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Magical time off place

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Lake Kirpichka is a favorite place for relaxation and children’s entertainment for Uzhhorod residents. Vodoima, which is located between Zankovetska and Minayska streets, is known to almost all the locals. Some people call it Lake Kirpichka, others name it a clay pit. The lake was actually formed due to the mining of clay, next to which was a brick factory for its production.

On June 27th, TRENSCY teachers along with youths and children of IDP visited Lake Kirpichka in order to study aquatic flora and fauna. Oleksandr Gerevych, director of the Transcarpathian Regional Ecological and Naturalistic Center for Students Youth (TRENSCY), held a conversation with youth about waterfowl and their diversity. He emphasized that you can meet a lot of birds here: swans, coots, moorhens, mallards. Youngsters had the opportunity to observe wild ducks, which are now having nestlings as well you can see coots. The children immediately recognized them by the bald forehead on their heads. Youngsters fed the birds with breadcrumbs and chopped vegetables. It was appealing to watch how the young coots ate reed leaves with an appetite. From the Internet, the children learned that reeds are good fodder, especially for horses and foals. It turns out, and for coots too.

The bank strip of the lake is covered with bulrushes and reeds. Olga Velychkanych said that reed is one of the oldest building materials. It has proven itself perfectly in any climatic conditions as a roofing material. Reed has the highest silicon content among other plants in our region. Silicon gives the reed resistance to damage by bacteria and insects, leading to water disinfection, but at the same time, it makes the plant highly flammable.

Oksana Strychko, head of the “Young Ecologists” group, drew attention to the symbol of our Ukraine – the willow tree studying the biodiversity of the flora. There are two types of willow growing here – a sharp-leaved willow and a Matsuda willow. By the way, as Yulianna Kurak, head of the “Young Foresters” group, noted, in order to speed up the rooting of cuttings, you can add chopped willow branches to the water. The children also drew attention to the fact that other types of trees grow around the lake, namely: ash, small-leaved linden, aspen, walnut, cherry plum, and sumach tree.

The children made a tour around the lake and pointed out the harm human activity brings to nature. After all, vacationers leave behind garbage that pollutes the environment. By guessing riddles, young people were able to repeat the rules of behavior in nature. As true protectors of nature, teachers, and students of the eco-center participate in cleaning parks and reservoir banks of garbage every year. So, last fall, before World Cleaning Day, they tidied up the territory of the “Victory” Park adjacent to the lake. More than fifty children and adults collected a large amount of garbage left behind by “vacationers”. Young nature lovers pointed out that this place is beautiful but in a rather negligible state!

The young people mentioned that they had repeatedly seen marsh turtles, newts, water rats, Canadian catfish, kingfishers, dragonflies, and other animals here, and told them interesting facts about these animals. The participants solved anagrams and eco-crosswords in order to consolidate their knowledge and considered what needs to be done to make this place a real place of rest, clean and orderly. Since the excursion took place on the eve of Constitution Day, the children drew patriotic pictures in which they depicted their love for Ukraine, pride, and faith in victory on the way to independence.

At the end of the educational excursion, young people, as sincere ecologists, cleaned the recreation area, collecting garbage in the bags. So for now, the young people have remembered the main thing –prevent the lake from turning into a swamp, preserve its fauna and flora, and not pollute the environment!

The event was held as part of the cooperation of TRENSCY with the Institute of Ecological and Religious Studies – IERS (headed by Alexander Bokotey) and the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU Bundesverband NABU International ), project coordinator Ivan TymofeievNataliya Kulya (IERS).

Informational Service of IERS

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