Maria with students in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by Joan Garland
ICF colleague, Maria (Masha) Vladimirtseva, traveled from eastern Siberia (Yakutia, Russia) in late May to visit schools in Milwaukee, WI through Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World, an international education project coordinated by ICF and partners in China and Russia. Masha sent us a summary of her experiences during her visit, which highlights the similarities of students among the project countries and the importance of working together to achieve conservation goals.
I visited ICF and Wisconsin schools again in the middle to late May 2010, for education activities, to tell about my country, Yakutia, the most northern part of Siberia, and the Siberian Crane, the third rarest crane species in the world and one of the “Three White Cranes.” Last time I visited American students in 2007, and we worked jointly with Chinese educator, Kang Yun. During this first visit, I was excited by the openness and the interest in China and Siberia that we saw in the Wisconsin children.
This time I was happy to communicate with American children again. I like their interest in a lot of snow in April and permafrost – ice under soil – that they saw in photos in my presentation about Yakutia. They also were surprised about the polar day during all summer and a polar night during total winter. It was unusual for them that people in Yakutia can spend winter just wearing fur clothes, otherwise it is too cold!
I brought some Siberian Crane art from Yakutian students that they prepared specially for American students, and some letters for them, and when I went to Yakutia I had with me many pieces of crane artwork from American students! When I visited Chinese schools together with educator Zhang Juan in 2007, I brought some art for Chinese children from Yakutian students, and then Chinese students presented their art for Yakutian students! So, we have an art exchange between the Three White Crane countries.
I noticed American and Yakutian children draw similarly, and also they have the same questions and reactions during my crane presentation. Everyone thinks scientists should use a net to capture a crane chick! Actually they use a helicopter’s powerful wind to push a chick down to the ground, but it is difficult to guess! American students, as well as Yakutian, could not guess how many years a Siberian Crane can live. It is hard to imagine that they can live almost as people do! About 70 years!
But there was the one small girl in a Milwaukee elementary school, and her question was the best I have ever heard. She saw the photo with Siberian Cranes captured in China on transit stop, living in no good conditions, just for people attraction. They will never be able to incubate eggs and raise chicks in such a tight cage, together with other captured cranes, swans and geese. And this girl asked me: “If we could to do something to help these cranes to release, to be free again?” She wanted to do something to help cranes, she believed she is able! We should develop the same sense that we can do something to dissolve any problem! We should speak about conservation problems and discuss what we can do together, and every child can help with his/her own information which could be expressed with Crane Art. The more people participate the more they are powerful!
ICF China Program 