Figure 1.-- A Soviet TV serial entitled "Nikolay Vavilov" was broadcast in 1990. One scene from the shows shows a a squad of Young Pioneers that participated in the Young Naturalists program (Yunnaty). They are shown participating in the opening ceremonies of the the annual meeting of the USSR Agricultural Sciences Academy (VASHNIL) in 1938. Vavilov was a notable botonist that ran afoul of Stalin.

The Young Naturalists Program (Yunnaty) was a state-run youth organization called the Central Station for Young Naturalists. The Young Naturalists, or "Yunnaty". I am not sure when the program was founded, but it was active in the 1930s. Yunnaty appears to have been part of the Young Pioneer organization. It was an after school activity that the Pioneers could chose. Yunnaty was a network of clubs for young people who were interested in nature. Here the focus was on nature rather than farming, but there was some overlap. An impotrtant Russian environmentalist, Alexander Bogolyubov, was unhappy at the time with how the organization was run. He writes, "There was no financial support, and the government took away any money that we earned, which was extremely unfair." Yunnaty still exists today. It is now part of the Center for Youth Creativity, what is left of the former Pioneer Organization. The Center provides many other after-school occupations, from dance and drama to photography and travel. The Center is based at the Anichkov Palace, which I (Carol) visited at the end of my stay, so more below on its programs.