Taiga Ranger Station, Forest Lake, And Armored Train Become Geographical Dictation Venues

The Geographical Dictation of 2023, which took place on November 19 in 110 countries of the world, was taken not only in educational institutions, museums or libraries. The most seemingly unexpected places became the venues for the educational campaign of the Russian Geographical Society. Among them was a taiga ranger station, a shore of a forest lake, an ecological trail, and even a real armored train. The organizational skills and creativity of the activists of the regional branches of the Russian Geographical Society, who have prepared a genuine holiday for geography lovers, cause well-deserved admiration.

The Geographical Dictation on an armored train

An unusual venue for the Geographical Dictation was organized by the Tula Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. The educational campaign of the Russian Geographical Society was held in one of the armored train cars at the Moscow Railway Station in Tula.

The history of the armored train No. 13 “Tulskiy Rabochiy” is inextricably linked with the heroic defense of Tula during the Great Patriotic War. The fortress on wheels, built by local railway workers, defended the approaches to its hometown in 1941. Now there is a military memorial complex on the Moscow Railway Station square, which includes the reconstructed armored train. An exhibition recreating the atmosphere of the war years is open to visitors.

The Tula Museum Association and the territorial administration of the Moscow Railway supported the initiative of holding the Geographical Dictation in one of the cars. The venue was able to host 20 participants of the educational campaign of the Russian Geographical Society.

Svetlana Zelenina, a member of the Russian Geographical Society, became the organizer of the Geographical Dictation in the car of the armored train decorated in Soviet retro style. According to the participants of the event, the 45 minutes allotted for the test flew by unnoticed, and the impressions remained unforgettable.

At the Taiga Ranger Station

In the Republic of Buryatia, one of the 106 Geographical Dictation venues was a ranger station in a picturesque place, 10 km from the village of Bolshoy Kunalei. Descendants of Old Believers have been living here since the second half of the 18th century. The ranger station is a cozy building suitable for wintering; there is a small Old Believers' chapel, and many interesting natural attractions nearby. Innokenty Peskov job is to protect and reproduce hunting resources in this territory. He was pleased to support the initiative of the Republic of Buryatia Branch of the Russian Geographical Society to conduct the Dictation in an unusual environment.

The Geographical Dictation at the ranger station was taken by the researchers from the Baikal Institute of Nature Management SB RAS, the teachers from Dorji Banzarov Buryat State University, the teachers and students from the Tarbagatay Branch of the Baikal College of Tourism and Service, the school teachers from Ulan-Ude, as well as lovers of tourism and winter hikes. The educational campaign of the RGS was conducted according to all the rules. A pleasant addition to it was hot tea from an old samovar with local honey, as well as the famous "Tarbagatay" bacon, fried on a fire.

The participants of the event not only answered the questions of the RGS’s educational campaign in a real taiga winter quarters, but also made an exciting trip to the spurs of the Tsagan-Daban Ridge. On the observation deck, in the area of the Sleeping Lion natural monument, in the vicinity of the village of Tarbagatay, they organized a small lecture on geography and history of the surrounding area for schoolchildren from Irkutsk.

Then there was an ascent to the complex of buttes of the Luzhkoviye Gates and Luzhkovoy Stone in the cedar taiga. Before climbing the 20-meter cliff, a wooden ladder had to be repaired and safety ropes pulled. From the top, the bravest members of the group had a wonderful view of the surrounding ridges and the valley of the Kunaleika River. The participants of the Geographical Dictation installed sensors to monitor the air temperature, inspected the natural monument, and determined the work necessary for its improvement.

At the Reserve

In the Sverdlovsk Region, the Geographical Dictation was taken on the top of Veselaya Mountain at the Visimskiy Biosphere Reserve. Here, in the remote taiga, the participants of the trip along the Great Ural Trail answered the questions of the educational campaign of the Russian Geographical Society. Among them were foreign students from the Russian language club of the V. G. Belinsky Regional Library.

The unusual venue was organized with the support of the Sverdlovsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. The participants of the Geographical Dictation were taken to the taiga on SUVs by the members of the auto travelers club “Ural Pokatushki”. At the end of the event, Alexandra Khlopotova, Deputy Director of the Visimskiy Nature Reserve for Research and Environmental Education, conducted an excursion along the ecological trail for the guests.

Geographical Village

The unusual venues for the Geographical Dictation were organized by activists of the Bryansk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, Natalia Koryagina, Svetlana Vaganova, and Tatiana Golskaya. The educational event took place in the village of Domoshovo, almost all residents of which answered the test questions.

One of the venues was at a local school, where students and their teachers gathered. The second one was opened in the village house of culture. Here the Geographical Dictation was taken by elderly residents of the settlement. But the most interesting place for the educational campaign of the RGS was Svyatoye Lake, where a team of young people headed to early in the morning.

The participants of the hike tested their knowledge of the geography and history of Russia in a dense forest on the shore of the lake. Then the young activists cleared the surrounding area of the reservoir of garbage and put in order the tourist group stops after the summer season. In addition, material was prepared for creating an ecological trail here.

The Geographical Dictation ended with a tea party with homemade cakes in the village house of culture. It was carefully prepared by the grandmothers, who together with everyone answered the questions of the RGS’s test. The meeting of several generations lasted until the evening. The stories of the experienced travelers and songs of different years were heard at the general celebration.

Alexander Zhirnov