“I Will Always Attend This Field School”

Summer Field School is over. The School was organized for the schoolchildren from Udora district of Komi in Krivushevo village located on Irva river – Mezen tributary – by Silver Taiga Foundation jointly with the Children’s Activity Center of Usogorsk village (Udora district of Komi) and with the participation of the Special Protected Natural Area (SPNA) Center of the Komi Republic.

According to the opinion of the school’s initiator and head Nikolay Shilov, its main objective was to provoke interest of the schoolchildren – the forthcoming generation of the Udora people – in the “fish” topic, because the number of ichthyologists – specialists able to work with fish in the Udora district and the republic in general – is extremely small.” This has an impact both on the overall fish resources management situation and fish breeding initiatives efficiency. Of course, the local AgroUdora Cooperative has no relevant specialists either. In other words, the field school initiative pursued long-term occupational guidance objectives. But not only them. The pupils – 5-6th graders of the Usogorsk school – got an opportunity to spend part of their summer holidays very useful for themselves: the days spent in the village, in the open air, near the adults ready to generously share their knowledge and skills with them, have proved to be rich in interesting meetings with the ichthyology science, practical acquaintance with the nature of one of the most interesting Mezen tributaries and history of the ancient village Krivushevo, joint active leisure.

Why was Krivushevo chosen for hosting the field school? There, on the Krivushev-ty, the fishing ground of the local cooperative “AgroUdora” is located. There, the children could watch fishing with their own eyes, talk with fishermen, and had good opportunities for practical classes directly in the nature.

As agreed with the local residents – “AgroUdora” members – the pupils were housed in a large village house with enough space both for a night’s lodging and the classes involving computer presentations and films, and therefore, conducted indoors. However, there was just a few of such classes. The kids gained the basic information and practical skills of research work in the nature, in the open air. The schoolchildren were trained by the “Silver Taiga” ecologist Nikolay Shilov and senior expert of the Environmental Education Department of the SPNA Center Elena Frolova. Besides, they met with an ichthyologist of the Komirybvod Alexey Politov. He told them what kind of activity the organization was engaged in, why the fish resources had to be replenished, and how people could contribute to conservation and reproduction of river resources.

But, certainly, most of all the kids liked the practical classes. After all, even a streamlet is a window to an unfamiliar mysterious world inhabited by lots of interesting creatures, and here – the whole huge lake! The pupils have studied benthos – “a near-bottom population” of the Krivushev-ty coastal areas. They have learned that the water quality can be assessed using bioindication – by presence of certain types of vegetation and wildlife species in the waters. They have learned to determine fish age by fish scales and found out why fish resources monitoring was needed. They have met the fishermen from “AgroUdora” with catch and asked them many questions, which the latter willing answered.

In fact, it should be noted that their interest and sympathy were mutual. The cooperative members – Krivushevo natives Ivan and Stepan Politov, having welcomed the pupils in their old family house, Oleg Krivushev, Leonid Pavlov, and others readily communicated with the kids, showed them traditional fishing gears, told them about the village life peculiarities, local residents’ crafts … What the schoolchildren especially liked was a travel along an ethno-ecological route with ecologists and local residents as guides at its different stages.

By the way, this route, introducing interesting natural sites in the vicinities of the village and in the village itself, has been developed by the schoolchildren together with their leader – Elena Frolova – within the framework of one of their research works. This small research project has been named precisely like this – “Ethno-ecological route”.

Every summer school participant has had his/her own research projects. Having split into groups, the kids together with their leaders have been developing such topics as “Fisheries monitoring on the fishing grounds”, “Benthos and water quality assessment”. Besides, they have helped to conduct a survey of the local residents on a long-term logging impact on water bodies.

On the last day of the field school, the pupils presented their research works to the local residents. On the same day, they showed a performance based on the fairy tale “Teremok”, which they had been rehearsing together with their leaders Elena Frolova and Nadezhda Morozova during their free time also here, in Krivushevo.

Nadezhda Morozova, the Head of the Children’s Activity Center of the village Usogorsk, which pupils have been attending the field school, believes that the first summer ecological school experience has been successful: “Nikolay and Elena have managed to captivate the children with their classes, and that says a lot, because usually fine summer days offer many other attractions. The kids attended the classes with pleasure. They grew to like their teachers and literally tagged along behind them…”

Speaking about his mentees, 5-6th graders of the Usogorsk school, Nikolay Shilov, in his turn, points out their high level of training and good basic knowledge, acquired through their schoolteacher.

The credit for the successful first experience of the field school also goes to Nadezhda Morozova, because it was she who was responsible for the housekeeping. Together with the children who were on duty, she was cooking and feeding everybody. At the same time, in the course of the joint “housekeeping” affairs she did not forget about the educational role of the field school.

In conclusion, a few feedbacks from the children:

“I have enjoyed myself in the village Krivushevo. I’ve learned a lot of new things. Above all, I liked the fact that in the evening we all could get together and share our expressions. It was difficult at first, nobody knew each other. But when we got acquainted time passed quickly. I wish every year be like this one.”

“I liked everything, especially the moments when we were cutting a pike and traveling by boat. I did not like to hold in hands a floorcloth (“wash the floors”).”

“I liked the excursion very much. We have seen hundred years old things and went to an ancient mill”.

“I enjoyed the excursion around the entire village and to the Melnitsa-yol.”

“It was very cool! I liked it. I’m thrilled! It was difficult to carry out the research work. Now, it is difficult to leave and say goodbye to Nikolay Ivanovich and Elena Andreevna, and it was hard for me to contain my emotions. My wish to them is the following: be always same creative, positive, responsible, confident, cool, open, and free … Continue to do, create field schools. I will surely come here for the second, third, fourth time, and so on. I will miss everybody!”

“The entire expedition was the most interesting! I don’t even want to leave. I really liked Elena Andreevna, Nikolay Ivanovich, and Nadezhda Stepanovna, but most of all I enjoyed the activities with Elena Andreevna. The most interesting things that happened during these days are the route, performance, presentations, and all classes for 6 days. I really want to come here again. I will always attend this field school. I wish that there would be still many expeditions in the future”.

“I wish that Nikolay Ivanovich Shilov would organize the same summer school next year and invite us!!! The lessons were great!”