and Sky will guide the spectators in music on the quays of the Loire towards the festivities. No fireworks, just fire! And 120 drones will hover above Balzac Island. To the north, the one who will soar will be the tightrope walker Theo Sanson. The young man from Grenoble will attempt a breathtaking new adventure, far from the islands where the terns protect their chicks.
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