In Odessa, from 9 till 12 February 2012, at the exhibition hall of the Odessa Museum of Western and Oriental Art, at Pushkinskaya, 9 will take place the exhibition of violets dedicated to St. Valentine’s Day. The exhibition is organized by the Odessa Regional Club of collectors of violets Veles.

   At the exhibition you can see more than a thousand varieties of violets, evaluate the work of collectors, who managed to grow and present plants. The exhibition will be attended by collectors from all over Ukraine.

   At the spacious exposition hall of the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern art, you can also see pictures of famous Ukrainian and foreign artists. I would like to note that building of the Museum is an architectural monument and is located in the heart of the city.

   We hope that visiting the exhibition, citizens of Odessa and guests of the city will receive aesthetically pleasing, enhance their spiritual and moral level, come in contact with the hand-made beauty and the world of beauty created by nature, will present a holiday to beloved people.

   Regional Club of collectors of violets Veles holds an exhibition in support of the Odessa Museum of Western and Oriental Art.

Contact telephone number 067 301 82 53 Natalia Kiosya

Odessa Museum of Western and Oriental Art Museum Address:
Odessa, Pushkinskaya, 9
Telephone of the museum: 38 (048) 724-67-46
Tel.fax 38 (048) 722-48-15
Opened: 10.00-18.00

   The city authorities decided to eliminate Odessa orphanage № 2 till March 16, 2012 in which now are more than 40 children.

Employees of orphanage sent letters to all instances with a request to leave the institution to help destitute children. Letters were sent to the mayor Aleksey Kostusev, Sergey Kivalov, Gennady Truhanov, and other deputies from political parties.

- There are no money for meals for children the shelter — informed us by phone employees of the orphanage. — Tomorrow the sanstation will check us. The bus on which we took children on the medical inspection was taken away from us. Children continue to come, and no transport. In this cold and frosty weather we were left without a bus. Although the decision of session on the elimination of orphanage no and we have to be financed properly. Children are handed hastily to relatives, without evaluating the opportunities to care for them.

   February 2, 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar was signed the international treaty — the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance as Waterfowl Habitat. The Convention is the main mechanism of protection of wetlands at the international level. Ukraine joined the Convention, signed by 159 countries in 1996. Total list of Wetlands of International Importance entered 1869 ​​objects with a total area 1.836 million square kilometers. In Ukraine there are 33 territories meeting the requirements the Ramsar Convention. 8 of them are in the Odessa region: Lake Kartal, Lake Kugurluy, Chilia Lake, the northern part of the Dniester estuary, Lake Sasyk, the lake system Shagany-Alibey-Burnas, Tiligul estuary, Interfluve of Dniester and Turunchuk.

   To the international Day of wetlands Odessa Branch of the Ukrainian Society of the Protection of Birds has organized sightseeing tour along the shores of Kuyal’nyk and Sukhoi Liman. Members of the Board UOOP Ph.D. Rusev Ivan Trofimovich, docents Kurochkin Sergei Leonidovich and Korzyukov Anatoliy Ivanovich told about the representatives of the bird kingdom of Odessa region and the challenges faced by Society for the Conservation of Nature.

— First of all, — said Anatoly Korzyukov — we must understand that the preservation of wetlands, it is not an exclusive deal amateur ornithologists. This is an important national problem, because in these places spend the winter or stop for a short rest hundreds of thousands of birds. Native habitats, some of them are located for tens of thousands of kilometers from Odessa. And their monitoring is necessary because they indicative of the state of ecological systems and climate change in general.

— Reducing the number of guests or wintering birds may indicate degradation of wetlands. And this is a huge filter, which absorb carbon dioxide produced in the process of human life and industrial activity. One man, for example, annually allocates up to one and a half tons of carbon dioxide. The preservation of these lands is already struggle to maintain comfortable living conditions of man — says Ivan Trofimovich Rusev. — Giving to these territories the status of national parks provides a legal basis for and the protection and development. For example, Kuyal’nitskiy estuary is a unique destination for migratory birds. In addition, the sanatorium complex «Kuyal’nyk» and proximity to Odessa create excellent conditions for green tourism.

   Kurochkin Sergei Leonidovich:

— Investigation of the behavior of birds in natural habitat, can detect changes in the migration card of migratory birds. Bioakustic studies allow us to elaborate methods of scaring birds from important sites. For example, at one time, we developed a program to oust the jackdaws and rooks from the street Pushkinskaya to outskirts of the city. In some years, on the branches of plane trees on this street was going up to 40 000 birds, and their secretion for the day reached 200 g of litter per 1 square meter. Protection of monuments of architecture is no small problem. In the Odessa airport finally appeared full-time unit engineer- ornithologist. Cases of aircraft collisions with birds are not so rare, and the impact force of kilogram gulls up to several tons. Daily flights of seagulls from landfill to the sea are made by traditional routes. Thus, the preservation, study and living space relationship of birds and human incredibly important to us.

   During a visit to Sukhoi Liman Kuyal’nyk and the organizers of the tour told us about the diversity of birds in this region, a little bit about the plants and rodents, and despite the windy and frosty weather, even shown someone.

   At Kuyalnik estuary, when we appeared, in the air rose a big flock of shelduck — 4000, experts counted right there without any optics, and adding machines. Another name is galogaz. It is burrow or hillock duck. It nests in burrows. Areal is steppes and semideserts, as well as shore of the seas and salt lakes from Transbaikal region to the Ukraine. It is migratory bird, but at Kuyal’nyk tidy living all year round thanks to an extensive food base. Also feel freely on the waves of Kuyal’nitskiy estuary, tufted duck, red-crested pochard and gulls-headed Gull.

   On the banks of the estuary grows in the Wild tulip of Schrenk. It is considered one of the founders of the first cultural varieties, known since the end of the XVI century. In Russia it is listed in the Red Book. It is strictly forbidden collecting of plants to bouquets and digging of bulbs, selling flowers and bulbs. Tulip patches of Kuyalnik comprise 10 000 copies, only yellow. Flowering is from late April to late May, fruiting is in June.

   On the way from Kuyalnik estuary through Tatarka to Sukhoy Lyman, Ivan Rusev showed us winter flats of Mound mouse:

   Mound Mouse behaves as usual during the warm season. On the approach of cold weather, they — instead of to go to people or in extreme cases, into buildings for animals — in the heat — stay on the field. They combine into a family of 10-12 individuals and pour mounds up to half a meter in diameter up to 2-3 meters. At the bottom they equip granary and stock up for the winter with crops of the nearby field. In the research excavations in them were detected a few buckets of selected rice, corn or sorghum. In one such mound was discovered unique hibernating family. It consisted of 16 animals of 6 different species of mice and a pair of shrews in boot. Strong frosts have joined in underground attics representatives of different kinds, without any antagonistic contradictions.

   Driving along Sukhoi Liman, from the headwaters to the ferry we notice on the ice-free water area the swans, herons and gray ducks. Swans are indifferent to the appearance of people on the bank, herons, just in case, fly away. At the ferry we saw young people which held in hands ruffled up seagull. Warming itself in a room, she immediately returned to his brothers.

   The seagulls headed Gull also were scurrying over the swans. They were isolated from type of herring gulls into a separate type. Visually are different, primarily yellow pads. With climate change and growing anthropogenic influence of man to environment habits of birds also change. It has long begun to notice that gulls, instead of nesting on braids of estuaries, began to settle on the roofs of houses. First it was noticed in Germany and the Baltic, then in Bulgaria and Turkey. Last year, the first pair of gulls had settled on the roof of 2nd high school in Odessa. Whether they reach out to the warmth, or whether are get used to people.

   Systematic observations of bird behavior allow making some interesting conclusions about global warming and the age of the birds.

   In December among whooper swan on Budakskiy estuary was noticed pink flamingo, previously not hibernating in the Odessa region. Local residents claimed that they were 3-4. Red-breasted Goose from Taymyr, previously wintered on the Caspian Sea, and now they are here, in water reservoirs of Odessa region.

   It was believed that in the wild swans live 19 years, in captivity — 21, but 5 years ago, here, at the ferry was found a pair of swans with collars. They had been ringed 26 years ago. Thus, at the time of detection, their age was 28 years.

   Here ringing is carried out mainly on the island Zmeinyy, during birds flight, before, up to 45 000 per year, now much smaller.

   Experts from the Society for Protection of Birds are constantly conduct monitoring and registration of birds. Total All-Ukrainian society consists of 800 active members, not counting groups. For example, a school teacher is the member of the society, but the whole class participates in actions. In view of all assistants, the number of bird lovers in Ukraine is estimated at 15-17 thousand. This is sufficient to fully participate in many international programs.

/ Potapov Igor /

   Land for the establishment of the reserve, and it is about 10 000 hectares, has been reserved yet seventeen years ago. One of the problems of creating such a park is its location in the territory of three districts and 6 rural councils. This hinders the creation of Kuyal’nitskiy National Park. Although session of the Odessa Regional Council has already adopted its decision to support this project, a final agreement, especially at the local level, has not been achieved. The district authorities are scared by statement of the national park, as the reserve, with all its environmental requirements.

   The second problem — the shallowing of the estuary and change of its salt composition — caused by the construction on the rivers flowing into it, and especially the Big Kuyal’nyk, of dams and diversion of water for rural-needs. This issue will be considered at the next session of the City Council. One of the solutions is seen the creation of Yacht Club with the gateway-equipped channel at the isthmus between the sea and Kuyalnik estuary. This will allow dropping sea water into the estuary to raise its level in the winter time. The historical experience is available, and it is favorable for the preservation of water and salt balance of Kuyalnik estuary. In dry years, when the river Big Kuyal’nyk dryed up, the area of the reservoir decreased by almost half. And then, twice, in 1907 and 1925 in order to save the estuary from drying, into it, through specially dug canals ran sea water.

   The third problem consists of the production of sand on the slopes of the estuary. This leads to destruction and loss of recreational resources of the reservoir. For approaches of dump-trucks the mouth of Little Kuyal’nyk is blocked by bulk, which prevents the ingress of flood waters into the estuary to supplement the water balance.

   Creation of Wetland Park Kuyal’nyk at the national level is the only way to save the pond with its unique flora and fauna. During migration of birds Kuyal’nyk accumulates up to 50 000 migratory birds.

   Around Kuyal’nyk preserved unique sites of feather-grass steppe. Here find Gymnospermous Odesskiy (Odesskaya leontitsa) — endemic, growing mainly in Odessa area, spring lychnis, marsh iris, tulip Schrenk, mouse hyacinth.

   Kuyalnik is the estuary in the northwest of coast of [Odessa Bay] Black Sea, 5 km from Odessa. Its area is ​​56-60 km ²; length is 28 km, maximum width is — 3 km. Average depth is about 3 m (0.5 to 7 m). It is separated from the sea by spit width up to 3 km. The salinity of water at the present time is about 75 ppm. In the estuary falls the river Great Kuyal’nyk. In the area of Kuyal’nitskiy estuary is located the lowest point in Ukraine: -5 m (minus) above sea level.

   From fauna can be found large whip snake and the four-stripe whip snake, a badger, polecat steppe, fox, stone marten. Especially diversified world of birds. On the islands in the lower and the upper of estuary form their settlements thousands of colonial birds: terns, gulls and sandpipers. Particoloured and river terns avocet and the Red Book sandpipers-stilt, sea plovers, pratincole also make their nests here. During migration meet gray crane, demoiselle crane, black stork, large and medium curlews, and one of the most neglected birds of Ukraine — avdotka. Kuyal’nyk is the areal of constant habitation for shelduck. It is the unique burrow bird that settles in burrows on the slopes of the estuary. Their number comes up to 7-8 000.