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Environmental Class at Tsaryov Pond

In early August, the employees of the Museum-Reserve of M.A. Sholokhov told the children attending the health camp of the Sholokhov District children and youth sports school about the rich coastal aquatic vegetation, about the way Cossacks used water bodies in everyday life and about the fishing rules they had.

The summer is in full swing: on hot days people enjoy spending time at the water bodies. And really, how nice it is to swim in a pond, lake or river, to feel a pleasant coolness and enjoy the water landscape. You can see around a wide variety of aquatic and near-water vegetation.

On the shore of an artificial reservoir, which became the prototype of Tsaryov Pond from the novel “And Quiet Flows the Don” by M.A.Sholokhov, through the quotes from the works of the great writer, the children got acquainted with the dominant waterland vegetation, such as lake reeds, bulrush, cattail and mannik. In his works the writer describes picturesquely and in great detail the aquatic Don flora variety. Here is, for example: “The wide leaves of water lilies were spattered with silver streaks like graying hair...” (“The Birthmark”) or more: “In small backwaters, duckweed shone with a welcome girlish smile” (“And Quiet Flows the Don”).

From Sholokhov’s descriptions the children learned about the fish wealth of the rivers and water bodies. The museum workers told the children about the traditions and rules of fishing that existed among the Cossacks.

In the Don region, fishing, especially in fishing places, was carried out in compliance with the queue, the distribution of coastal areas called tonyas. The right to fishing was granted to everyone, subject to certain conditions regarding the place, time and method of fishing. Also, unwritten laws existed in the Don region: for example, you can’t disturb other people’s venters and fishnets with fish, and in spawn periods you can not only fish, but even ring the bells.

The environmental situation of the rivers and lakes, the fish wealth impoverishment was always a matter of a serious concern of M.A. Sholokhov. The writer made a lot of effort and paid great attention to these issues. At present in our region, largely due to the enthusiasm of Mikhail Alexandrovich, there is a specially protected natural area “Sholokhov Lakes”.

Looking back we can see how wisely and carefully our ancestors treated the environment. And we hope that the current generation will follow their suit.

Yevgeniya Kharitonova