A day with an archipelago ranger

The sun is shining and I have just walked the short distance from the jetty at Southern Grinda to the farm. I am met by persistently cackling hens whose eggs are for sale during the summer months. I am on Grinda to find out what a ranger does and meet Jon Fjärdhäll who has recently take up the duties of the position and we sit down at a small table in front of the barn.

What does a ranger do in the archipelago? When I began reading about this it was explained as being the archipelago’s ranger, so I wanted to get more information about what this really meant - does the archipelago really need a ranger?

"Oh, yes! At Grinda alone, we have 1,500 visitors every day during high season. There are also 250 beds here and then we haven't included all the private boats that stay overnight in the harbour. So yes, someone is needed to make sure that everything is taken care of in the right way”.

"On Grinda there is an inn open all year round, there is a holiday village, a village shop, a guest harbour and numerous activities. Everything is run by the inn which leases the land from Skärgårdsstiftelsen (the Archipelago Foundation). I make sure that the houses are in good condition, that the waste stations are emptied, that the wells and pumps provide the village with water and that the sewage pump works as it should so that the water used is cleaned before being released into the sea again", says Jon and continues.

"Our visitors here on the island conduct themselves very well. People are careful to use the waste stations and there is not much waste that ends up in nature. It would, however, be much better if people were a little more economical with the toilet paper. Our composting toilets would then work much better”.

Jon lives on Grinda all year round, but doesn’t have to live on the island he looks after, however for practical reasons it is naturally convenient.

"Previously, I lived on Gillinge, Nämdö Archipelago's southernmost outpost and supervised Gillinge/Villinge together with my father. It was much quieter there, just 16 cottages, so Grinda feels like a fun challenge and a new start for me. Here, I have a few more neighbours to squabble with during low season", says Jon with a laugh.

Our talk is interrupted by an older couple who walks by and somewhat cautiously asks if the sheep behind the barn should really be lying down that way "upside-down with their legs sticking straight out"? Jon explains that some sheep lie that way when they sleep, but when the next person comes along and asks the same question, saying that the sheep looks stone dead, it's time to look more closely into the matter. And yes, the Gute sheep is not lying there sleeping, it has for some reason become sick and died. The sudden discovery puts an end to our chat and it is time for me to leave Jon to his work.

After a walk on the island it is obvious that Grinda, despite its number of visitors, still has the charm of an archipelago island with all that this offers - isolated bathing cliffs, walking paths and a small village shop.

By: Lisa, editor