Implementation of the “Ecologist School” Project Continues

Omsk Regional Public Environmental Organization “Earth – Our Common Home” continues the implementation of the “Ecologist School” project, which has received support from the Presidential Grants Fund and the Ministry of Internal Policy of the Omsk Region. In May, excursions for schoolchildren took place.

On May 7, seventh-grade students (25 people) from the Odessa District of the Omsk Region visited the Zoological Museum of Omsk State Agrarian University. Dmitry Konstantinovich Ovchinnikov, an associate professor at the Department of Ecology, Natural Resource Management, and Biology, introduced the children to representatives of amphibians and reptiles, fish, animals, and birds that inhabit the Omsk Region and Russia. He spoke about their habitats, nesting, relationships, and reproduction. Special attention was given to species of animals and birds listed in the Red Book of the Omsk Region and Russia. The students also learned about the main types of relationships among living organisms: parasitism, symbiosis, predation, competition, and neutralism.

On May 14, third-grade students from Gymnasium No. 26 in Omsk visited the Botanical Museum of Omsk State Agrarian University, followed by students from a pedagogical college in Omsk on May 15, and sixth to ninth graders from Gymnasium No. 9 in Omsk on May 17. Experienced guides told the children about the history of the Botanical Garden and its significance for maintaining biodiversity in the plant world, introducing them to a vast variety of tropical and subtropical plants, medicinal herbs, and rare tree species.

The “Night of Museums” event on May 18 generated significant interest with excursions in the Ecopark of Omsk State Agrarian University. From 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM that day, five excursions were conducted in the Ecopark. Anastasia Loboda, a student from Faculty of Agrochemistry, Soil Sciences, Ecology, Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Exploitation, introduced visitors to representatives of the animal world listed in the Red Book of the Omsk Region, discussing their biological features, behaviors, and distribution areas. On the same day, excursions in the Botanical Garden continued.

All conducted excursions sparked great interest among visitors. Numerous words of gratitude and satisfaction were expressed for what they saw and heard. We thank everyone who actively participates in the implementation of our project!

N.A. Popolzukhina

D.K. Ovchinnikov

E.I. Yantzen