Project Report
| Mar 12, 2013
Check your e-mail tomorrow morning to boost your donation to save Altai!
By Carol Hiltner | President, Altai Mir University
![Tolunay Katynova -- the gold at the rainbow's end]()
Tolunay Katynova -- the gold at the rainbow's end
Svetlana Katynova's new initiative may be the last hope for the ancient Altai culture. Your support is urgently needed to prevent desecration of pristine Altai habitats by creating an eco-village to immerse ethnic Altai kids living in the city of Gorno-Altaisk in their indigenous culture.
We are very fortunate to have such capable local leaders as Svetlana, leveraging every kopek, persuading the local government to provide land. However, the Altai village needs a $20,000 jumpstart to move forward with land registration, access road repair, and drinking water management.
Please check out and sign up for the great new blog about saving Altai culture written by Svetlana's daughter Tolunay Mongush -- http://altaierjine.wordpress.com/.
You have helped in the past with donations that have enabled the Altai people to get this far, and we are VERY grateful for your generosity. Please look for our e-mail tomorrow morning to see how your contribution can be substantially increased.
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Mar 11, 2013
Get ready for a matching opportunity
By Carol Hiltner | President, Altai Mir University
![Altai schoolchildren]()
Altai schoolchildren
You can make a BIG difference for Svetlana Katynova's new initiative to prevent desecration of pristine Altai habitats by creating an eco-village to immerse ethnic Altai kids living in the city of Gorno-Altaisk in their indigenous culture.
NOW, city kids only learn through history books how their people have been stewards to Altai for millennia. Svetlana aims to change that. She has procured land and volunteers for an ethnic “demonstration” village. Such a village is the last hope to keep the ancient Altai culture alive for these children.
However, the Altai village needs a $20,000 jumpstart. We, the global village, must grasp this opportunity.
Together, we can raise these funds. In 2009, we raised $40,000 that prevented the wholesale confiscation of traditional Altai lands. Watch for notice of an upcoming matching opportunity.
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Nov 30, 2012
Altai government OK's Ukok pipeline construction
By Carol Hiltner | President, Altai Mir University
![Ukok Plateau]()
Ukok Plateau
Over the strong, united objections by the indigenous Altai people, international environmental groups, and the UNESCO World Heritage committee, the government of Altai Republic approved the beginning of construction of a gas pipeline across the sacred Ukok plateau.
The ironic part of this is that the project goes ahead even though there is slim likelihood of Russia and China agreeing on the price of the gas, and engineering studies have shown that the route across the plateau is not economically viable. I've heard it said that the main reason for the construction is to line the pockets of the the construction company owners -- which is an horrific reason to destroy a pristine ecosystem.
The Altai people are well organized in their effort to protect their sacred lands, but as subsistence farmers and herders, they are financially stretched when facing down Gazprom, the Russian national gas company.
Please enjoy the wonderful RussiaToday video about Altai, and contribute what you can as part of your year-end giving, or as a monthly pledge. All the funds we receive are passed directly through to indigenous Altai partners.
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