Basel Stadt Plans For Digital Natives; Spas Benefit From Foul Weather; Snails Offered Relo Packages; Baby Lions Venture Out From Den

News For 7 February 2017

Last week, Basel-Stadt approved a new social media strategy aiming to improve engagement with the "digital native" generation.  Marco Greiner has been appointed vice president responsible for the new effort.  Although Basel Stadt was the first Canton in Switzerland to have a social media presence starting in 2009, the canton hopes to unify and enhance its presence beyond simply a Facebook page and Twitter feed - eventually, Cantonal services will also be made available via social media channels.  In addition, it is hoped the enhanced social media effort will provide additional means for citizens to engage with political debate and information.  Joining Mr. Greiner's team are a specialist group of communications officers from various Cantonal departments. 

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Not everyone in Basel is lamenting the cold and dreary days which have prevailed in Basel the last month.  As the temperatures dropped, Baselers flocked to the local day spas offering a respite from the shoulder shrugging cold.  Aqua Basilea in Patteln, Sole Uno in Rheinfelden and Basel's Rhybadhüsli Breiti, have all seen increases in their business as a means to escape the cold.  At Sole Uno, Anke Krummnacker - Head Of Marketing - reports that between 1500 and 1900 visitors are now showing up during the week, and more than 2000 on weekends.  For the spa diehards that insist on a plunge in cold natural waters, the Rhybadhüsli offers the option of jumping in the Rhein after working up a proper sweat.

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One of the largest traffic construction projects in the Basel area, called "Margarethenstich", aims to reduce tram, bus and auto traffic travel times in the heavily used roads between Binningen and Basel SBB.  Of the 20.7 million already approved for the project by Basel's Grand Council, 116,000 has been allocated to the relocation of endangered snails at the construction site.  The snails in question are on the environmental "Red List" indicating that they are highly endangered and that their habitat needs to be protected.  The solution planners have come up with is to move both the snails and their soil to a newly finished tunnel on the A22 highway between Füllinsdorf and Liestal.  Roland Schuler, media spokesman for Pro Natura - Switzerland's foremost nature conservation organization, points out that the cost to move and protect the snails is less than 1% of the project budget.  In addition, he pointed out that building and construction at the expense of nature is "[an idea] that has long been outdated".   This is not the first time local construction projects have accommodated nature: in 2013, Baselland paid 2.7 million Swiss Francs to create a shelter for displaced and protected turtles in a purpose-built amphibian area in Muttenz.

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A pair of lion cubs born at the Basel Zoo this winter have ventured out of their dens for the first time.  Born to a pair of 16 year old breeding lions that live at the zoo, Nyoma and Sikisha are now two months old.  They will stay with their parents until they're at least a year old, when the zoo will decide whether they will stay or given to another zoo as part of a breeding program Basel participates in.  The number of African lions in the wild, like the newborn pair, has declined by 45 percent since 2004.