NPO Sarobetsu Eco Network engages in nature conservation and research activities mainly in the Sarobetsu Plain, a Ramsar Convention registered wetland located in Toyotomi Town in the Northern Hokkaido Soya region. And now, the Network is selling a 2022 calendar, which is filled with shots of wild birds, flowers, and scenery photographed by Network staff members, who are all experts in their fields.

The calendar is double-page spread, A3 (297 x 420 mm) in size when open. Each month features a different color photograph. With examples like the pure-white wild long-tailed tit for winter (February), the ezo-no- ryukinka (Caltha fistulosa) flower for spring (May), a starry night sky for summer (August), and the Eastern tundra bean geese which fill up Penke Marsh for autumn (October), this calendar displays the crisp and clear atmosphere of the plain and the liveliness of the animals and plants there.

In the dates section, actual wild bird sighting days and flower blooming days from last year at the Sarobetsu Primeval Flower Garden are listed. Because observable dates are listed, with examples like “yellow-breasted bunting bird” on May 22 and “ezokanzou flowers” on May 23, the calendar can also be used as a data-book. The 2022 calendar also includes a section introducing the multiple pairs of smew ducks that are breeding in the wetlands of the neighboring Wakasakanai sakyurin (dune forest) area.

The price is 800 yen, and a portion of the proceeds will go to causes including Sarobetsu Plain conservation and environmental education. They are available at the Sarobetsu Wetland Center and “Yu-no-Mori Pokke” in the Toyotomi Hot Spring within the town of Toyotomi.