Young volunteers try to prevent rare flowers from death. Snowdrops are the plants that are in blossom in the middle of February. They grow mostly in Caucaus and Crimea. They are Red Book listings no one is allowed to pick them. DOP campaigns against poaching, runs projects to protect nature reserves, conducts research on biodiversity, runs ecological education projects, holds events and actions etc.
Snowdrop campaign is a big part of their work.
Poachers pick these unique flowers and sell them several weeks before and during the Women s Day, which is on the 8th of March, mostly in Moscow. For some Caucasian people it is a good business to pick snowdrops and then sell it to middlemen who bring marketable goods by train to Moscow. On the train stations illegal businessmen are usually stopped by activists who have a power to exercise such an inspection. Activists in cooperation with Ecological troop of Moscow Militia withdraw goods and fine businessmen. This year activists had to work in Moscow just by themselves as Putin abolished Ecological Militia in 2000.