This was a real discovery day! We started out for a drive and ended up finding a beautiful road through
the countryside outside of St. Etienne. We drove up over a mountain and entered one of France's Regional Natural Parks. The Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat is one of 50 parks set up since 1968. The French government has set aside "rural areas of outstanding beauty to protect the scenery and heritage as well as setting up sustainable economic development". After World War 2 the population in rural areas diminished significantly as many people moved to the cities. The parks have encouraged people to stay on the land and to maintain a rural culture. The Pilat Regional Natural Park preserves 700 km2 of forests, fields and moorlands. Here development is combined with environmental protection and quality production of Pilat apples, handmade arts and crafts and wines from Condrieu. We were so impressed to learn so much from the tourist office through videos of the development of the parks. Also, I explained I was a teacher and was given a huge bag of information for my students in CT. that will add perfectly to a special study of France's Regional Natural Parks. The photo was taken from the highest point in the park at Le Cret de L'Oeillon and the other photo depicts a typical hamlet.
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