An Oasis of the Future
A kin's domain - is it not a dream? A kin's domain of land granted for lifelong possession with the right to transfer it by inheritance, without any taxation of the land or the harvest. Is this a fairy tale? A fantasy? Not at all. Students of the Saratov University of Sociology and Economics believe that the kin's domain can solve such pervasive problems for Russia as unemployment, bribery, corruption, terrorism, divorce, a drop in the birth rate, an aggravation of the ecological situation, a worsening in the health of the nation, the fertility of soils, the quality of food products....
"For a period of centuries Russia has been trying to solve these problems, but thus far the result has been pitiful, the situation in the country only deteriorates with each passing day. It is possible to cope with all these problems. A way has been found, and it is called the 'kin's domain,'" confidently declare the authors of draft legislation respecting kin's domains and villages. The authors - M. Ermilova, I. Krasnova, and O. Savenko - were among the winners of a law students' contest for the best legislative initiative for the Oblast and State Duma. The contest was organized by the deputies of the Oblast Duma as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the parliamentary system in Russia.
How to solve global problems and, from a legislative perspective, organize one's idea, and bring it to life, was described by the students in detail and, honestly, in a very interesting way (which is why we are dwelling on this draft legislation) in the eleven sections of the their paper.
Just imagine.... People living on their kin's domains can choose whether they will work for low wages or not. The majority of people will have the opportunity to leave a boring and low-paying job without hesitation and to work on their plot of land with greater benefit for themselves. As a result, a demand is created in the labor market, and the businessman will have to pay his workers more. In addition, people who have received land not for a short-term lease but for lifelong possession will strive to restore the soils and to use everything that is better and useful, and causes less harm to the environment. They will not start to add pesticides or chemical fertilizers to the soil, or to raise contaminated products. With regard to demography, out of more than 2000 persons surveyed, 1995 answered that, if they had a kin's domain, they would want to have no fewer than two children, and rather three or more. Where does this desire come from? "Because people who are creating a wonderful, living oasis understand that they are creating something eternal, and want their children to rejoice in life," answer the students. By the way, they anticipate another question: "But where can we get that much land, so there will be enough for everyone?" First, not all people will want to have kin's domains for themselves. Second, one kin's domain may be home to an entire family consisting of several generations.
How can this not be a way to save Russia? But most of all, it was a pleasure to read this draft legislation - it was written in a language that was lively and emotional, not bureaucratic. Perhaps this style has a future?
There is no doubt that there will soon be a promising change of parliamentarians. Young people are not simply energetic, active, and inventive, they are intelligent and competent. They know all too well what problems are worth solving at present in the society and how to solve them. The have proved this not only with their competitive work, but also with their intelligent speeches at an inter-university "round table" that recently took place at the provincial parliament. At this event, the authors of the draft legislation respecting kin's domains received well-deserved awards from Pavel Bolshedanov, the Speaker of the Duma. And they were not the only ones. The contest committee also noted the papers of N. Malyugina and N. Denisova (Saratov State University of Economics) entitled "The social support of young families requiring housing," and of S. Katusheva (Saratov State Academy of Law) entitled "The mobility of citizens."
Natalia Kotova
http://www.nedelia.ru/
Wonderful!
Cossack Kin's Villages will be revived in Siberia
Natalia Graf, Omsk Oblast
Print version, Rossiyskaya Gazeta [Russian newspaper] - Priirtyshe, No. 4620 dated 25 March 2008
The village Generalovka in Odessa Oblast was the site of a gathering of the chiefs of Cossack military associations stationed on the territory of Siberia. A decision was made to create a Council for Cossack Affairs with the fully authorized representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Siberian Federal District.
Anatoliy Kvashnin himself, the authorized representative of the President of Russia, came to the meeting with the Cossacks.
"We have great hopes for the revival of Cossack villages in the country," he addressed the chiefs. "Siberia was opened up by your ancestors, and I hope that the real Cossack spirit has not disappeared from the local villages. For that reason, we shall today discuss the problems associated with the development of Cossack village societies and speak about the prospects for cooperation."
"Wonderful!" All the chiefs together voiced their support of the representative.
Historically, the Siberian Cossack troops guarded the borders of the homeland, and in return received land allotments from the Russian government. In the words of Anatoliy Kvashnin, the time has come to restore good traditions that have been forgotten. Cossacks must participate not only in the patriotic military training of young people, but also in guard activities in the border area, the conservation of forest and water resources, and the guaranteeing of ecological security. The formation of Cossack kin's domains on the land will restore life to neglected Siberian villages and will raise agriculture from the depths to which it has fallen.
"The history of the Cossack village of Generalovka in this regard is unique," noted the representative, and advised the chiefs to follow the readily available experience of the Omsk Cossacks.
The Cossack village really looks interesting. In only a few years, Staff-Captain Grigoriy Ostapchenko and his comrades-in-arms have succeeded in converting the village, which had collapsed after perestroika, into one of the leading Cossack villages in Russia.
"We undertook the creation of kin's domains so that the strong houses we built and the gardens we planted alongside them would forever bind the young people and not let this little homeland perish," says the chief. "Of course, it was incredibly difficult at the beginning. The former chairman of the collective farm was too stingy to give us even a plow. We lived in a paramilitary condition, worked without any rest. But the result is worth it."
Today a peasant farm holding has been organized in Generalovka, where more than two hundred Cossacks work under Ostapchenko's leadership. The association protects the forest and hunting areas, it sows fields and raises cattle.
"Last year we decided to take up fish-breeding as well," says Ostapchenko. "People laughed at us - has anyone ever seen fishing flourish in the steppe? But for a real Cossack, fear might be in his eyes, but his hands do the job. We filled a dried-up lake with water, dug out ponds, released young fish. And raised more than thirty tons of marketable carp. People were waiting in lines to buy from us at the provincial fairs!"
Ostapchenko and his Cossack brothers do not like to give up on their undertakings. Specialists from France and Germany now come for puppies to the Generalovka kennel that specializes in raising hunting borzoi. But the plans of the chief already included the creation in the village of a Russian center for the breeding of rare species and the country's only racetrack for horses and dogs.
"When I noticed that the village children were not even able to mount a horse, I was horrified," says Grigoriy Anatolevich. "Can this be right, that our children, who grow up in the countryside, have never seen horses and do not know how to swim? We built leisure areas, sports complexes, and opened a horse section. Now in Generalovka all first-graders sit in the saddle with confidence! And there is a horse and dog in each yard."
Viktor Gayduk, the principal of the local school, cannot be more happy with the sponsorship of the chief. After his students joined the Cossack ranks and put on the traditional striped trousers, problems with discipline and achievement disappeared in the classes.
"The children are proud of their school and native village," says the teacher. "Before they go into the army, they make sure they go around to all the offices, say goodbye to everyone, and after demobilization, the first thing they do is go see the teachers. They ask: 'How can we help?'"
Day by day there are more and more people who wish to enter the Cossack association in Generalovka. However, the chief is not striving for a quantity of proteges, and sets a year-long probationary period for each potential Cossack:
"If a person is able to live according to our laws, make contributions to the fund of common causes, and work for the good of the Cossack village, it means that something will become of him. The Cossack association needs intelligent people, whose words are not at odds with their deeds."
In the opinion of the representative, similar villages should fortify the border territories of all Siberia. A whole series of programmes has already been envisaged for the development of small agricultural enterprises. And in the near future the issue of building Cossack towns on border posts and the service of Cossacks in the border forces will be studied at the legislative level.
"They have finally paid attention to us," says Anatoliy Ostryagin, the chief of the Siberian Cossack troops. "Indeed we have been trying to get the passage of a law respecting Cossacks for many years already, but even now some still consider us to be people in fancy clothes. Meanwhile the development of border regions is really our historical mission."
Natalia Graf, Omsk Oblast
Rossiyskaya Gazeta [Russian newspaper] - http://www.rg.ru/
Rodovoe Ecosettlement
Brief information
Location: Tula Oblast, Leninskiy District and Dubna District, Aleshnya Village District, Village of Borshchevka, Village of Baboshino, fields 1, and 3 to 7 are located in Leninskiy District, the field 2 is in Dubna District.
Direction and distance from oblast centres (names of the roads): By car from Tula along the P132 Kaluga Highway, turn toward Aleshnya, arrive at Natalinka, go to the last house on the left. Total distance: 35 to 40 km.
Trip from Moscow on Highway M2, turn onto the P132 Kaluga Highway.
Contact information: (4872) 37-35-70 Nina and Yevgeniy Titov, planeta.tula@rambler.ru
Total number of domains: 257 (fields 1 to 5) total of 300.6 ha (of these 257 ha are domains, between the domains are 6-metre roads, on each field one or two 15-metre wide roads, forage areas). In addition 292 ha (fields 6 and 7) are rented out.
Parcels being sold by owners: location: fields 1 to 5, cost of 50 000 rubles (a portion of the amount is set by the owner, the remainder consists of expenses for re-registration, wages).
Vacant kin's domains: location: fields 6 and 7, the land is given out to lease for two years (a lease agreement is concluded) with future purchase as property; it comes to 25 000 rubles (10 000 rubles as an advance plus 15 000 rubles for the road); conditions for receiving the land as property: plantings on one's hectare within a period of two years, making one's presence felt at festivals, for social matters, and in the development of the village. If a person has not made his or her presence felt for two years, his or her money is returned, and the domain remains in the villages fund. If a person leaves a domain, he or she can take care of the registration of the documents, or hire someone (in the latter case, the cost of registering the documents comes to 50 000 rubles).
Type of right: ownership.
Subject of the right: parcel of land on agricultural-purpose lands for the operation of personal, secondary farm.
Registrations (encumbrances): rights have not been registered.
Previous owner: Krasnyy Agricultural Cooperative, Sverdlov Agricultural Cooperative, collective farm shares.
Land surveying evaluation of the land: 153 undivided hectare interests (fields 1 and 3), 241 undivided hectare interests (field 2) (fertile).
Work already done: registration of a Certificate of Parcel Ownership (registration of documents, survey, land survey plans, engineering survey) for fields 1 to 5; purchase as common-share property of fields 6 and 7.
Forests, bodies of water: a pond, Upa River is two kilometres from the edge of the village, deciduous and fir forests, Pesochnyy Stream, springs. All fields are surrounded on one or several sides by forest plantations. There are no industrial sites in the area. There are berries and mushrooms, as well as hares, foxes, roe deer, wild boar, and a family of storks.
Roads: from Tula it is 35 to 40 km along the Kaluga Highway, the Tula-Aleshnya-Merlinovka bus (Zareche Bus Station, departures at 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.), the Tula-Aleshnya microbus (departure from the Dm. Ulyanova stop, make an arrangement in advance with the driver regarding the trip to Natalinka), a local railway line runs several kilometres away.
Utilities:
a) water: spring several hundred metres away, the Pesochnyy Stream is 7 km long, originates in a forest, construction of wells;
b) electricity: a local electrical power line is strung across the third field;
c) gas: a gas pipeline runs along the edge of the second field (the area above it has been freed for a road and forest belt), the gas pipeline may be extended on request.
Electricity and gas will be connected for those who desire it, they can get together and jointly draw up the necessary documents.
Stores, school: in Aleshnya 5 to 8 km from the village.
Other (including plans): filling fields 6 and 7; construction of a road, houses, a school; organization of festivals.
View the full gallery.
http://www.rodovoe.ru/
Watch a music clip from Mirodolye Ecosettlement - Sunny Rap
http://www.ringingcedarsofrussia.org/theearth/videos/mirodolie.swf
Music - Alena Iryina
Words - Yulia Salnikova
An amazing journey
In the airplane returning home from Russia, where I visited the amazing village Pshada, I reflected on the fact that I had never before in my life rested like that! This journey cannot be compared either with the trips to famous cities of the world, from which I returned even more tired, or even a vacation at sea or in nature. Three weeks alone with dolmens and with myself! This feeling, as if my soul had bathed in the crystal waters of the mountain rivers that flow along the paths to the dolmens of Pshada. In this valley of majestic megaliths, I was able really to break away from the hustle and bustle for the first time in my life. To touch the pristine origins with my feelings.
It is difficult to put into words what I experienced at the dolmens, I do not even think it is necessary, after all, the experience of contact with the dolmens is unique for everyone. I will even say more, that, before the trip, I had read a great deal of different information about so-called guides and channellers with the spirits of the dolmens. And at first this terribly disturbed me. But I nevertheless want to speak a bit about one of the dolmens.
Each time I came to that place, I experienced an inexplicable feeling of domestic comfort, childhood, and my native land. It was similar to the times in my childhood when I went to my grandmother's in the country for vacations. Although I lived in the city, to this day I consider my native land to be this place where I knew each sapling and each path far beyond the borders of the village, in contrast to the city, where the feeling of home was limited to a crowded apartment.
This forgotten feeling would possibly have never returned to me, as my village, which I left behind in another life, could not be returned to me. But one day, I realized that I would be able to recreate my native land in a new place, for myself and my family, and my reference point would be this very sensation that the dolmen gave back to me.
The last day before my departure, I saw an unusual phenomenon. Above the dolmen, it was as if the air were vibrating. It was similar to what is usually observed above a bonfire or hot asphalt. I had my camera with me, I took several pictures and, on two photographs taken at the very same time, the representation of the image on the photographs looks different.
After my return home, at a forum I by chance discovered photographs taken by other people. Especially amazing were the photographs taken during a visit to Mount Neksis, where a group of dolmens is located. These photographs were taken by different people and in different years, but they all recorded on film the same pink pillar of light that many people had observed.
Unfortunately, the mountain is being destroyed, the rock face is being worked to produce crushed stone. This is a plea to all who are not indifferent to the fate of dolmens to send letters of protest to the administration of Krasnodar Krai.
I wish you all well, I wish you all happiness,
Alena Saveleva,
Toronto, Canada.
Cigankovo Dolmens - Photo and Video
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Cigankovo Dolmens - Dolmen |
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Cigankovo Dolmens - Stone Structures |
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Cigankovo Dolmens - Destroyed Dolmen |
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Cigankovo Dolmens - Damaged Dolmen |
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View the full gallery.
Watch Video - Cigankovo Dolmens.
The dolmens need your help!
Join the protest, send a letter to the Governor of Krasnodar Krai
or the President of Russia
Appeal to A. N. Tkachev, Governor of Krasnodar Krai:
Dear Governor Tkachev:
In spite of numerous appeals from representatives of the public, there is no end to the continuing destruction of Mount Neksis - a unique natural site in Krasnodar Krai, marked on maps of tourist routes as a landmark. It is startling, but it is a fact: before the eyes of tourists from various countries this site is being turned into...crushed stone, because of the quarry located alongside.
We, the undersigned, propose that the work in the quarry at Mount Neksis be halted, and the mount's barbarous destruction be stopped for the following reasons:
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Each year Mount Neksis is the destination of thousands of tourists from many countries because of the historical and archeological monuments located on it: the Great and Small Aderbievka Dolmens, which are protected by the State;
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Many types of vegetation covering the mount are on the endangered list and are protected by the State;
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The blasting work in this district is causing anxiety and material loss to the residents of Svetlyy Villlage, and is also causing ecological damage to the district.
In our view it is necessary to close the quarry at Mount Neksis and restore the natural landscape that has been disturbed by the economic activity of people. If you make the appropriate decisions and display the will to implement them, you will preserve a site of large-scale tourism for the district and monuments of human culture for your descendents.
With respect and hope, residents and guests of the resort city of Gelendzhik.
Copies of the letter have been sent to:
V. P. Kondratev, Chief of Staff, Committee for Culture of the State Parliament of the Russian Federation, 1 Okhotnyy Ryad, Moscow 103265;
I. G. Krivich, Chief of Staff, Committee for Natural Resources and Nature Management of the State Parliament of the Russian Federation, 1 Okhotnyy Ryad, Moscow 103265;
N. G. Pugacheva, Director of the Department of Culture, Administration of Krasnodar Krai, 28 Mira Street, Krasnodar 350063;
M. I. Medvedev, Head of the Administration for the Conservation, Restoration, and Operation of Historical and Cultural Treasures, Department of Culture of Krasnodar Krai, 16 Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, Krasnodar 350063;
V. A. Khrestin, Chief of the MO, Resort City of Gelendzhik, 1 Revolyutsionnaya Street, Gelendzhik 353460;
S. Livshits, Editor of the magazine Kraeved Chenomorya [Black Sea area historian], 10 Voykova Street, Tuapse 352800;
E. V. Khomutov, Editor of the newspaper Kubanskie Novosti [Kuban news], 2 Pashkovskaya Street, Krasnodar 350000.
YOUR VOICE CAN HELP IN THE QUESTION OF PERSERVING THE DOLMENS!
If you want to join the protest, you can sent the foregoing letter to A. N. Tkachev, Governor of Krasnodar Krai, in English and in Russian languages.
Letter in English:
Dear Governor A.N. Tkachev:
In spite of numerous appeals from representatives of the public, there is no end to the continuing destruction of Mount Neksis - a unique natural site in Krasnodar Krai, marked on maps of tourist routes as a landmark. It is startling, but it is a fact: before the eyes of tourists from various countries this site is being turned into...crushed stone, because of the quarry located alongside.
We, the undersigned, propose that the work in the quarry at Mount Neksis be halted, and the mount's barbarous destruction be stopped for the following reasons:
- Each year Mount Neksis is the destination of thousands of tourists from many countries because of the historical and archeological monuments located on it: the Great and Small Aderbievka Dolmens, which are protected by the State;
- Many types of vegetation covering the mount are on the endangered list and are protected by the State;
- The blasting work in this district is causing anxiety and material loss to the residents of Svetlyy Villlage, and is also causing ecological damage to the district.
In our view it is necessary to close the quarry at Mount Neksis and restore the natural landscape that has been disturbed by the economic activity of people. If you make the appropriate decisions and display the will to implement them, you will preserve a site of large-scale tourism for the district and monuments of human culture for your descendents.
With respect and hope, guests of the resort city of Gelendzhik.
Letter in Russian: PLEASE COPY THE TEXT FROM THIS PAGE AND CONTINUE WITH INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:
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In the first field enter your name, patronymic.
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In the second field enter your e-mail address.
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In the third field enter your postal code.
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In the fourth field enter your home address.
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In the fifth field enter the text of the letter, in both versions, English and Russian.
YOUR VOICE CAN HELP IN THE QUESTION OF PERSERVING THE DOLMENS!
If you want to join the protest, you can sent the foregoing letter to V. V. Putin, President of the Russian Federation, in English and in Russian languages.
Letter in English:
Dear President V.V. Putin:
In spite of numerous appeals from representatives of the public, there is no end to the continuing destruction of Mount Neksis - a unique natural site in Krasnodar Krai, marked on maps of tourist routes as a landmark. It is startling, but it is a fact: before the eyes of tourists from various countries this site is being turned into...crushed stone, because of the quarry located alongside.
We, the undersigned, propose that the work in the quarry at Mount Neksis be halted, and the mount's barbarous destruction be stopped for the following reasons:
- Each year Mount Neksis is the destination of thousands of tourists from many countries because of the historical and archeological monuments located on it: the Great and Small Aderbievka Dolmens, which are protected by the State;
- Many types of vegetation covering the mount are on the endangered list and are protected by the State;
- The blasting work in this district is causing anxiety and material loss to the residents of Svetlyy Villlage, and is also causing ecological damage to the district.
In our view it is necessary to close the quarry at Mount Neksis and restore the natural landscape that has been disturbed by the economic activity of people. If you make the appropriate decisions and display the will to implement them, you will preserve a site of large-scale tourism for the district and monuments of human culture for your descendents.
With respect and hope, guests of the resort city of Gelendzhik.
Letter in Russian: PLEASE COPY THE TEXT FROM THIS PAGE AND CONTINUE WITH INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:
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Follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen.
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In the fifth field enter the text of the letter, in both versions, English and Russian.
Set out the photograph http://helpnecsis.narod.ru/photoalbum2.htm
GREMYACHIY FARMSTEAD, "KORENSKIE RODNIKI"
DESCRIPTION
In Belgorod Oblast, in Shebekino Region, next to the farmstead of Gremyachiy, 40 ha of arable land has been acquired for the village. The land of the collective farmers was leased to a local farmer for five years. Then he went into business and no longer needed the land. The peasants' shares (allotments) had already been separated, and we therefore acquired nine kin's domains - former allotments.
Surroundings.
Our future village is located in one of the best places from an ecological point of view, far from the iron ore quarries (the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly) and chemical plants, and near the largest forest tract of Belgorod Oblast. In a very picturesque area ("the most picturesque in the oblast," as one geographer from Belgorod University said). The field adjoins the farmstead of Gremyachiy (the old name was Korenskaya Dacha, the popular name is Olshanets). One kilometre from us is the largest part of the farmstead and the village of Polyana. A museum of folk trades is located several kilometres from the settlement, beyond the river, in the village of Kupino.
Water.
There are two springs on the border of the field with a ravine. As they flow, they form two small lakes. The small Koren River flows through a forest two kilometres from the village. There are wells in the farmstead.
Roads.
Distance from the oblast center: 28 km on asphalt or 18 km on a partially dirt road. Distance from the Belgorod-Shebekino Road: 8 km.
Electricity.
The field adjoins the farmstead. It is supplied with electricity, a step-down transformer is located nearby. It is not yet known whether its power will be sufficient for the connection of 30 new houses.
The field is being acquired by specific people. The entire field has been broken up into 26 kin's domains and public land for a school and meeting place. One domain has been set aside for a children's home.
Land
The largest part of the land on the field in question has been actually separated: nine kin's domains of the former shares: 39.55 ha.
The actual separation and legal registration of the kin's domains is being carried out by future villagers on the instructions of the owners. Three owners have given kin's domains of land to villagers. A sales transaction of kin's domains of land has been registered with the remaining six owners.
Village
Individual kin's domains and houses
The ecovillage will consist of 26 individual kin's domains with a size of one or two hectares, including one section to be given to a children's home. A family will live on each kin's domain. The larger part of an individual kin's domain will be used for the running of a personal, secondary farm on ecological principles. Residential and farm buildings will occupy approximately 5% of the area. Houses will be built in accordance with the "Conception of an Ecohouse," i.e., relatively small, from ecological materials, with a self-contained water and heat supply, and a self-contained biosystem for the purification of solid and liquid waste. There are plans to provide the electric power supply to the village from a 110 kV power line for 10 kV. Over the long term there are plans to acquire self-contained electric generators.
Public land
Furthermore, 1.5 ha are planned for social needs: area for meetings, social center, school, botanical garden. The social center can accommodate a grocery stall, a room for medical examinations and services, a room for the reception of tourists (campground), a room for an administrative employee, and a library.
Streets and roads
In accordance with Construction Standards and Regulations 2.07.01-89 City Planning. Planning and building of urban and rural settlements, the streets will be 15 meters. The kin's domains will be divided by three-metre boundaries to facilitate the entry of emergency vehicles and rights of way. The majority of the streets will not have a hard surface, they will be dirt (crushed stone). The road to the village over the farmstead will have a hard surface.
Communications
Communications will be handled using cell phones and the Internet.
Villagers
The villagers are residents of Belgorod Oblast, their children and parents. The income level is average for the Oblast. The level of education is above average.
Job placement
Since a majority of the villagers are urban residents, they will keep their existing jobs in the initial period. Subsequently, after the planting of woody plants and the construction of houses, the basic source of income for many will be the sale of food products grown on their kin's domain, nurseries of forest and cultivated trees, folk trades (wood carving, weaving, pottery), the building of ecohomes, landscaping work, ecotourism, etc.
