Crimeans are conducting an expedition in Karelia. As part of the project of the Russian Geographical Society

CrimeaPRESS reports:

The “Nature Karelia” project was launched at the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg. This project is carried out by a team of organizers from the Youth Club of the Russian Geographical Society “Crimea” under the leadership of Ekaterina Petlyukova, deputy chairman of the Club. 15 volunteers from different parts of the country went to the Ladoga Skerries National Park to give their assessment of tourist routes, natural trails and create photo and video materials.

As part of the project, participants will study the ecological trails of the Ladoga Skerries National Park, take photographs of the area, create several films about the national park and tourism in Karelia, record tracks of popular routes, study the tourist complexes of Karelia, and also conduct sociological research. In addition, as part of the project, excursions are planned to the following sites: Bastion Living History Park, Visit to the Dacha Winter Hotel Park, three “living history museums” — “Streletsky Fortress”, “Viking Village” and “Border Outpost” etc. The program will include round tables, lectures, practical classes, field trips, presentations and other events.

The opening of the project began with a performance by pianist Pavel Andreev, who played the composition “Flight” on the piano, first performed last year in the Ruskeala mountain park during the “Piano in the Canyon” project. The director of the Russian Geographical Society Headquarters in St. Petersburg, Roman Ryabintsev, and Vitaly Romanov, Advisor to the Department for Work with Youth of the Executive Directorate of the Russian Geographical Society, delivered a welcoming speech to the participants and guests of the event.

The project manager, Ekaterina Petlyukova, introduced the participants to the project team, experts, and the main goals and objectives of the project. Anton Yushko, Chairman of the Commission for Eco-Efficient Tourism of the Leningrad Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, spoke about the rich program of the project and the main scientific goals of the project.

The project participants went through a large competitive selection process. The main goal of the project is to create videos, photos and record tracks of ecological trails and routes for young people. The team has journalists who are ready to write interesting texts. Videographers came with us to create a film about the national park and its rich history. Photographers will work in their own areas. In addition, there is an idea to create a project “Faces of Karelia”. It will be dedicated to those whom we will meet along the path of our expedition. We will create their portraits, write down short life stories and their contribution to the development of this territory and the national park. Our goals are broadnotes project manager Ekaterina Petlyukova.

As part of the grand opening at the headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society, the opening of the Youth Club of the Russian Geographical Society was initiated at the headquarters in St. Petersburg. In addition, the organizing committee of the project, together with the Director of the headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society, initiated the project “Recommended by the Youth Club of the Russian Geographical Society.”

Also in the historical building, the Smolny Palace, a ceremonial welcome to the project took place. The project participants were welcomed by the St. Petersburg Committee for Arctic Affairs. A meeting was held in the conference room with the first deputy chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for Arctic Affairs, Elena Aseeva. At the meeting, the prospects of the project, the program, goals and objectives of the volunteers were discussed. An important result of the meeting was the identification of opportunities for further joint projects and development of the region, and the submission of joint projects for grants.

I’ve been to Karelia many times already and even worked there myself, organizing tours,” says media volunteer from Moscow Maria Lazareva. — We will be at new interesting objects, where I have not been. I especially liked the expedition program to the Ladoga skerries; this is the place where I worked. But the Ladoga skerries are a huge territory, so I want to see new places and create cool content for the National Park, the youth club of the Russian Geographical Society and all the objects that we will place. We will have many interesting places, so we ourselves do not yet fully understand how many interesting things we will see! – notes project participant Maria Lazareva.

We couldn’t do without an excursion in the cultural capital of Russia through one of the oldest districts of St. Petersburg — Kolomna. A guide from the excursion and tour booking service Tripster introduced the participants to the history of the city.

A pleasant end to the day was a welcome dinner with dishes of Karelian cuisine at the Drive Park Ladoga restaurant. Participants tried Karelian fish soup (kalakeita), rye flour pies with potatoes (kalitki), smoked salmon, sea buckthorn tea and other local delicacies.

On the first day of the program, a meeting was held with the director of the Ladoga Skerries National Park, Elena Katukova. The director of the national park told the children about the territory of the national park, its features and structure.

Today, the Ladoga Skerries National Park is being built literally from scratch. Just a few months ago, its territory was under the management of the Kivach nature reserve. Now the park management is actively recruiting employees, analyzing the human impact on the territory, and inspecting tourist routes laid “spontaneously.” In addition, a number of scientific and historical studies are carried out here. The park really needs the help of media volunteers.” Our park has both protected areas and specially protected areas. Now we are starting to take inventory of everything that was transferred to us. But there are people who love this land and want to develop it. And this is the main point,” emphasizes Elena Kutukova.

The first field day of the expedition turned out to be historic. Participants of the “Reserved Karelia” visited three eras at once: “Streltsy Fortress”, “Viking Village” and “Border Outpost” in the “Ladoga Drive Park”.

Media volunteers crossed the conventional border of the Leningrad Region and Karelia by water, visiting the first routes of the Ladoga Skerries National Park with their own eyes.

Ladoga skerries are an amazing synthesis of bays, islands and lonely rocks. This is the magical space of the Kalevala epic. It’s great to be creative and explore here. I am sure that our team will be useful here. We specifically chose the autumn season because there are not many people here. Our task is to check what damage tourists have caused to the islands. However, this place is notable for the fact that nature is alive here. We feel and see it. Despite the growing tourist flow, nature is still coping and giving us its colors. But certain areas of this route are really subject to stress, but how to deal with this — we will figure it out together in the course of our researchsays Anton Yushko, Chairman of the Eco-Efficient Tourism Commission of the Leningrad Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society.

In the coming days, volunteers have a lot of work and a busy program ahead of them.

The project is aimed at popularizing scientific environmental activities among young people in specially protected natural and associated buffer territories of the Republic of Karelia and the Murmansk region, and at searching for new forms of exchange of experience in sustainable development of territories.

The general partner is the newly created Federal State Budgetary Institution Ladoga Skerries National Park, the information partner of the project is the Karelian Commonwealth IGO and the Sampo 360 TV channel.

The project is supported by grants from FADM Rosmolodezh and Zapovednoe Delo RGS.

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