Dear Friends,
We would like to introduce you to the people you will meet in our documentary about the Buzuluk Pine Forest.
Andrei Latypov, director of the Buzuluk Bor National Park. For more than 15 years Andrei has been making every effort to protect and defend nature. During this time, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia has awarded him certificates of honor and badges “Excellence in Nature Protection” and “For Merits in Nature Reserve Management”.
Under Andrei’s direct supervision and with active participation of all the Buzuluk Pine Forest employees, local residents and other concerned citizens, one of the largest wildfires in the park’s modern history was put out between August and September 2021. The wildfire engulfed 938 hectares of the precious forest. It took 20 days to put it out. Cleanup of the aftermath of this environmental disaster continues to this day.
Another of Andrei’s most important tasks is to restore the Buzuluk Pine Forest arboretum. This cultural natural monument was founded in 1910-1912. It represented a unique result of forest cultivation of various exotic species of trees and shrubs (more than 250 species were planted) and achievements in forest genetics and breeding. Unfortunately, today the arboretum is in a deplorable state. At the moment, fundraising is in progress to repair the terrible consequences of wildfire and to restore the arboretum. You are welcome to participate in the fundraising and support the Buzuluk Bor National Park. You can also help by simply spreading the word so that everyone knows about this park! Together we can definitely save The Buzuluk Pine Forest, a significant site of our planet!
Taras Pomogaybenko, an employee at the Buzuluk Bor National Park, the youngest person featured in the film.
It’s hard to find anyone who knows the pine forest better than Taras. He’s dedicated most of his life to studying this unique forest. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and discoveries with everyone on his personal YouTube channel
Taras tells the Buzuluk Pine Forest story with love and passion. He used to make videos using trail cameras to show the amazing inhabitants of the pine forest and their lives, drawing attention to the difficulties of survival and conservation of biodiversity of the national park. But an unprecedented flood washed away almost all the trail cameras, so now Taras has to start from scratch.
We now are helping Taras to raise funds to continue making his videos. We appreciate your support!
Aleksandr Chibilev, the person with the most expertise:
Aleksandr is an honored Russian geographer, an expert in the field of landscape ecology and nature conservation, professor and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is the Vice President of the Russian Geographical Society and the academic advisor of the Institute of Steppe of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is the author of more than 850 scientific publications, including 40 monographs [see bibliography].
For more than half a century Aleksandr Chibilev has been devoted to nature protection projects across the country. Since 1973 he has been engaged in scientific and organizational activities in the Urals.
As of today, Aleksandr is conducting research at the Buzuluk Bor National Park: he takes care about the forest farm and, together with the park’s management; he gives his all to the revival of the arboretum. The arboretum is not only has scientific value but also performs the most important function of preserving the biodiversity of the pine forest. That is why its revival is so necessary both for this park and for our planet. The first step to revive the arboretum is to create an ecotrail – it is what we are now raising funds for.
To preserve the pine forest, Aleksandr focuses firstly on
– zoning and protecting “quiet areas”. Nature loves silence, but loud noise caused by illegally picnicking people and their vehicles causes it serious harm.
– He’s another task is protecting the site from the negative impact of the oil industry, whose activities destroy the forest and wildlife of the entire Buzuluk Pine Forest.
At present funds are being raised to enhance the equipment for monitoring the natural base of the pine forest. It will provide an independent assessment of damage caused by oil companies’ operations and make it possible for us to monitor the condition of old-growth trees. Join our cause! Spread the word, and together we will revive the arboretum and preserve the Buzuluk Pine Forest!
And last but not least, our wonderful heroines – Oxana Likhacheva and Olga Semyonova.
Oxana Likhacheva, MBA, is a cofounder of Sosny Health and Recreation Center, the Buzuluk Bor Health Resort and Partizansky Husky Park, she possesses an. Oxana is an eco-activist and a devoted supporter of the Buzuluk Bor National Park In 2006 Oxana learned about the Buzuluk pine forest. Since then it
has become an integral part of her life. She sincerely wishes that as many people as possible would become aware of this amazing place. Its unique beauty and vital energy help achieve harmony with nature, regain strength and feel great happiness.
The more kind and caring people join the protection of the Buzuluk Pine Forest, Oxana says, the stronger and more beautiful it will become, sharing its pristine energy with us. Those would be the people not only wishing to live and work in an eco-friendly location, but also willing to take active part in our joint effort to preserve and develop this unique pine forest. With this project of ours we invite you to become part of our team of like-minded people to preserve the Buzuluk Pine Forest and help spread the word about it!
Olga Semyonova is active member of the Union of Writers of Russia, chairperson of D.A. Furmanov Buzuluk Literary Association and a member of the Russian Geographical Society. She has been awarded the Medal of St. George. Olga is a bright, gifted and creative personality. She wrote many beautiful poems about Buzuluk Bor, some of them you will hear in our film. She is the author of the books “Buzuluk Bor, the Wizard” and “Sweet Drop”. She has been nominated the best guide to the Buzuluk Pine Forest in Orenburg region.
At the present time Olga works as a tour guide at Buzuluk Bor Health Resort. She speaks about the forest with warmth and love and wants people to come here to learn about this natural wonder, to enjoy its beautiful views and breathe the cleanest air. The forest welcomes everyone with its sunny smile and warm embrace. Perhaps we will return its love, and will always protect and preserve it. Olga’s dream is that everyone who ever came here for the first time would want to come back again and again and share their unforgettable impressions of their stay at the Buzuluk Bor resort with their relatives and friends.
Right now Olga is working on the publication of the new book about her excursions into the Buzuluk Pine Forest and a collection of poems. We too wish to aide this creative process and get as many people as possible to read her books and to look at Buzuluk Bor through the eyes of this talented woman. We are helping Olga realize her dream. And we invite you to join us in this good cause!
ARBORETUM RESTORATION
The Buzuluk Pine Forest arboretum is a valuable natural site, a testimony to many years of dedicated work of foresters and a location of great scientific, cultural and educational value.
ARBORETUM RESTORATION
The Buzuluk Pine Forest arboretum is a valuable natural site, a testimony to many years of dedicated work of foresters and a location of great scientific, cultural and educational value.
The primary arboretum restoration tasks:
– Clear the territory of non-tree weeds that displace the original flora of the arboretum;
– Pave an ecotrail with wooden decking that would make the location accessible to people with limited mobility;
– Set up an barrier-free environment;
– Set up information boards about the history of the arboretum, the plants found on the trail, as well as trail navigation signs
– Build recreation areas, small landscaping facilities and install of eco-themed art objects;
– Set up comfortable bathrooms;
The primary arboretum restoration tasks:
– Clear the territory of non-tree weeds that displace the original flora of the arboretum;
– Pave an ecotrail with wooden decking that would make the location accessible to people with limited mobility;
– Set up an barrier-free environment;
– Set up information boards about the history of the arboretum, the plants found on the trail, as well as trail navigation signs
– Build recreation areas, small landscaping facilities and install of eco-themed art objects;
– Set up comfortable bathrooms;
We wish you a pleasant viewing! And see you again!
