From September 27 to October 5, 2019, in Northern Kentucky, a delegation of five Russian experts in the field of water resources management, including Anastasia Tsvetkova, Director General of the Lake Baikal Foundation, took part in the Open World Leadership Center program at the Library of Congress. The short-term visit was aimed at sharing experiences and searching for potential opportunities for international cooperation on water resources management.
Prior to arriving in Kentucky, delegates had a meeting in Washington with Don Yarmouth, Thomas Massey and bill Johnson, representatives of Kentucky’s congressional districts. During the main program of events in Northern Kentucky, Anastasia Tsvetkova got acquainted with the activities of organizations engaged in water management in the Ohio river valley and the supply of drinking water in the nearest districts. She visited the Center for Water Research of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Sanitary district No. 1 and reclamation district of Boone County, the water Management district of Northern Kentucky, the Biological field station of Thomas More University, the Newport Aquarium, as well as numerous natural sites of Northern Kentucky. All visits had applied nature: participants took place in water sampling and electrofishing to study fish populations, examined models of river flow in the specialized laboratories of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, visited artificial swamps operating as water treatment systems.
Anastasia Tsvetkova made a report at inter-club meetings of rotary on the projects of the Lake Baikal Foundation and on the activities of non-profit organizations in the field of ecology in Russia.
Following the Open World program, the Lake Baikal Foundation has established working contacts with all host organizations: the Covington Rotary Club, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), Thomas More University and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Anastasia Tsvetkova shared her impressions of the trip on behalf of the Russian delegation in an interview in the podcast format for Catherine Nero.
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Founded in 1999 by Congress, the Open World Leadership Center maintains a vast network of more than 28,000 alumni in strategic countries including Russia, Ukraine, and others in the Balkans, Caucuses, Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Open World supports legislative diplomacy efforts for Members of Congress by conducting exchanges that establish lasting professional relationships between emerging leaders and their U.S. counterparts. Program participants are provided with extensive exposure to American politics, accountable governance, and citizen diplomacy, while being home hosted by American families.
Rotarians are professional men and women who work as volunteers to improve the quality of life in their home and world communities. Club membership represents a cross-section of local business and professional leaders. The world’s Rotary clubs meet weekly and are non-political, non-religious and open to all cultures, races and creeds. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians working in over 29,600 Rotary clubs comprising 194 countries and 35 geographic regions of the world.