Conservation Management Institute (CMI) at Virginia Tech and Legacy International recently welcomed a visiting group of Ukrainian professionals. The group represented university professors, state agents, and businesses working in the field of environment, public health, land management, and environmental legislation from the Luhansk Region of the Ukraine.

CMI offered a tailored training opportunity to address the conservation needs of the group's region and discussed how Virginia Tech can help further develop this relation with different government agencies and Ukraine's technical universities.

The Ukrainians attended presentations from CMI research coordinators about topics relevant to the Luhansk region. Tom Hammett, associate professor of wood science and forest products in Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources, introduced the group to non-timber forest product issues and opportunities in a discussion. The group visited the Center for Environmental Applications of Remote Sensing Lab and also traveled to the Corporate Research Center to learn how new innovative centers develop.

During their stay in the United States, the Ukrainian ecologists visited many government agencies, private businesses, and NGOs concerned with the ecology and quality of environment in Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

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