Posted by Leah Zimmerman

Last year I wrote of Sosnovka as “being in the epicenter of something great, of witnessing a movement coming into its own.” I wrote those words just one day before Misha Jones’ passing. Losing Misha, who held us together and pushed us forward in so many quiet ways, could so easily have brought discouragement, could have easily caused Sosnovka to stumble or fade with time. Instead, a stronger, more mature and more enduring Sosnovka has emerged.

The maturity we glimpsed this year at Sosnovka comes with the passing of seasons, both bright and dark. How easy it is to grow weary in this work, to lose oneself. But Sosnovka defies, linking us together and driving us forward with a million threads of friendship and partnership.

The defining moment of this year’s Sosnovka was the awarding of the first annual Misha Jones Award to Sergei Shapkhaev from the Buryat Regional Organization for Baikal for his community-based work to empower people in remote communities. Like Misha, Sergei never passes up a chance to help out a leader from a distant village, offering an encouraging word or piece of technical advice. The applause that erupted when Sergei’s name was announced for the award was intense and sustained, offering sweet release for hidden thoughts and emotions.

Sustained by memories of Misha’s wit, intellect, and life fully sacrificed for Russia’s people and wilderness, Sosnovka carries on. This year we welcomed participants from previously forgotten regions—Chukotka, Tuva, and the Jewish Autonomous Region. We rallied behind Aleksei and Sasha from Krasnoyarsk, brave defenders of the Angara River who were falsely accused of extremist activities this spring, but were ultimately vindicated in court. We feverishly planned campaigns for the coming year and forged brave new partnerships between indigenous and environmental organizations. And yes, oh how we soaked up the beauty of fall in Primorye and cherished every moment in such rich company!

Sosnovka 2008

Posted by the Russia Team

For the first half dozen years of Sosnovka’s existence, we endured annual discussions about whether or not to formalize the coalition’s structure and makeup. Ten years after the coalition’s humble beginnings, this question is moot. The effectiveness of Sosnovka lies not just in the trust and friendship forged between coalition members over the span of ten years, but also in the fiercely informal nature of the group. With Pacific Environment acting as gatekeeper and facilitator, Sosnovka is able to quickly and effectively address all of the major environmental threats facing communities in Siberia and the Russian Far East. From major infrastructure projects like dams and oil pipelines to illegal logging and salmon poaching, Sosnovka has its hands in every major issue.

Pacific Environment staff members who are experienced in the ways of Sosnovka know to store up on sleep before the Russia Team’s mass exodus to Sosnovka; we know that the best conversations and moments of genius are not restricted to the 9am-9pm official meeting times. This year, the meeting took place on the shores of Lake Baikal, majestic and stunning in her fall splendor. By all accounts, Sosnovka 2008 was more effective—and more fun—than any ever before. Here are a few accounts from our staff:

“It’s overwhelming really, the feeling of being in the epicenter of something great, of witnessing a movement coming into its own. After four days of intense work and fun with many of my professional heroes, the connection and loyalty I feel for these people and our joint work is weighty.” – Leah Zimmerman, Russia Program Director

“Everyone at Sosnovka is different, coming from unique cultural and professional backgrounds, and with the widest range of ideas and perspectives one can possibly imagine. No matter how heated the discussions were, how tired everyone felt, and how many thousands of miles separated their homes, they all shared two things—their deep, unconditional love for their vast and beautiful country, Russia, and their unspoken understanding that this love drives them all, together, as children of one family.” – Meerim Kylychbekova, Russia Program Associate

“Scientists, ecologists, activists, and a blend of every other -ist gathering
Once a year, in one location
Stretching 24-hour days, with 10-minute discussion warnings and the red-marker skull & bones to end verbosity,
Never losing the urgency of community dedication to
Overcoming the weight of an overburdened planet, with an occasional late-night pause for
Vodka-sipping, guitar-strumming, and hearts-a-brimming toasts to the
Kaleidoscope of save-the-world resolutions and personal life infusions—
An experience whose heart we tenderly ration for 364 days before the next.”
– Kore  Gleason, Russia Program Associate

I was there attending the 7th annual meeting of the Sosnovka coalition, attended by 28 activists representing 27 of the leading Siberian and Russian Far Eastern environmental organizations. It’s essentially one big pep rally/strategy session/social event.

Listvennaya (population <100, aka Leafy in English) is about 350 km north of Vladivostok, deep in a deciduous forest stretching millions of acres, home to the Siberian tiger, a few remaining Amur leopards, and lots of other wildlife.

During the opening dinner, our host, Vladimir, rose to his feet to welcome us and make a few announcements. I paraphrase:

1. “There are tigers here. They will chew on you, but usually you’ll live.”
2. “There are bears here. Himalayans (the ones with the white collars) are nasty and will eat you. Brown bears, well, respect them too, and they’ll probably leave you alone.”
3. “Electricity is available all but 4 hours daily. Plan accordingly.”
4. “The banya* is available around the clock. It is co-ed and there is no dress code. If the company doesn’t ‘work’ for you, come back later.”
5. “There are no other rules.”

Vladimir Aramilev is founder and director of the Institute for Sustainable Nature Use, as well as creator of the “resort” where we reside. Among other programs, his organization conducts independent surveying and monitoring of key species in the region, mainly salmon, leopards, and tigers. The resort fulfills two central tenets of their conservation philosophy—1) enlisting support from those that would use these lands (hunters, fishermen, local residents), and 2) educating those same people to live harmoniously and sustainably, taking only what can be replaced or regrown.

This meeting, celebrating its seventh year, is always quite the gathering. The conservation community here in Russia is pretty extensive and has existed in one form or another for decades. Most of the participants, who have arrived from places like Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Anadyr, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and even Moscow, have known and worked cooperatively for years. Within minutes of arrival, people are catching up on the latest environmental events, social gossip, and general networking.

Over the next 5 days we discussed everything from oil/gas development, mining impacts, organizational sustainability and fundraising, fisheries management, and forestry management. My eyes only glazed over during a few intensely technical discussions of legal loopholes and wordsmithing on letter-writing. All in all, it was a great event. This year, we even managed to make the time for two “field trips.”

Expedition number one was to visit a nearby river swimming hole. Brrr! Russians are much more cold tolerant than I am, I must say. That said, we were in a beautiful canyon, with nice warm rocky outcroppings upon which to sun ourselves. I have a number of pictures of our group lounging like sea lions in a rookery. We probably made enough noise to sound like them.

Trip number two saw us out to the beach on the shores of the Sea of Japan. There’s a sea in which I’ve never before swum! Not that I swam, but I did wade and narrowly avoided being swamped by several waves. A few of my colleagues were not so lucky, but lived to tell. While there, just over the dunes in a swampy area, we found the fresh tracks of a mid-sized tiger. Very cool and a little nervous-making, as our group’s tiger expert said they were just a few hours old. I spent the rest of my time on the beach, trying not to feel like a hunted deer and earnestly scanning the tree-line for signs of the tiger.

*Banya=bath house extraordinaire