New edition of 'Bible of The Maasheggen'

"A chunky book. Heavy in the hand, but certainly not heavy in style." That's how publisher Geurt Franzen describes the latest edition of the book "The Maasheggen, pearl of man and nature. The book was written by Maasheggen expert Marius Grutters.

Grutters previously published a book under the same title. The new edition is thicker, has more photos and has been updated. "It has become a kind of bible of the Maasheggen," says the author, with a wink. "Both in terms of thickness and content."
In the revised edition of "The Maasheggen, pearl of man and nature," Grutters shares new insights about the geology of the area and makes mention of the discovery of traces of the first habitation of the Maasheggen 6,000 years ago. Among other things, a flint axe from the Michelsberg culture (around 4400 to 3500 BC) was found during a clay excavation Oeffelt.
In his book, Grutters has also provided insight into which species have disappeared and returned since the previous edition. For example, the red-backed shrike, which left in 1970 for lack of sufficient food, has returned to De Maasheggen. The summer thrushes are now also breeding again in the UNESCO area. "Twenty breeding pairs have been counted throughout Brabant. Of these, eight have been observed in De Maasheggen."
Grutters now has his own 12-acre estate (Limosa) in De Maasheggen. There he has released tree frogs, among other things. "Wonderful to hear those frogs croaking. It makes such a great noise," he beams.

Mayor Marieke Moorman was presented with the first copy of the new edition from the hands of Marius Grutters on Nov. 24. Moorman: "I am proud to be mayor of a municipality with such a beautiful area. Keep up the good work!" That exhortation was addressed not only to Marius Grutters but also to all the other Maasheggen volunteers present at the book presentation.
Marius Grutters' book (€ 24.95) is available at bookstore Van Dinther in Boxmeer, at Readshop in Cuijk, from Marius Grutters himself(m.grutters@hccnet.nl) and through the webshop of publisher Reinaert.