Hello Jenny, so good to hear from you and about your Russian stay and work. Hope you are doing well and will have a wonderful holiday season.
The pictures are great and I suppose it has changed since they were taken. The church looks magnificent.
You and Tom are in my thoughts.
Love,
back at it Jenny
Was great to see you while you were home, even if for just a short time. I am looking forward to seeing you again in December! I am getting down to crunch time on my training - ran 19.2 miles this morning. Next two weeks I will do 20 mile runs for the long runs and then taper from there. Take care of yourself and continue the blogs! Miss you!
For Paul Hi Thanks for your comment. I am glad that you responded to this question. What I find here in Armenia is that most folks here don't pay much attention because they are busy trying to deal with daily living and, as you say, it has come up so many times before. I find it incredible how little most Americans, including myself before I came to Armenia, understand about the Armenian Genocide.
Hiking To Church Tooley let me just say this resolution has come up numerous times long before the Iraq War ever happened and "Turkey is our friend" has always been the reason it was killed. It was no easier back then, now they just have a better excuse.
Since you are interested in hiking, I don't know if you're heard about The Janapar www.janapar.org but spread the word about it! It seems like an awesome and amazing new opportunity for ecotourists and I really hope it catches on.
Great copy and photos! Thanks, Jennifer. Mark Moak gave a report to the RMC Board of Trustees yesterday and mentioned your blog, so I'm taking a few minutes on break. I hope Tom is healing/has healed satisfactorily. I'd be very interested in your sense of what Pelosi was trying to do with the genocide resolution in Congress. Seems to me that after a hundred years they could've waited to piss off Turkey until we weren't so dependent on them with the Iraqi war. Are you getting anything from the Armenians about that? I must return to the meeting. Sounds like you're having a great time - good for you!
Thanks again for the info and the photos I am so amazed by the different styles of churches. It is so hard to imagine the quaintness of the areas and yet, that can be said for other countries as well. I am sorry Tom sprained his ankle. Is he wrapping it as well? That question was for the nurse side of me. Take care and thanks again for the visual and insightful tours.
Anna
Whoops I reread the purpose for the insects Their only purpose is to suck carbohydrates from the root and then the females are used for their red color. I think I am confused!:)
By the way, the picture of mount Ararat is wonderful! I have read about it in the Bible and now I can picture it!
Thanks,
Anna
Wow, what an honor and experience I mean this for all of the experiences you have had with your hikes, your visiting the old churches, for seeing the embroidery cross, and for meeting the Archbishop. Your pictures are absolutely wonderful. I do not know how I missed this September posting.
The life and mating cycle of the Cochineal insects was very interesting. Is there whole purpose in life to only bring color to a root?
Anna
Envy I'm envious. You're seeing so much more than I ever saw. I guess that's the advantage of having a car. I did go through Debed gorge a few times. I may have even noticed the vultures but didn't realize what they were.
Debra says hello.
Ways to help The Armenian Tree Project is a wonderful NGO. They are a member of the EcoArmenia Alliance which consists of my university--AUA, WWF, and the Armenian Forest Organization. The US headquarters for ATP is in Boston and that is most likely where donations are accepted. Then the funds come to Armenia as they need them to buy trees. ATP has planted a million trees and has that many more seedlings ready to go--but it isn't as easy to plant them as one might think. Once community land is planted with trees and they grow up then, according to Armenian law, forests become government property. So the law has to be changed to protected village common agricultural and grazing land adjacent to their towns. Interesting I think. I hope you will contribute to ATP--the money is definitely used wisely. Warm regards, Jenny
Gorgeous Photos! Hi Jen,
Thanks for the update. These have been fascinating.
As a native of eastern Montana, I am not disturbed visually by the lack of trees. I definitely see the problem with over logging, etc. Ecology concerns must be difficult to address in a relatively poor country. Keep up the fight!
Ann
The next obvious step... So, hey, Dr. Jenny. The next obvious step for folks like us is to contribute to the Armenian Tree Project or the Armenian Forest Organization. Who does the best work? How do we send them our $$$ support? Every tree that we donate will work against global warming and may do its bit to restore the Armenian ecosystem.
Trees Hi Anna!! Yes there are non-governmental organizations helping to replant trees. The Armenian Tree Project has planted over 1 million trees and the Armenian Forest Organization is also busy. But the problem is enormous--there is much illegal logging also. It is a huge problem here-- some of the ancient trees are old walnut trees and beech trees that are worth a lot of money. They are shipped out of Armenia or used for furniture and flooring here. Lots to do here--hope we can begin to change people's ideas about their environment. Fondly, Jenny
trees - "who see the problem" Gosh Dr. Jenny, if they see the problem, what are they doing to replace the trees? It really does seem barren. Do they have something like an Arbor Day yearly? What are the forestry groups doing besides seeing the problem?
Trees? Trees are scarce here in Armenia. The ENERGY CRISIS which lasted five years after the break up of the USSR meant that with no functioning nuclear plant and no central heating plant Armenians had to devise wood stoves in each apartment and cut trees in city parks and around villages to get through the winter. Also, there has been an overgrazing issue for a very long time so that the soil scientist who spoke in my class yesterday showed how at least one meter of the soil profile has eroded away in many, many places--that is the whole O horizon or organic layer plus the underling A layer (usually 12-18 inches deep) and the layer under that. So...in many areas it will be tough to restore forests. There are people here like USDA, European agricultural and forestry groups, and NGOs who see the problems, but what do we do with the nomadic or at least summer camps of herding peoples--they need to eat. So, the economic base is an issue--a rich upper stratum of society, a small middle-class, and the rest (sound familiar?).
Environment To answer Eleanor's questions, a French company runs the nuclear power plant now and there is a preliminary review underway for a new plant -- this one is from the 1970's I think. For five years it did not operate and because there was no functional heating plant, people in apartments had to hook up individual wood stoves and cut the forest around Yerevan and villages to get through the winter. That period is known as THE ENERGY CRISIS and no one wants to repeat it. There are numerous NGOs that are concerned about environmental issues including tree planting, overgrazing, water quality, women's health, illegal logging, improper mining etc. But they are not yet strong enough to apply constant pressure where it is needed. As Thomas Friedmann says--there are two components to a functional system--a responsive government and an active civil society. When both are present there is good governance. Not so in Armenia yet.
Citizen's sensitivity to ecology Jenny:
Thanks so much for the blog and the pictures from your birding trip.
Are many of the people of Armenia sensitive to ecological issues such as overgrazing and deforestation? Or are they so consumed with making their way each day, that recycling, planting trees, crop and grazing rotation aren't possible to consider now?
Who's running the nuclear plant today? Do Armenian's have enough power to negate the necessity of cutting trees to stay warm in the winter?
Thanks for keeping in touch,
Eleanor
What Fun! Great to see - and learn a bit about what your life is like these days. Your descriptions and pictures are wonderful. Hmmm...just how hard is it to get to Armenia...:) Mary
Terrific blog! Thanks so much for introducing me to a part of the world I would probably never see. Clearly a land in transition.
Your kitchen has enough cupboards to store a life time supply of dishes. And the rest of the apartment is certainly spacious. Some digs for a year away from home!
Hope you're feeling better now.
Eleanor
Jenny,
Good to hear from you and learn about the area. Very interesting, thanks for sending the narrative and the photos. Off tomorrow to the Richardson Clearwater with Phil and Jackie. Doug and Beth will be there. Mom is going along with Mike and Sharon, Skip and Olga and Sue, me and Taylor. Taylor is excited about fly fishing and has a new rod. More later.
Love, Jeff
In my real persona I am a botanist trying to save the flora of this planet. In some of my professional life I am an environmental scientist--so for this year I am the director of the Environmental Conservation and Research Center at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan.
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Terrific Blog!
This has to be one of the very best blogs from Russia. Really gives a sense of being there in St. Petersburg. Thanks for the tour!