Meetings in Leshukonye
Representatives of the Model River Mezen project Working Group met residents of local villages during their recent trip to Leshukonsky district, Arkhangelsk region, after the round table held in the district center.
The recreation center of the Paluga village in Yuroma rural settlement almost bordering Mezen district gathered around twenty people, which account for nearly half the village – in winter it is inhabited by less than 50 residents, and it is only in summer that the empty houses get filled with voices as sons and daughters come back to the native place from cities and town and bring their kids for vacation … Whatdo the Paluga residents do for a living? These fifty residents of the tiny village have 12 cows and other animals. The produce of their farms, including sour cream and cottage cheese, is accepted by the district consumer society. The river resources also play a significant role in sustaining the villagers.
It seemed at first that the meeting at the recreation center attracted mostly men, however women also came later – the announced topic was of high concern for everyone. People listened attentively about Mezen resources, its development as reported by ichthyologists, and about everything done under the Model River Mezen project… They asked plenty of questions. May it be so that reduced sealing in the sea brings about salmon population decrease? Could it be that it is not humans’ fault? Is it possible that the nature changes all by itself, just like what is happening to wild fowl? Because the forest is empty…
Even though the meeting attendees expected to hear about other causes of resource depletion than the ones related to anthropogenic load, they still confessed that “they seize everything they see”…
It seems that people sincerely wish to act wisely and in law, but as they say there is always something else to blame. Either they do not know where to get fishing licenses for the fishery area (Leshukonsky district has such an area for legal amateur fishing allowing catching salmon as well), or they do not know the amendments in the Fishing Rules, etc. They said they would love to have more frequent meetings with fishery inspectors – better during awareness campaigns, than when caught for illegal fishing by the river.
It was a very interesting and useful conversation in Paluga. On the same day the Yuroma school principal Nadezhda Barannik invited the faculty and the schoolchildren for a joint meeting.
In Selishche, part of Tsenogora rural settlement, where we dropped in on the way back home, we managed to talk to one person only – Tatyana Maksimova, head of the local museum. Selishche is the birthplace of famous craftsmen – the Fatyanovs. It is through their lives and art that the museum tells the visitors the story of the village.
In Tsenogora we met Olga Ivanova from the local administration and discussed our further cooperation with her. In Koynas we stopped by Galina Leus, librarian, who has been actively involved in distribution of the Mezen related supplement to the Udora district newspaper for years.
In the village of Ust-Kyma, Koynas rural settlement, many of the residents came to the recreational center for the meeting, though it was Sunday. Again questions and answers, again lots of various views on the causes for resource depletion and what they see as rational nature management, on their expectations with regard to supervisory authorities and how they assess past logging impact on the river condition…
During the trip across Leshukonsky district we met our old friends who are somehow involved into the Model River Mezen project activities already. We took a chance to debate over the locals’ concerns and learn about their views and opinions on the topics under discussion. We got to know new people. All this will contribute to better engagement of Leshukonye residents into the joint activities on the Mezen river resource management.
Photos: on the Mezen river bank in Bolshaya Pyssa on their way to Leshukonsky district; participants of the meeting on the steps to the recreational center in Paluga; the welcoming poster on the road to the village; meeting in the Yuroma school; participants of the meeting in the school; in the village of Selishche; the village museum of Old Martyn; one of the paintings by Fedor Fatyanov; snapshots of the meeting in Ust-Kyma; the Palashchelye village – homeland of the famous Mezen painting.
