Physical Culture Day was celebrated in Serpukhov
Sports competitions, fun quests and an exciting night race – this is how the holiday weekend in honor of the Day of the Physical Culture in Serpukhov was held. The professional holiday of athletes, coaches, physical education teachers and all those who are passionate about sports and a healthy lifestyle has been traditionally celebrated on the second Saturday of August for more than 85 years. This year wasn’t an exception. In the park named after Oleg Stepanov was a real celebration of a healthy lifestyle – the Sports Festival “Victory” was held there. Each participant, regardless of age, was able to find something to do: from traditional sports to new unusual activities. It was even possible to try to pass the RWD (Ready for Work and Defense) standards — the city Testing Center organized it for receiving standards. Here all active fans of physical culture and sports were greeted by a bison, a growth doll, but the figure of a mighty giant did an excellent job with raising morale and creating a cheerful mood! Also on this day the national teams of the district companies took off at the Spartak stadium. They competed in the track and field relay, football, volleyball and darts as part of the XXIV Serpukhov Workers’ Spartakiada. The day of the Physical Culture in the district began to be celebrated on Friday. On the evening of August 8, on the eve of the holiday, a bright “Neon Rally” was held on the Serpukhov Port embankment, which brought together hundreds of athletes from Serpukhov, Moscow and other cities.
More than a trip
The specialists from the Environmental Education Department of the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve took part in the first All-Russian family tourism festival “More than a trip”. The place for the festival was the picturesque art camp “Wild Mint” in the village of Bunyrevo, Tula region, where several thousand participants gathered for several days, from August 7 to 10, among whom were the winners of the All-Russian competition “Big Family Trip”, members of the family community of the Movement of the First “Dear – Loving”, famous travelers and public figures. The guests enjoyed a rich program ranging from environmental master classes and quests from nature reserves and national parks to performances by famous performers. Everyone could take part in ecological routes, take part in master classes and sports competitions, listen to lectures by famous travelers and presentations by outdoor experts. Master classes and quizzes of the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve instantly gathered dozens of interested people, adults and children learned how to identify footprints and, of course, shared their own life experiences related to interesting, sometimes very rich, incidents with wild animals. The guests of the festival received vivid impressions and learned a lot about the natural and cultural heritage of Russia. Thanks to the master classes and lectures, they gained knowledge and skills that are useful during the stay away from civilization. The organizers are the Rosmolodezh program “More than a trip” and the Movement of the First with the support of the Government of Tula region. The partners are The Russian society “Znanie”, the platform “Russia – the land of opportunities”, “Tavrida.art”, the social network for travelers “Pognali”, Roszapovedtsentr of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia and others.
About the amazing and beautiful creatures
On August 12, a significant event took place in the cultural life of the science city of Pushchino, the most southern settlement of Serpukhov District. The Museum of Ecology and Local History has officially opened a large-scale exhibition project “About amazing and beautiful creatures”, developed by the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve in cooperation with the State Darwin Museum. The project is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve, a unique specially protected natural area of Moscow region, where the Bison Breeding Centre has been operating since 1948, restoring the population of Europe’s last wild bull, the bison, which is on the verge of destruction. The opening ceremony was attended by the specialists from the Environmental Education Department, who presented the exhibition and conducted a detailed tour for the guests. The presented exposition is large and diverse! It includes graphic and pictorial works by animal artists from the archives of the reserve: Vasily Vatagin, Konstantin Flerov, Dmitry Gorlov and others. And then, in the vast hall, there was a photo exhibition with the best photographs of the inhabitants of the Bison Breeding Centre. For the young guests, the specialists of the reserve conducted an exciting game “Silent Quest”, where all the knowledge and ingenuity gained on the tour were useful to the children. The exhibition will run from August 12 to September 2 and will be a great opportunity to learn more about the beautiful and amazing wild bulls – bison. We invite all residents of Pushchino and guests of the city on an excursion to the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve! After all, this specially protected natural area is located directly opposite, on the other bank of the Oka River, and probably the best view of the protected forest opens from your city.
Our beaver neighbors
On August 23, the traditional ecological festival “Beaver Neighbors” took place on the territory of the Voronezh State Nature Reserve. The specialists of the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve were happy to participate, presenting their protected area and conducting a series of master classes for children and adults. For several years the festival has been uniting specially protected areas around a common idea – to involve people in preserving the environment through the joy of communicating with wildlife and creativity. We thank our colleagues for the invitation and hospitality. The “Beaver Neighbors” have once again proved that environmental education can be bright, warm and accessible to everyone. And the participation of the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve added new colors to the event, introducing guests to its famous inhabitants. Such meetings not only expand the horizons of knowledge, but also strengthen the unity of Russian nature reserves.
The reserve opens the “Treasure Chest”
Autumn is a time of kindness! Crops are ready on household plots and in gardens, which means that it is time for the traditional spring action in the reserve. If you accumulate a lot of apples, carrots, and beets, but you don’t have the strength to process and store them for the winter, the bison of the Bison Breeding Centre will come to your rescue. We suggest you share your vitamin supplies with our students. You can do this by carefully picking vegetables and fruit and bringing them to the Central estate of the reserve. Large amounts of supplies can be stored at a wooden chest installed at the barrier next to the fair houses. There is another chest for small gifts. He will definitely meet you on the ecological trail “The Road to the bison” at the entrance to the Bison Breeding Centre. If you plan to visit the animals personally with a guided tour, you can set a great example for the tourists when you place your gifts in a bag or other luggage in the “Treasure Chest”. Bison specialists look into the chests every day, empty the contents, carefully wash and slice the fruits so that they can regale the bison in strictly limited quantities in the morning and in the evening. If you are a resident of Pushchino or the nearest settlements, you can share your crops on September 13-14 on the main square of the Cultural Development Center “Vertical”, where the annual Harvest Festival fair will be held. The most active participants will receive memorable souvenirs from the reserve. Be sure that everything you bring will end up on the bison table!
