Tabaga Environmental Camp

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Masha Vladimirtseva, Institute of Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone, Yakutia

This weekend, June 27-29, 2008, I visited a very beautiful place, children’s Camp Health built on the slopes near Tabaga Village on the Lena River. It is very close to the famous mount on the Lena River, Tabaga Cliff. Fifty-three students, ages 8-14, study there living and surviving in nature. So, we had an excursion with them on a hill top and found there edible and medicinal plants, and now these students know what to eat if they stay without food in the forest, and how to treat themselves if they have problems with their health.

After that, we played some ecological games on the top of the hill. During the games the students learned more details about wild birds and why we should protect their habitats. They should feel themselves like real birds on the top of hill, above the Lena River!  

When we played we used toy birds with real bird songs provided by Ceba, Center Bioacoustique Alpin, like in the ICF gift shop. Later three of the youngest children got these birds as prizes.
Other students were rewarded with “Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World” posters and stickers with trackingcranes.org images.

Students played games about predators and prey (upper left), and threats to wildlife habitat (above and far left). The children also created origami cranes (left).


Students in the camp also study ways they can protect nature. On Saturday morning children studied how they can save wildlife from fire with the help of a fire car. Almost all of the students tried to do it. They trained to reach a goal, empty juice bottles, with a stream of water from the fire car (below).