An interview with Agris Bukovskis, a forest owner and executive director of the Mālpils County Council
Mālpils is located quite close to Riga and Sigulda. During the territorial reforms, there has been much talk about Pierīga, often with an emphasis on: the wealthy Pierīga! What about wealth in Mālpils?
Mālpils has the honour of being in the Pierīga region, but that is about it! Some time ago, during the so-called “fat years”, houses were being built closer to Riga, but the “fat” never really reached Mālpils. I suspect that the road to and through Mālpils has not been attractive for construction, as behind us, when coming from Riga, there is nothing but forests. The distance, however, is the same as to Sigulda or Jelgava – about 50 km.
Farmers are active in the county – we can boast that all our fields are being cultivated! The foresters are just as diligent: harvesting, planting, and tending to the land! In the county's territory, agricultural and forest land exist in similar proportions. There are a few peat bogs where work is underway. One cannot complain about a lack of work; we do not have enough people to do it. A large Danish company (producing furniture components) operates in the county with 670 employees working three shifts. People commute from Līgatne, Sigulda, Inčukalns, and Suntaži. There is a small Dutch company that produces wooden cabins and summer houses. Towards Sidgunda, there is a sawmill with a sufficient number of employees. We are pleased with the business activity, but, as I said, there is a shortage of manpower! Yes, the largest strawberry grower in Latvia also operates in the county! During the harvest season, workers from Ukraine come to help.
As a result of the territorial reform, we are to be merged with Sigulda. Until now, there has been no serious or significant cooperation with neighbouring counties; we have managed on our own, just as we are! There is a little cooperation and some competition with Ogre County regarding school matters (money follows the pupil!): students from the former Sidgunda parish travel to both Mālpils and Suntaži secondary schools, which are each in a different county. So, there is a school in Mālpils; we have 360 pupils. Over the last few years, however, we have had to close several schools. We talk about this with a certain sense of humour because government officials claimed that the optimisation of the number of schools would allow for higher salaries for teachers. Since we only have one Mālpils secondary school, we are waiting for higher salaries! It is the same with teachers here as it is everywhere – there was a shortage of maths, physics, and chemistry teachers. By the first of September, the entire staff had been filled, so let’s see what happens next!
During the reform, we will therefore be added to Sigulda, because “there is really no one else to go with”. As for what happens next, that will be decided by the new County Council once it is elected. If you listen to the radio and hear the ministry’s advertisements, we get the feeling it will be very lovely! Regarding what and in which direction the people of Mālpils want to work and live: many counties were created in the past by merging several parishes; the Mālpils County was created solely and exclusively on the basis of the Mālpils parish, within the boundaries of the old parish. Only the name changed. In Pierīga, there are several such parishes that only changed their name (not their boundaries) and became counties. Therefore, these – current – changes will be something new for the people of Mālpils, as the last change of boundaries was a long time ago, when the Sidgunda parish was added to Mālpils. We do not have much experience with territorial changes.
At the moment, it is noticeable that people in municipalities are either waiting for something or holding back, because there is no real certainty that everything planned will actually happen! If you look at it practically – people have one salary, regardless of whether the municipal management is in Mālpils or Sigulda. For us, many issues are resolved electronically, but…! Personal contact is very important in rural counties! To talk, to complain, to resolve, to ask, to show up. If issues are resolved far away from the local resident, without them knowing who is resolving them, and if there is no clarity on which institutions will remain in Mālpils after the counties are merged – there are many questions and uncertainties! If we look at the county’s residents as a whole – young people think: it will be good with Sigulda, while for older people, it seems far away and unnecessary.
Do you have enough in financial terms as a county?
One always wants and needs more! If we look at what has been achieved over 30 years, we have managed with what we have ourselves. There have been no large buildings or renovations. The secondary school, art school, and kindergarten have been insulated. The roads are being maintained, but they have been travelled over and over, and now something serious should be started.
Counties in Latvia are very different. When talking with colleagues in so-called “large counties”, for example, the municipality receives a letter from a ministry. In a “large county”, the Council Chairman assigns the issue mentioned in the letter to an entire department, which exists in such a county. Here in Mālpils, there are not many people in the municipality, and some combine positions; if someone gets sick or goes on parental leave, it is not easy to find a replacement!
Mālpils and forests. Do you own any forest yourself?
I am a small forest owner myself (6 ha), and the municipality also owns forest, so I certainly have exposure to and an understanding of forest matters.
The Lesser Spotted Eagle nest, which there is much talk about this year, was found in a neighbour’s forest. The established ban was a surprise because I had seen the nest before; it had been in that particular spot for at least 10 years, I had inspected it, and there were no signs that anyone was living there! In February, I received a letter with information about birds and banding, which stated that the nest was, in fact, occupied.
A black stork nests in the municipal forest. Micro-reserves in the county have been designated for the black stork and one Lesser Spotted Eagle nest. Both nests are in old, mature forests which, if one might put it that way, are living the second half of their lives. If nothing starts being done or a reserve (protected area) is not created, the forest will collapse; one should get something out of it. Leaving it to rot would not be sensible! The process is simple: a letter arrives from the Nature Conservation Agency stating that such and such an object has been found, and a month is given for proposals and recommendations. A month later, there is already a decision regarding a micro-reserve and a request to comply with the Cabinet of Ministers Regulations.
What proposals has the county suggested, and how has it reacted?
At first, it was not clear to us what a protected area is and what it all means. For example, regarding the black stork – on Friday we received a letter (electronically) stating that a black stork nest had been found and that nothing may be done in the territory. On Monday, an auction for this felling site was scheduled, which had to be cancelled.
On the wall in the municipality, one can see a map of the county’s tourist attractions. The manor, the story of the Skulme family...
We do not really have major tourist attractions in the county. There is Mālpils Manor, which is known in many places in Latvia. The Mālpils Anglers’ Association is also active; they received European funding and created a walking trail along the river with boardwalks and a footbridge over the river, and they organise licensed fishing in the reservoir.
There are busy hunters in the county; do you take part in hunting yourself?
I used to fish more diligently, then I turned to hunting. We have an active local hunters’ club. Now I can spare time for hunting less often, as there are two small children in the family and time is spent with them. Bears, which have been much mentioned this season, have been living in the county for a long time! A few years ago, one of the hunters photographed a bear at a local bee apiary. Similarly, while hunting, bear tracks have been found. A mother bear with two cubs or bears on their own have been seen. A few years ago, there were problems with wolves, and sheep were mauled, but we worked together with neighbouring hunters’ collectives, and there has been no more talk of attacks on livestock in our area. There are certainly more red deer and elk than there have been. Not long ago, in one winter, many roe deer perished, and we did not hunt them for some time, but we started again this year. There was a time when we did not see any wild boar, the plague had done its work, but now they are starting to return again, and some are being hunted!
Looking at the county map, it can be seen that years ago there was a railway line nearby...
Yes, once upon a time, the Riga – Ērgļi railway line crossed the corner of the county; now only memories remain, the tracks have been removed, but the embankment remains, which one or two people are secretly already using as a place to extract gravel. The lack of the railway is felt; I used to travel to Riga on it during my student years. In the last years when it was still running, the train was “slow”, and it took almost two hours to get to Riga. Before the line was closed, strange things happened with the timetable, because – in the past, many people travelled by train; people also went from Mālpils to the Sidgunda station, travelled to Riga to work, and returned home in the evening. In the final years (before closing), the train probably ran for the “summer residents” – in the morning to Ērgļi, in the evening to Riga. That is how the number of passengers decreased!