Sponsoring Teacher: Svitlana Dyka, School-Gymnasium # 31 Kirovohrad Ukraine 2011

THE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: School-Gymnasium #31, Kirovohrad, UkraineSchool-Gymnasium #31, Kirovohrad, Ukraine Gymnasium#1, Starye Dorogi, BelarusGymnasium#1, Starye Dorogi, Belarus University Prep, Seattle, Washington, the USAUniversity Prep, Seattle, Washington, the USA

The world of plants and animals plays an extremely important role in the life of people on our planet Earth. That’s why we invite you to make the acquaintance with the most exciting sights of nature, different species of animals, birds and plants in such countries as Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, the USA and Canada. You are welcome to this marvelous trip!

WEB OF LIFE An invisible web, As fragile as dreams, Links mountains to forests And rivers to streams. Through woodlands and forests; Where seas flow and ebb, Over ice caps and deserts, Life weaves a great web. From plankton to whales, All life great and small Depends on each other. Life’s web links us all. And we must take care Of each gossamer thread, For we are all part of This great world wide web. By Jane Clarke

The motto: “Save Our Environment!” THE STATE WONDERS OF NATURE

You are invited to make a journey on the protected corners of nature of our beloved Kirovogradschina. On its territory there are 7 parks, that are sights of the garden and park art of the end of XIX century, 42 reserves and 30 preserved natural boundaries.

Sun sets over a lake in the Kirovohrad Oblast countryside Wildflowers grow where no fields have been sown Close up of flowers Much of Kirovohrad Oblast is taken up by grain fields due to the rich chernozem soil The land belongs to everyone and no one A scenic riverbend Looking towards a stream Poppies

Onufrievski Park Park Dendropark “Veseli Bokovenky” “Veseli Bokovenky” “Veseli Bokoven’ki” is a park of the end of XIX century, situated in the village Ivanivka in Dolinskii district of Kirovogradskii region. Its territory occupies 109 hectares. There are 800 kinds of exotic trees and bushes in it. Onufrіїvs'kiy park is a sight of the garden and park art.

The State Landscape Reserve “Chornolisky” The territory of Chornilisky Zakaznik is 8 thousand hectares. The site is one of the largest broadleaved woodlands in the forest- steppe zone of Ukraine. This area is an important part of the perspective national park “Dmytrivsko- Chornoliskyi. It includes a lake with one of the most southern peat- moss mires in the Eastern Europe. One can find plants there which enter in “The Red Book”.

Belarus is a very green country. Natural vegetation covers 93.1% of the land, and 1/3 of all green landscape is forest. In Belarus forest, 28 types of trees as well as around 70 types of shrubberies can be found. They include: Birch (across the country) Pine (across the country) Conifers (northern areas) Oak ( southern areas) Belarus is situated on a plain rising to hills, the highest of which is Dzierzhinsky Hill (350m).

There are five National Parks in Belarus, protected by the State. Their work has been recognized and supported by UNESCO Belavezhskaya Pushcha is in the Brest region, 340km to the southwest of Minsk. It is a home to many ancient oak trees dating back more than 500 years, as well as venerable ash, pine and fir trees.  This park was established in 1995 among the beautiful lakes of the Vitebsk region in the north- west of Belarus.

Narachansky National Park in the Minsk region of Belarus was established in  Pripyatsky National park lies in the Gomel region in the south of the country, 250km from Minsk. Berezenskyi National park is situated in the north of Belarus. 120km from Minsk. It was created to protect rare animals.

Mount Rainier is located 54 miles away from the city of Seattle. Mount Rainier is the most prominent volcano in the United States of America. Mount Rainier has an elevation of 14,411 feet. Mount Rainier is a very large stratovolcano. Mount Rainier National Park Columbia River The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains in Canada. It flows northwest then south into the U.S. State of Washington. The river is 1,243 miles long.

Puget Sound is located in the state of Washington in the United States of America. It is a complex estuary. It has a close connection to other waterways. It is connected to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean. Puget Sound This is mountain range is on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Located in Western Washington in the U.S. This mountain range is not very large in height. The tallest of them all is only 7,962 feet tall. Olympic Mountains