Flims is silent and beautiful. To ensure that it will remain so pretty in future, we reckon with you. "Keep it calm and beautiful" is way more than a slogan for us. It is an manifestation of our approach and at the same time a polite appeal to you and the world: Collectively for a wary approach to nature.
In all places, there are a few rules of etiquette, also in nature. These rules are simple and actually self-evident. Hence, it is all the more important that you make an effort to stick to them
Flims Nature Etiquette Guide:
1. Enjoy the silence
Usually, we experience silence in nature. Avoid unnecessary noise so as not to upset neither people looking for rest and relaxation nor wildlife. If you range through our woodlands with your boombox playing at full blast and party, you will not only disturb your fellows, but also deer, foxes and chamois.
2. Stay on the track
Even if the lure is big to walk cut across country here and there: Please stay on the path. With this you will protect the vegetation and wildlife. This applies twice and triple in our conservation area. Yes, you should also follow the restraining orders at our waters. The latter are habitats for many animals such as the sandpiper and a ground breeder that cannot simply move its bird-nest to a tree.
3. Respect protected areas
Our nature deserves silence just as you do. When savor the untouched nature, don’t leave your marks and traces but rather as you discovered it. Obviously you have to respect the signposted protected areas for wildlife and endangered plants. Particularly, this applies to our wildlife and nature reserves, forest reserves, swamps and water protection zones.
4. Dispose your waste
Littering has not only become a huge problem in the cities but also over here in the mountains. Brainlessly dumped cigarette butts make our animals seriously ill and in the worst case pollute hundreds of liters of clean mountain spring water. Pack your luggage already with deliberation. A small trash bag is always useful to collect your empty food wrappings and to return them to civilization – and of course disposed correctly.
5. Take a shower before bathing
From Lake Cauma to the Rhine Gorge, amid the sound mountain scenery, the crystal clear water entices you to swim and laze in the sun. To prevent impairment of the precious water in our lakes we kindly ask you to enjoy an open air shower before splashing around in the lake. If sunscreen is applied recently you should wait a little while for it to seep in and if you use a mineral sun blocker, our crayfish will be more than happy.
6. Stay at the campsite
You feel like sleeping under the spangeled sky? Marvellous, but please feather your nest at the campsite or take benefit from our exclusive offer: Sternenhimmel. Wild camping is not tolerated in most places in Switzerland. This is an important regulation in a country with a high population density: wildlife shall have its refuges.
7. Make use our official fireplaces
During the hot and dry sommer months, open fire or even just smoking is eminently critical if not taboo in the woodlands. It is sad but true that a sole cigarette butt that is not completely extinguished lasts out for a forest fire. Catch up on in advance on barbecue areas, respect the current regulations and use official fireplaces only.
8. Leash your dog
Your dog loves to rump around whereas our wildlife needs the hush. In places where it is explicitly allowed, your dog can enjoy to run freely. In these places it does not disturb wildlife, herds of cows or even guard dogs. Leash him where it is required or signposted. Oh, by the way: dog dirt belongs in the dog waste bag and this one again in the garbage bin.
9. Use the restrooms
Flims offers room to rest but is not a public restroom. For number one and number two please use one of our multiple public toilets. If it should be really urgent and there is near and far no bathroom to visit, please keep at least 200m away from the waters, exit the trail and dig a small whole which can be covered with soil and fallen leaves afterwards.
10. Be respectful with cows and guarding dogs
Mother cows that live with their calves in the pastures are pretty protective with their young. The same takes effect for the guarding dogs which not only protects our sheep from the wolves but also rate you and your dog as a potential hazard. There are some important rules how to deal with mother cows as well as the guarding dogs to ensure a safe and balanced encounter. Please adhere to them.
11. Use public transportation
In Flims Laax Falera you can easily leave your car behind. The broad offer for transportation takes you with buses, shuttles, taxicab and carriages to any desired place in our destination – according to schedule or customized to your plans. With the guest card you can yet travel free of charge on the shuttles and yellow post buses in the daytime. Thus, you will not only protect the nature also your nerves as you don’t have to search for parking.
If you are located in an area that has been declared as a protected area and which regulations you should be mindful to, is signposted on site. Nevertheless, it is an advantage to inform yourself online in advance. Our interactive map shows you on-topic where to find the protected areas and which one is currently active.
The white-clawed crayfish in Lake Cauma, the elusive alpine hare hidden in the Flims woodlands and the proud capricorns living aloft in the Segnesboden. Our wildlife has very different demands when it comes to their need for rest. The little ringed plover breeds far into summertime and not only in spring. This is the reason why certain gravel banks in the Rhine Gorge are classified as protection zones from April 1 to July 15 whereas the chamois and Capricorn must be spared especially in winter. It is crucial that they don’t get disturbed by freeriders during their hibernation.
Wherever you enter a nature protection zone or wildlife sanctuary it is outright prohibited to leave the paths and tracks. Our protected plants would rather decide to stay in the ground and continue to sprout instead of getting picked - not even if they would look beautiful on your living room table. In conjunction we will manage to preserve the biodiversity in Flims for the future generations. We thank you for your support.
The real knowledge about some secrets are only with the locals and well-posted experts. Our guided tours impart you with all kinds of interesting facts about our landscape, flora and fauna and show you Flims from its most spectacular and stunning side.
Learn more about how the landscape around flims was formed by the largest landslide in the Alps 9’500 years ago. There are certain landmarks that are still visible today. Are you riveted by the orchid, the queen of flowers? In Flims the orchids blooms in an imposing variety of almost 40 different species. If this shouldn’t be enough you can join the SRF documentarian and biologist Andreas Moser on the search of the beaver which has remigrated a few years ago and is now creating its elaborate constructions along the vivid Vorder Rhine.
Always from May to October you have the opportunity to accompany our landscape, plant and wildlife experts on one of our themed hiking trails - or to reveal the secret of our lakes that lie hidden in the beautiful mountain sceneries by mountain bike together with a GeoGuide.
Here you will find more details about our offer as well as the possibility to register direct and simple for one or several guided tours.
The Greenstyle Foundation is project of the Weissen Arena Gruppe. Its aim is nothing less than to guarantee that in future the destination Flims Laax Falera covers 100% of its energy needs with renewable energy. How so? We will show you hereinafter.
Together we can achieve a lot when it comes to treating nature respectfully. It is all about how we shape the experience – whether we stick to the hiking trails or endanger precious dry meadows with unwary steps, this is something we can just influence ourselves. Some projects, however, are so substiantal that business, politics and the local population have to build a close network. The destination Flims Laax Falera has large-scaled plans. Together with the communities of Trin and Sagogn, it wants to become the first self-sustaining alpine muncipal association. The Greenstyle Foundation is supporting to accomplish those objectives - with initiatives, incitations and tangible projects, all of which are sustainably driven and helps the destination Flims Laax Falera in realizing its ambitious goal sooner rather than later.
One of these major projects is the planned renovation of the Crap Sogn Gion mountain station. The station was construed in the 1960s and is ecologically and economically the most inefficient example in the existing building stock of the Weissen Arena Gruppe. The renovation will transform the mountain station from an energy consumer to a generator of power. In the future, energy will be supplied by the sun and the entire complex will be partially renaturated with green roofage. This will be a more pleasant view for the visitors and in summer it will condition the air of the rooms. The large-scale renovation also implies the settlement of a new forest – so, the needs of nature around the mountain station will also be taken into account.
Did you know that liquid waxes made from fluor are among the most sturdy chemical bond? This is with what you grease your alpine or cross-country skis for better gliding. Because the compounds still not undergo a complete degradation in 100,000 years, LAAX Rental does not sell fluorine waxes at all. LAAX Rental offers a suitable alternative with a plant-based wax in whose research and development LAAX Rental was actively involved.
Learn more about the large-scale project "Renovation Crap Sogn Gion", the usage of plant-based waxes and The Last Day Pass which is an initiative to protect the Vorab Glacier. Further you will find out about loads of interesting facts about the Greenstyle Foundation's other areas of activity.
