In the end of January there took place the meeting of the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society in Vologda. There took part representatives of Coordinating Council, the representatives of the Board of Trustees, of the Media Council and of the Scientific Council of the branch.
The meeting was open by the Governor of the Vologda region, the Chairman on Coordinating Council for cooperation of the regional government and the Russian Geographical Society Oleg Kuvshinnikov.
The participants of the meeting summed up the results of work in 2016 and outlined plans of work of the branch for the current year.
Yuriy Vorobyev, the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Chairman of the Managing Board, summing up the results of the grants` contest of 2017, introduced attendees to the concept of the Onega complex expedition, which is planned for this summer.
According to the words of Yuriy Leonidovich, the expedition will take place within the frames of the «Shipbuilders of Prionezhye» project, already well known not only in Vologda, but far beyond its borders. Its participants are going to make a travel around the Onega Lake, during which they will hold palaeogeographic and geological studies, works on the ecology, geography and underwater archeology. The expedition includes the study of objects of cultural heritage, PA monitors (monitoring of Specially Protected Natural Areas), etc.
There are also planned the following events: the regional conference, dedicated to the Specially Protected Areas, the exhibition «The history of nature conservation in Vologda region», international conference «Vologda – is the northern territory of European bison», Olympiad on geography, actions, round tables, etc.
Besides, within the frames of the program «Historical water-dragging ways of the Vologda region» there will be continued the «Together along the Russian North» project.
Nadejda Maksutova, a professor of the Department of geography of the Vologda State University, the Chairman of the Vologda regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society, told about the regional grant projects. They are the following: «The integrated biological and geological expedition to the skerry area of the Ladoga Lake», «Study of natural, and cultural and historical heritage of the delta of the Kubena River», «Hydroecology of the lakes of taiga: Vozhegodsky district», «Identification of the underwater heritage objects», «Geological expedition in the Russian North», «Creating of the federal Specially Protected Natural Area: «The Sukhona Valley», «Profecting of Specially Protected Natural Area of the Vologda region», «Finding out the geosystems of pan-European values in the Vologda region» and many other programs.
For the period from 2011 to 2016 there had been supported 89 trust and grant projects by the Board of Trustees of the Vologda regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society. The amount of funding by the Board of Trustees of the Vologda regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society had made 16 137 000 rubles for six years. Only last year the amount of donations exceeded 5 000 000 rubles.
Nadejda Kamelievna reminded as well that the regional branches of the Society has started their work since 2016, they are the following: Kirillovskoye, Cherepovetskoye, the regional branch of Velikiy Ustyug. Since the year of 2017, there has started their work as the part of the Branch three new commissions: «The territorial organization and planning», «The development of tourism» and «Hydroecology».
The Chairman of the board of trustees of the Vologda regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society Vyacheslav Pozgalev told in his report about the support of the priority projects of the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society in Vologda in 2017 by the regional board of trustees.
-The Russian Geographical Society is engaged in patriotic education through the study of the native land. Many of our children – are the strangers in their own country: as they do not know the names of the trees, the names of herbs, the names of animals, the names of the rivers and lakes. But this is the «first grade» in education of the citizen of the Russian Federation, - Vyacheslav Evgenyevich noted.
For the further development and strengthening of cooperation of the Russian Geographical Society with the executive authorities and cultural institutions there have been signed the agreements with the City of Cherepovets and with the Regional Universal Scientific Library named after I.V.Babushkin.
The meeting was completed with the awarding of the members of Vologda regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society and with adoption of the Decision of the meeting.