Cleaning Out the River

Two children’s ecological expeditions entitled “Let’s protect the Mezen from rubbish!” were organized by the Silver Taiga Foundation jointly with the Children’s Activity Center of Usogorsk in the framework of the Model River Mezen project in June-July.

This initiative combining a summer recreational holiday for children with their involvement into the activities for the benefit of nature and society, is already in its third year. This time the schoolchildren together with their leaders sailed on catamarans along the routes “Bobrovsky bridge – Usogorsk” and “Chernutyevo – Pyssa”.

As a result of two expeditions, ten camp sites and the Mezen bank near the village Malaya Pyssa were cleaned from rubbish. By the way, stopping by the huts, the expedition participants were pleased to note that those parts of the route, which they had already cleaned last summer, were clean and all rubbish had been thrown into pits.

In addition to the cleaning of the banks from rubbish and rest in the open air, these summer trips along the Mezen had one more purpose: thanks to them, the schoolchildren and adult participants get the opportunity to learn more about the life of the Mezen villages, their history and places of interest, and get acquainted with the local residents. This time they have visited Zerzyayb, Makaryb, Lower Udora, Melentyevo, Politovo, and the villages Glotovo, Butkan, Chernutyevo.

One of the organizers and participants of the expeditions, a department head of the Children’s Activity Center of Usogorsk Nadezhda Stepanovna Morozova, tells the following about the trip:

– We have visited the local church in the village Makaryb, and Anatoly Alexeevich Karpov has told us about it. It was also very interesting for the children to see the earth houses, where the Chud people once had lived. In Glotovo Anna Alexandrovna Kryazhevskaya introduced us to the history of the village formation, ancient household items and utensils used by our ancestors, told us about the school teachers who had been fighting during the Great Patriotic War… In the village Lower Udor Nadezhda Dmitrievna Mitina told the kids about seven wonders of this village, family pasy (ancestral signs); treated them to tasty cherry jam (she grows cherry in her kitchen garden) and reviving spring water. The local inhabitants told the children about those who had left their village for the frontline during the Great Patriotic War in almost every place we visited. Standing near the monument in Lower Udor we observed a minute of silence in memory of the warriors, who had not returned from war.

Albert Vasilyevich Loginov from Bolshaya Pyssa, a well-known local history expert and a member of the Komi Model River Working group, has become our guide during the visit to the Ioanikieva cell. It is encouraging to note that we were warmly and cordially welcomed in each settlement. In one of the courtyards of Zerzyab we paid attention to the people building a boat. Having noticed our interest, the hosts invited us to their place and responded to all our questions. In Butkan we addressed two local residents with a request to organize a banya for the expedition participants, and again we were not refused. In Chernutyevo we were approached by a woman living in the house near the place where we had settled. Having inquired who we were and where we were sailing, she told us to feel free to refer to her if we needed anything. Besides, in Chernutyevo we addressed a local resident with a request to grind axes, and this problem was immediately solved. In Melentyevo the locals let us use the home phone and gave us rubber boots, which turned out to be very useful for one of the trip participants. In Politovo a local resident advised us where to get milk and also told us the story about a former church and ancient houses…

Sixteen schoolchildren attending the clubs at the Children’s Activity Center have taken part in the two stages of the expedition. As a positive factor, it may also be noted that this year, for the first time, some parents accompanied their children in the trip (by the way, they are also willing to participate in the sailing along the Mezen next year). All the participants received a lot of positive emotions: from communication with each other, from the feeling of involvement in the great and important matter of nature conservation, from the fresh air, bathing in the Mezen, fishing, singing to the guitar at the campfire, and from the charming beauty of the Udora landscapes!

Thanks to these expeditions, the pupils get an opportunity to engage in the socially important activities, explore the villages along the Mezen, learn about their history and today’s life, and, at the same time, have a wonderful rest during their holidays.

The head of the expedition Alexander Reomidovich Morozov and all the participants thank the Silver Taiga Foundation for such an opportunity.

The organizers also thank Alexander Alexandrovich Butyrev, participating in these trips already for the third consecutive year and providing a great assistance in the work with children, parents, actively helping during the sailing, the Director of the Municipal Educational Institution “Usogorsk secondary school with an in depth study of particular subjects” Galina Ivanovna Lobanova, who is always very forthcoming and understanding. Also, a big thank you to the guides – Anatoly Alexeevich Karpov, Anna Alexandrovna Kryazhevskaya, Nadezhda Dmitrievna Mitina, and Albert Vasilyevich Loginov, who have devoted their time to us and told us a lot of interesting things about the native Udora during our stops in the villages. The participants and organizers would like to thank Anatoly Alexandrovich Igushev, Natalya Nikolaevna Zheleva and other caring residents of the Mezen villages, who have helped us with a good word and action. And, of course, we would like to thank very much all the expedition participants for cleaning the Mezen banks from rubbish and junk. Plans for the next summer include further expeditions under the motto “Let’s protect the Mezen from rubbish!” within the framework of the Model River Mezen project. This time the sailing route will be as follows: “Pyssa (Udora district) – Zubovo” (Arkhangelsk region).