Forest Club model projects and sites

Parks and manors are cooperation of humans and nature

In May, the activists of ISEU, members of environmental NGO "Oneg" from Velikiy Novgorod, students of Pola school from Parfinsky area of the Novgorod region (North-West of Russia) led ecological and local lore expedition. This expedition was run as a part of the ecological and local lore program "Back to Beginnings", which is included in the Forest campaign of ISEU.

The students from the Pola town together with their teachers researched the history of native places. During several years they found vestiges of five former manors and have begun to collect documents about their former holders.

Parks and manor gardens are a rare example of cooperation between humans and nature that allows to create the genuine works of art. They are also a remarkable object of study both for the historian, and for the art critic, and for the representatives of natural sciences: such areas usually live as sustainanable ecosystems. In the Novgorod region there are for example, manor Vibity once belonged to princes Vasilchikovs, and manor Matveykovo and Rovnushki which belonged to timber industrialist Jeleznov.

For practical lessons two manors were chosen: the manor of counts Zurovs in the village Naljuchi and the manor of noblewoman Shabelskaya both on the bank of the river Pola.

One of the counts, Zurov was the Novgorod military governor. This manor is associated with Pushkin, a great Russian poet and writer. Its neighbourhoods are best described in the well known Pushkin's poetry novel - "Eugeniy Onegin".

There are so-called "monogram" ponds in the manor, which were dug in the shape of the initials of the owners.

Up to this time students from Pola school have researched the history of manors basically using documents. Now the activists of ISEU told them how they can lead practical local lore work in former manors and parks, and to what signs they should pay attention to enable them to restore a picture of the past.

For example, if a holders' house is not saved in a manor, the place where it was can be found by location of an entrance alley, because its signs usually stay rather long, as a rule the entrance alley has a precise direction - from the east to the west, like in the French parks of XVIII century.

It is important for young researchers to know how to define an age of plantings and their species, to know how to measure and to describe them. It is necessary also to pay attention if among trees and bushes there are species unusual to the nature of Russia, to the Russian climate, such as cedar, fir-tree, larch, acacia, and other bushes, which obviously were brought into the manor.

Using an example of the manor of Zurovs, the researchers learned to draw a plan of the area of the former manor. Students found vestiges, landscape parks, foundation of the house, residual of a paved road which led to the house and of Alpine hills, old tangle of bushes around of ponds, ancient oak which grew near the house, remains of apple garden, and also the part of lime alley. Unfortunately, part of the trees were clear-cut in XX century.

From the manor of Shabelskaya, there was less remaining. However, the students discovered the foundations of several buildings. Now it is also possible to find pond, an entrance alley and a fruit garden. After half a day of work the researchers drew an approximate plan, which describe what the manors would have looked like.

Lessons outside with students were conducted: ecological journalism and practical field researches. The big attention was paid to a problem of herb fires. This year in the entire Novgorod region hundreds hectares of soil have been burnt because of fires on a dry herb, the forests have also suffered. During the lessons the students themselves had to put out little herb fire which arose directly on their sight. At the end of expedition two young ash-trees were planted in ancient seniors' alley on the bank of the river.

One of our ideas for the future, is to make a place for constant practice, for lessons of environmental study, botany and biology. The students have decided to work in the manors together with local school students (for example, to plant trees, to restore Alpine hills, to designate places of tracks and buildings).

The ecological and local lore work in former manors will continue. The students are going to return to the banks of the Pola in August. It is also planned to conduct the humanitarian research school both for the schoolboys, and for the students of high schools.