Fifty Years with Nature
(The Young Naturalists Group of the All-Russian Society
of Nature Preservation (ASNP) is Half a Century Old)
The year 2000 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Young Naturalists
Group of the All-Russian Society of Nature Preservation (ASNP). This group
is the second oldest club of young naturalists after the Moscow Zoo's
Club of Young Biologists (CYB). The Youth Section of the All-Russian Society
of Nature Preservation was established in Moscow by the distinguished
zoologist Prof. A. N. Formozov. Later on, it was headed
for several years by Moscow University ornithologist K. N. Blagosklonov.
However, the group really came into its own under P. P. Smolin,
who succeeded in establishing a sure-footed youth association with strong
traditions and continuity. He made his favorite principle and slogan "Closer
to nature!" a reality and promoted it in this community of young naturalists.
Thanks to this, the group has always been intimately associated with Russia’s
system of wildlife reserves.
Field trips have always played a leading role in the group’s activities.
In the 1950s and ‘60s, group members went on field trips up to three times
a week. In May and November, the group usually went to one of the most
interesting places of the Moscow Region – the Prioksko-Terrasny Wildlife
Reserve near Serpukhov. Many verses were composed here, songs sung, nests
found, birds and bats ringed…
PTZ, as young naturalists referred to the reserve (or zapovednik),
also played a special part in their lives because of the group’s research
approach. This approach guaranteed the right to do serious scientific
work under natural conditions. It was implemented brilliantly in the Prioksko-Terrasny
Zapovednik. This was due in large part to the indefatigable G. N. Likhachev,
one of the Zapovednik's senior researchers. Every year he allowed a team
of school children to inspect artificial nesting-places for birds, dormice
and bats. With the help of the young naturalists, he set up an enormous
plot of nesting boxes that allowed one to research different aspects of
the biology of the birds and mammals nesting therein. The maintenance
of this large plot was impossible to manage alone; group members were
the ones that did it, putting all their effort into it. Work in the PTZ
has provided unforgettable and invaluable field experience for several
generations of beginning zoologists. Flood-land lakes at water meadows
near the Oka River, arid white moss pine forests, spacious clearings and
springs in the valley of the Tadenka River are something to remember for
the rest of one’s life. Young naturalists have learned to do observations
and value facts, to be responsible for the reliability of their reports
and not to complain about weariness and bad weather.
After their first field experience, group members usually go further
away from Moscow for summer or winter work. They have registered and observed
animals at the islands of Kandalakshsky Zapovednik, watched for hours
the burrows of bank swallows, ringed ducks and wood-grouse, carried out
biological monitoring. Young naturalists have worked in Askania Nova,
Tsentralno-Lesnoi, Darvinsky and other resereves. Nowadays, the group
usually goes for winter trips to Bryansky Les, Tsentralno-Lesnoi, Bolshaya
Kokshaga, Bashkirsky, Laplandsky, Kerzhensky, Khopersky Zapovedniks, and
for spring and summer trips to Karadagsky, Prisursky, Kaluzhskiye Zaseki
Zapovedniks, and the Solovki Islands.
The acronym ASNP and the word zapovednik turn out to be closely
linked in the minds of future specialists and often predetermine their
whole adult lives, directions of research, and environmental attitude.
Another important legacy to the group from its founder is "determined
social action". During his last years, P. P. Smolin associated
this legacy primarily with nature conservation. His talk at the opening
of the periodic All-Russian School Biological Competition in the crowded
Main Biology Auditorium of Moscow State University ended solemnly with
the words: "Join the Student Nature Guards!" The wild applause caused
serious concern for the safety of lamps and clocks hanging on the walls,
as well as the walls themselves.
Not surprisingly, many group members are involved in the nature protection
movement, primarily in the Student Nature Guards of the Biology Faculty
of Moscow State University. They also join various nature conservation
enterprises, especially of zapovedniks. Thanks to their initiatives and
efforts, dozens of Natural Protected Territories were established in the
Moscow Region as well as in other regions. This work went on even during
the worst of times for zapovedniks. For instance, A. L. Mishchenko,
a group graduate who has studied the fauna of northwestern European Russia
for many years, received the Henry Ford European Conservation Award two
years ago for creating two new zapovedniks, Polistrovsky and Rdeysky,
located in the Pskov and Novgorod Regions.
Every year, once the field season is over, group members of different
ages gather in the forest not far from Moscow for the famous "Green Competition".
Several clubs of young naturalists take part in these field competitions.
The children compete both individually and as teams. The contests include
bio-registration along a route (describing and mapping all animals, plants
and communities seen); botany, zoology and general biology quizzes; and
field-skill tests (building campfires, chopping firewood, climbing trees).
The winners get special awards.
Although P. P. Smolin died a quarter of a century ago, his
system works, and the group he created continues to bring up new specialists
in biology and faithful nature guards who think of themselves as defenders
of Russian zapovedniks. The succession of generations is retained. Therefore,
the old song lyrics are true:
We’ll have no rest ahead; there’s work to do!
P. P. Smolin did not gather us all here in vain!
Ksenia Avilova,
PhD, Senior Researcher,
Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University
