Geoworks is a Greenworks-sponsored project focusing on geotourism and river and soil health in various regions throughout Western Ukraine.

About

Map inset with São Paulo state outlined thickly, the Vale do Ribeiro region in the south outlined an shaded in green, with a red line from Campinas in the central part of the state down to Guapiruvu in the Vale do Ribeira region starred. Additional important cities for the project are highlighted, including Sete Barras directly to the east of Guapiruvu and Iguape and Cananéia to the south on the coast.

Carpathians, Opillia, and Podillia

Culture and geology are intertwined. In Western Ukraine, there are the Carpathian Mountains (green) and their various mountain cultures, the Opillia region (brown), and the Podillia region (yellow). Geotourism, clean river, and soil health projects are being developed along the Sukel’ River in the Carpathian Mountains and with villages and cultural centers near Lviv, Ternopil, and Kamianets-Podilskyi.

We are working with faculty at Lviv Polytechnic, Lviv National, and Precarpathian Professional College of Forestry and Tourism to help them develop an extension network with local communities.

Who Lives There?

A group of elderly women in colorful headscarves and Sunday clothing standing in front of an Eastern Rite Greco-Catholic church speaking with two older professors

A number of Carpathian groups live throughout the mountains, including the Lemkos, Boykos, and Hutsuls. The Sukel’ River Valley lies within the traditional lands of the Boykos. The current residents of the villages in the region primarily engage in agriculture, forestry, and ecotourism. The Opillia and Podillia regions, meanwhile, are renowned for their artwork.

What are We Doing?

Two men standing in a field with surveying equipment on a tripod. The field is dry as the grass is resting during winter. In front is a river and behind in the distance are trees and a small mountain

We are working to develop a robust extension community involving Lviv Polytechnic and communities and educational institutions in the Sukel’ River Valley region, Ternopil, and Kamianets-Podilskyi to develop knowledge, research, and teaching resources about geotourism, geoforms in the local regions, as well as river and soil health.

What is Geotourism?

Geotourism is a form of tourism that focuses on a region’s geological features, landscapes, and natural environments while promoting conservation, sustainability, and education. It aims to provide visitors with an understanding of and appreciation for the geological heritage and processes that have shaped the Earth’s surface, such as rock formations, fossils, volcanic activity, and other natural phenomena.

Geotourism is closely tied to geoethics, a field of study that studies the interactions of humans and the physical environment. Geoethics thinks deeply about the duties and responsibilities of humans as they interact with Earth systems. Sustainable geotourism is one way of helping highlight these Earth systems and the ethics of interacting with the system.

Layered rocks covered in tree roots rise up at an angle from a river that gently curves around large rocks and pebbles

Gray rocks split at an angle sitting on moss-covered rocks and ferns

A powerful waterfall tumbles over moss-covered cliffs into a pool of water below

A dark forest with moss and fern covering the floor and thin trees growing towards the sun

An older gentleman squatting by a river with a jar, getting reading to collect water from a clear river on the left flowing over rocks and leaf debris, with a bridge in the background

1) The Sukel’ River and its geoforms; 2) Flukovi Rocks along the Sukel’ River; 3) Kozakivka Waterfall on the Sukel’ River; 4) Carpathian forest; 5) Illegal construction dump along the Sukel’ River; 6) Ihor sampling the water of the Sukel’ River for further analysis [photos by Ihor Bubniak]

Project Progress

A young woman stands near a descriptive sign that describes the geology of the region

A smiling man is holding a drone overhead, ready to launch, with controls in his other hand

Two men operating survey equipment, with one looking through the device across a river

Two men stand in a field talking, with farms and mountains in the background

Five people are standing on the bank of a river flowing through a field of grass, with a forest in the background

An older gentleman in a lab coat holding a closed jar with water, a young woman in a lab coat, and another older gentleman in a tie and sweater holding a flask with water

A series of photographs of grey rock outcrops in a green forest laid out on a table with an embroidered tablecloth

Two older male professors on a green river bank near a small stream flowing past gray layered rocks angled down towards the river

Project Roadmap

2026 Roadmap

Scout out new geotourism sites and discuss expansion of Geoworks with local villagers and educators in the region
Offer the Greenworks Project Design curriculum to students at Lviv Polytechnic and partner schools in Lviv, Bolekhiv, and Kamianets-Podilskyi
Develop digital learning resources for geotourism and research projects in the Sukel’ River region and associated towns and villages

Beyond 2026

Train community members in basic research methodologies for river monitoring and clean-up
Expand project to investigate soil health and cleanliness in the Sukel’ River valley and associated communities
Develop renown geotourism program and expand to nearby communities and river systems

Recent Updates

2026

April 2026 – Ihor and Andrii continued to explore the Opillian region, this time documenting and mapping trace fossils near the village of Bohutyn and sandstones near Svirzh Castle.
March 2026 – Ihor and Andrii began scouting the Opillian region between the Carpathian Mountains and the Podillian region for geoforms and geotourism sites. They visited the Pryima Cave near Mykolaiv and explored the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains.

2025

September 2025 – Lev met with Ihor and Andrii in Lviv to expand teacher training in the Project Design curriculum to new teachers, then they traveled to the Podillia (near Moldova) and Sukel’ River (Carpathians) regions to observe geotourism projects, explore the geology of the regions, and chat with locals.
June 2025 – The Greenworks Project Design curriculum began with students from across Lviv, who will be working on designing geotourism and environmental education projects in the Sukel’ River region.
May 2025 – Ihor and his team completed fieldwork in Kniazhouluka, Stankivtsi, and Bubnyshche where they identified potential sites of geotouristic interest, recent landslides because of heavy rains, and existing tourism infrastructure.
March 2025 – Ihor and Lev worked to prepare the Project Design curriculum in Ukrainian to be used with students at Lviv Polytechnic, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and Precarpathian Professional College of Forestry and Tourism.

2024

October 2024 – Ihor and Kateryna analyzed water collected from the Sukel’ River and discovered that the water was cleaner than expected.
May 2024 – The team mapped the opposite side of the river from the Dovbush Rocks, and discovered an illegal construction dump near the village of Polianytsia as well as a lower environmental impact from recreational activity due to lack of recreational infrastructure.
April 2024 – The team worked to map the geologic outcrops and spontaneous dumps farther up-river, with dumps identified near the village of Kozakivka. Additionally, they identified significant erosion of topsoil due to unregulated use of horses, ATVs, and motocycles near the Dovbush Rock Formation.
March 2024 – Ihor, Andrij, Anatolii, and Kateryna surveyed the Sukel’ River in the Bolekhiv area via laser scanning and drones. Additionally, they spoke with the sawmill owner Mykola to discuss managing water pollution from the mill.
January 2024 – The Clean River project began, with Dr. Ihor Bubniak and his team from Lviv Polytechnic visitng the Precarpathian Professional College of Forestry and Tourism in Bolekhiv as well as the Bolekhiv City Council to discuss the project and its goals.