USFS host six Russian delegates in South Lake Tahoe

Six delegates visiting the United States from Russia stopped by Lake Tahoe last week as part of the cultural exchanges programs, Friendship Force and Open World.

The delegates first stopped in Washington, D.C. before heading to the Reno/Lake Tahoe area.

The delegates visited Lake Tahoe to learn about conservation of natural environments with Joy Barney, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) Conservation Education Coordinator. The delegation participated in environmental hands on training including Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), Project Learning Tree and Project WILD and visited Heavenly Mountain Resort, the Tallac Historic Site, Emerald Bay, Eagle Falls and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

While in Reno they were hosted in the homes of members of Friendship Force of Reno-Tahoe. Friendship Force is a non-profit cultural exchange organization focused on promoting understanding, cultural education and citizen diplomacy through homestay travel and is based in over 60 countries with over 15,000 members. Learn more about Friendship Force at www.ffreno-tahoe.org or email Sharon Urban at sharonurban@charter.net.

The delegation’s visit was made possible by both Friendship Force and Open World Program, and was coordinated through the Open World Leadership Center, which has enabled over 26,000 current and future leaders from 17 countries to engage in and establish mutually beneficial relationships with their U.S. counterparts. Learn more about this program at www.openworld.gov.

In Photo, Left to right: Facilitator Olga Tikhonova, Olga Kudrina, Dimitrii Sychikov, Evgenii Babushkin, Fedor Strelnikov, Valentina Semenchenko and Joy Barney, USFS.