B A I K A L - UNDP Russia

This collection of study materials on Lake Baikal for use by school children was developed as a joint projectby Buryat State University, NGO "Baikal Information Centre “GRAN”, the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), and the Coca-Cola Company (TCCC).The materials, entitled “Lake Baikal Box” (in Russian, “Baikalsky Sunduchok”), are published as part of the“Every Drop Matters” project, which is being implemented jointly by the Coca-Cola Company and theUNDP.Lake Baikal Box has been recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Buryatiafor use in schools as part of the standard educational programme and supplementary programmes.UNDPISBN 978-5-9793-0510-3All rights reserved. This publication must not be copied without written permission of the copyright holderexcept for non-commercial and educational purposes and on condition that the source is cited.Science Editor:Professor Nina Zh. DagbaevaAuthors and scientific consultants:Associate professors: Vladimir Babikov, Rinchin Dylykova, Elvira Narkhinova, Zoya Paznikova,Marina Portnyagina, Nadezhda Sodnomova, Zorigma Chimbeyeva, Anzhelika KushnarevaAuthor and designer of the game “Above and Below the Water and on the Shores of Baikal”,Associate professor Anzhelika KushnarevaScientific consultants:Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education,Stepan Kalmikov (consultant-educator)Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences,Arnold Tulokhonov (consultant- geographer)Professor Tsydyp Dorzhiev (consultant-zoologist)Professor Svetlana Sandakova (consultan-ornithologist)Associate Professor Tatiana Baskhaeva (consultant-biologist)Texts of Assignments by:School teachers of the Republic of BuryatiaTranslators:Elena PanteyevaLarissa SanzhiyevaLyudmila Sel’verovaNatalia TsybikovaArt Director:Associate Professor Zoya Paznikova, birds’ pictures – Dulmatsu GumpilovaPhotography:Photo Archive of the “Gran” Baikal Informational Center, the Baikal Institute for Nature Management ofthe Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Department of Federal Service for Supervision ofNature Resources of Republic of Buryatia.W. Babikov T. Baskhaeva, O. Goroshko, Tz. Dorzhiev, E.Dremov, O. Kobzar, O. Korsun,A. Kokhutka, W. Krasnopevzeva, I. Mavrin, G.Matveev, S. Sandakova, A. Suknev, E. TkatschenkoDesign:Associate Professor Zoya Paznikova, Arkady BatomunkuevProject Manager:Natalia Olofinskaya, Head of the Department for Environmental Protection (UNDP)Printed by:ILF Advertising Agency LLC, 123056, Moscow, Bolshoy Kondratievskiy Lane 10, Bldg.1, Office 1Special thanks to:Managers and executors of the project thank everyone who assisted in its realization, supplied with photographs,gave advice and consultations.

PART 4. Baikal’s Secret Trails 125Under the protection of the State 126Specially Protected Natural Areas 128Nature Reserves: Barguzin Reserve, Dzherginsky Reserve, Baikalsky Reserve,Baikal-Lensky Reserve 129National Parks: Tunkinsky National Park, Trans-Baikal National Park 145Wildlife Sanctuaries: Frolikhinsky Wildlife Sanctuary,Enkhalooksky Wildlife Sanctuary 152Natural Monuments: the Mysterious Ushkan Islands, the “Singing Sands” of Turali,“The Stilted Trees”, the Ininsky Stone Garden 154Peoples of Baikal: the Evenks, the Buryats, the Russians 157Ecological Traditions and Customs of the Buryat Peoples 164Ecological Problems of Baikal 167Human activity on the shores of Lake Baikal:A waste problem on the shores of Baikal 168Water and air pollution 170SOS! Fire! 172Garbage on the shore of Baikal 173Think, Play, Experiment, Create together! 174PART 5. It’s Interesting and Entertaining 187The first reports of Baikal 190European researchers of Baikal (18th and 19th centuries) 192Native scientists 197Chronology of Baikal research 199MIR Submersibles on Baikal 201Underwater ecosystem of Baikal 203Baikal in figures 210Topology of the Baikal coast 214Baikal legends and fairy tales 217Our love for Baikal: Poems about the Lake 227Bibliography and recommended literature 302

Baikal belongs to childrenDear boys and girls!The Earth is sometimes called the “Blue Planet” because most of its surface is covered with water.The Earth's water is contained in seas and oceans, in ice, in rivers and also in lakes. And the bestknown,oldest and deepest lake on Earth is Lake Baikal.Young friend, the collection of treasures which we have prepared for you, has many things to enjoy:a text book for you and your friends, a big map of the Lake, a game that is fun to play, and a CDabout Lake Baikal, all packed together in a beautiful box.You already know something about Lake Baikal, but our book will help you to learn much more. Inthe first part of the book, which you can read with your teacher, friends, and classmates, you willfind interesting facts about this great Lake. You will learn why it is called Baikal, how old it is andhow big it is. You will learn about the rivers that feed the Lake. What could be more fascinating thanto learn about this wonder of nature at the heart of your own native land!The second part of the book will help you understand the importance of water in our lives. It cantruly be said that water is life itself, because most of the human body is made up of water. Waterfeeds our organism with useful substances and removes harmful ones, and it also regulates ourbody temperature. Water is without taste, colour or smell (only seawater has a salty taste). Watercan turn into steam or ice depending on air temperature. You will learn from our book why Baikal'swater is so pure and what interesting creatures live in it.Our book will tell you about the amazing fish and shellfish, which are to be found in the waters ofLake Baikal, and about the various different birds that fly over the Lake. You may have heard of thenerpa seals that live in Baikal, and know stories of what clever and funny animals they are. The bookwill teach you many new things about the seals.Next, our book will take you on a tour to parts of the Lake and places around it, where special wondersare to be found. These are places that must be protected, because they are home to unique andfascinating animals, plants, and people.The fifth and last part of the book offers a wealth of interesting and useful facts about Baikal. Much ofthis part is meant for your teachers, but if you want to find out new things about Baikal for yourself,this is the place to look.Each part of the book ends with a description of various experiments, projects and creative tasks foryou to choose from. These are things you can do at school and when you are outdoors, in your freetime and after classes. And you can work on these projects with your friends, classmates and withyour parents. Above all, what you will learn from this book is that water is as important to our life asthe air that we breathe.Our Little Treasure Chest also contains a game, “Above the Water, Under the Water and on the Shoreof Baikal”, which gives you the chance to learn and have fun at the same time, because learning newthings is ten times easier when it is enjoyable.Finally, there is a big map, which shows you Baikal, just as astronauts see it from space.Our book takes you for a walk along the shores of the Lake, and introduces you to the variousanimals and plants that live and grow there. It also takes you on an adventure to the depthsof the Lake to meet all kinds of fish and other underwater creatures. From plants tobirdlife, to fish and to shellfish, Our Little Treasure Chest will be your constant companionin learning about the great wonder of nature that is Lake Baikal. We wishyou every enjoyment on this journey of exploration and discovery!

How to use this tool kitThis toolkit of educational materials “Lake Baikal Box” has been developed as an aid forprimary and middle grade students, teachers, and parents. Our aim is to broaden knowledge andunderstanding of one of the greatest natural treasures of Russia and of the world – Lake Baikal.Our principal audience is children who will increase their awareness and become more informedabout Baikal and its environs thanks to this project. But these illustrated materials about Baikal'sflora and fauna, its geography, and the people who live around it are more than an interestingsource of information – they can also instill a feeling of love and pride towards our native region,and nurture an aspiration to protect the pearl of planet Earth, which is Lake Baikal, because weare ready to defend the things, which we love.The Baikal toolkit for schoolchildren includes:· a text book for students entitled, “Lake Baikal Box”;· game cards on the theme, “Living World of Baikal”;· a poster, “Above the Water and Under the Water”;· a map of specially protected natural territories, “Following Baikal's Nature Trails”;· a CDThe text book consists of five parts:Part 1. Baikal: a Miracle of NaturePart 2. The Wonders of Baikal's WatersPart 3. Above the Water and Under the WaterPart 4. Following Baikal's Nature TrailsPart 5. It's interesting and entertainingEach part provides both information and creative assignments for children aged between8 and 14. Teachers can adapt this information to suit various age groups, and pupils in sixthto eighth grades will be able to use the materials, and the Treasure Chest's “secret corners”,independently. By studying the information that is presented in the relevant parts and sections ofthe book, children will be able to carry out the assignments, which in turn will further strengthentheir knowledge. All parts of the toolkit have cross-curricular content and can therefore be usedfor teaching various subjects, contributing to development of the general and special learningcapacities of primary and middle school students.The creative assignments can be completed either individually, in pairs, in small groups,and, in some cases, with adults. They are designed to encourage the students to communicateinteractively with their classmates and teachers, and to develop the subjective position of eachstudent, in the hope of swelling the ranks of young environmentalists! Some tasks can be abasis for projects by the children. The toolkit can be adapted for different age groups dependingon their level of preparedness, needs and interest, and also depending on the capabilities andexperience of teachers. Materials can be used both in class and out of class in activities relatedto different subjects of the school curriculum. Lake Baikal Box can also be used as the basis fora separate optional course on the environmental problems of Baikal region, as well as a tool forstudies and activities by naturalist groups. Our approach in creating the toolkit ensures flexibilityin presenting and studying Baikal. Teachers are welcome to structure the materials depending ontheir preferences and on the classes where they use them.Parents and other adults who wish to use Lake Baikal Box as a means of home education candiscuss its illustrations with children, read parts and sections of the book that are of particular interestto children together with them, and selectively work on assignments that are commensurate withtheir children's abilities. All of the first four parts of the text book offer various riddles, games, roleplays, individual and group projects, experiments, and creative assignments in a section entitled,“Think, Play, Experiment, Create Together!”, which follows the informational sections.

pointsLiving world of BaikalLiving world of BaikalBaikal oilfishI am a live-bearing fish and the most numerousfish of Lake Baikal. Guess who I am.You can read a book through my tail.Guess who I am.People call me an invisible-fish, because I don’thave scales. My body is nearly all oil.Guess who I am.I am very sensitive to water temperature. I may dieif the temperature reaches +10C. Guess who I am.My oil was used to made ointment to cure woundsin Tibetan medicine and during the Second WorldWar. Guess who I am.The game cards, “Living World of Baikal”,are intended to help students recognize themain plants and creatures that live in andaround Lake Baikal. They are grouped into thefollowing categories:· Plants· Fish· Birds· Invertebrates· Mammals· Plants and animals of the Baikal shoreThis intriguing game will help younglearners to consolidate their knowledge of LakeBaikal flora and fauna. Rules of the game andinstructions for using the map of Baikal's naturereserves “Above Water, Under Water and onthe Shore of Baikal ” are offered on the cardsthemselves.The Map of Baikal makes it possible to takea brief tour of the greatest lake on the planet.If you have never been to Baikal before, youcan use the map to decided where you will gofirst. Most importantly, each time children usethe map they will be reminded that there arespecially protected nature reserves around LakeBaikal and that the Lake needs our protection.The Poster “Above the Water, Under theWater and on the Shore of Baikal” can bepermanently exhibited in your classroom, to beused for specific tasks and when playing thecard game.The educational materials portal aboutBaikal is a website, which will help both teachersand students who use this toolkit. It can beaccessed at www.everydropmatters.ruYou can download samples of all materialsthat are used in the toolkit from the website,and the site will be of use even if you do nothave the kit. It will also be possible to play thegame “Above the Water and Under the Water”online.Teachers, who register on the website, willreceive a user ID and password. They can thenshare descriptive materials and upload picturesand videos of their assignments concerningBaikal. Teachers can also develop new materials,enabling us to fill the secret corners of LakeBaikal Box together.

Crossthematic character ofThe toolkit “Lake Baikal Box”Parts of thetoolkitGeneral contentsThematic spheresof the academicyear for the useof the book’smaterialsPedagogicaltechnologiesrecommended foruse at study a partof the toolkitEducationaland specialcompetenciesformed in theprocess of thematerials’ studyPART 1Geographical position of LakeBaikal. Its physical characteristics.Mountains around Baikal. Riversflowing into and out of Baikal. Otherlakes around. Islands and headlandsof Baikal. Weather on the lake. Windsof Baikal. Hidden winds. Entertainingand educating tasks.EnvironmentGeographyMathematicsArt and fine artsMusicTopical tasksHeuristic educationEducational andcognitiveResearchPART 2Unique characteristics of Baikal’swater. Baikal ice. Baikal waves.Living filters of Baikal water. Baikalsponge. Venus amphipods andBormashi Baikal epischuraExperimants with Baikal water.Different conditions of Baikal water(snow, ice). Temperature influence onthe water. How much water a manneeds a day. Adventure of WaterDrop.EnvironmentChemistryBiologyPhysicsZoologyArt and fine artsInteractiveeducationMethds of projectsReseachEducational andcognitiveEnvironmentPART 3Birds of Baikal. Gulls, ducks, Greatcormorant. Shore birds. Famous fishof Baikal. Baikal endemics. Paintingon stones and cut-out collages.Ecological tasks.ChemistryBoilogyPhysicsZoologyArt and fine artsCreative tasksWork in smallgroupsRole playsResearchInformativePART 4Specially Protected Natural Areas.Reserves, National Parks, WildlifeSanctuaries. Natural Monuments.Peoples of Baikal .Ecological Traditions and Customsof the Buryat Peoples. EcologicalProblems of Baikal and its coast.Experiments with plastic. Projectwith Baikal cedar.EnvironmentBiologyZoologyHistoryInformaticsProject technologiesTelecommunicationalprojectsSocial andecological projectsProjectSocial and workingPART 5The first reports of Baikal. Europeanresearchers(18th-19th centuries).Native researchers of Baikal.Chronology of Baikal research.“Mirs” on Baikal. Baikal in figures.Topology of the Baikal coast. Baikallegends and fairy tales. Our love forBaikal: Poems about the LakeBiologyGeographyHistoryLiteratureForeign languagesMusicBusiness playsDiscussionsCreative tasksCommunicativeCompetenciesof personalimprovement

Dear ChildrenYou are now holding an amazing book, which will tell you about a lake that is unlikeany other on our planet. Lake Baikal is the common heritage of humanity, but wewho live on its shores are rightfully proud that it is located here in Buryatia. Weare proud of its inexhaustible fresh water resources and its rich wildlife and plantkingdom. At the same time, we bear a special responsibility for protecting the Lake.You can contribute to this noble task. We must make sure that the banks of riversthat bring their water to Baikal remain clean. We must keep our forests safe fromfires. We must not pluck flowers in our meadows thoughtlessly. We must respect theanimals, which live around Baikal.By learning about Baikal you will also learn how to protect it. The authors of thisbook have prepared a wonderful gift for you, telling you the main things you need toknow about the Lake, providing tests of your knowledge, and – most importantly –teaching you and your friends and parents how to take care of our Lake.I would like to sincerely thank the professors of the Pedagogical Institute of theBuryat State University as well as NGO "Baikal Information Centre “GRAN“ for thehuge task, which they have completed. I would also like to extend my appreciation toall those who supported this remarkable project – the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme, the “Every Drop Matters” project, and the Coca-Cola Company.Together we can preserve this unique Lake for future generations.Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of BuryatiaAldar Damdinov

Baikal: a Miracleof NaturePART

OUR LAKE BAIKALBetween mountains and cliffsOur Baikal glitters.From northern lowlandsStrong Barguzin is blowing.Its waves strike against the banks,And around there is the taiga.Powerful Khamar-DabanGoes through the mistFurther - white like an aged man,Snowy Munku-Sardyk.Three hundred thirty three riversRush down the mountains.And right in the middle between cliffsThere is our Baikal.Ivan Molchanov-Sibirsky

CONTENTS OF PART 1Where is Baikal? 12Baikal's Birthday 13Why is our lake called Baikal? 13The deepest lake… 16The mountains around Baikal 20Islands and headlands of Baikal 22The Sacred Nose Peninsula 27336 rivers flow into Baikal 28The Angara is the only river flowing out of Baikal 31Smaller lakes around Baikal 32Proval Bay 34Baikal’s weather 35The winds of Baikal 37Think, Play, Experiment, Create together! 39• Check what you have learnt• Solve the puzzle!• What have I learnt about Baikal? Find 9 hidden words.• Cross out the extra term: lakes, mountain ridges, winds, rivers of Lake Baikal• What winds! Show the winds that blow on Baikal, write their namesand other details in the table• Hidden winds (colouring game)• Find My Name. Join the Island's name with its photograph• A mysterious archipelago. Answer the questions

Where is Baikal?Baikal is located in the centre of Asia, in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, between IrkutskRegion and the Republic of Buryatia. The lake fills an ancient basin, which was created by a shift ofthe Earth's crust. Baikal extends from southwest to northeast for a distance of 636 km.Look carefully at the map of Russia and find wherethe world's deepest lake is located.In photos from space Baikal has the appearance of a huge crescentmoon or an enormous banana.A few centuries ago, people had no concept of the outlines of Baikal.The first attempts to map the Lake were made at the end of the 17thand start of the 18th centuries, and the most accurate of them were bythe Russian cartographer, geographer and historian of Siberia, SimeonUlyanovich Remezov, in his Book of Maps of Siberia (1699–1701).Compare the image of Lake Baikal in the 17thcentury atlas with that on modern maps.12

Baikal’s BirthdayThe age of Lake Baikal is of great interestto scientists, who now believe that the Lake isabout 20–25 million years old. It is a very ancientlake. Other lakes live for about 15,000 years,before they disappear, but Baikal is still young –its area and its depth are still increasing, and theopposite shorelines are moving apart at a rate of2 cm per year.The ecologists of Baikal region recentlydecided that our Lake deserves a birthday:every year since 1999, we celebrate Baikal Dayon September 1.Why is our Lake called Baikal?The shoreline of Lake Baikal has been occupiedby different peoples down the ages: Turkic tribes,the Mongols, the Evenks, the Buryats and theYakuts. And each of them had their own namefor the Lake. The origin of the name by which weknow the Lake today – “Bajgal” or “Baikal” – isstill subject to discussion. Some scholars believethat “Bajgal” is a Buryat word meaning “the naturalsea”. Others maintain that this name was firstgiven to the Lake by an ancient Turkic people, theKuryks.Baj-Kul (Turkic) – “rich lake”Lamu (Evenk) – “sea”Tengis (Turkic) – “sea”Bejhaj (Chinese) – “northern sea”Bajgal-Dalaj (Mongolian) – “huge lake”Bajgal (Buryat) – “natural”, “real”, “existing”,Dalaj (Buryat) – “sea”Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe peoples who lived far from Baikal knew about the lake, too. Inancient Chinese manuscripts Baikal is called as “Bejhaj” that means“northern sea”.13

Europe learnt of the existence of the Lakefrom Marco Polo's reports of his journeys.Other names for the Lake include the Buryat-Mongolian “Dalanor”, meaning “sacred lake”and “Llama”, which is the Tungus word for “sea”.Marco Polo (1254–1324) – the renownedItalian traveller and merchant of the 13thcentury, wrote the history of his 25 yearsof travels across Asia.The first Russian explorers of Siberia usedthe Evenk word “Lamu” to refer to the Lake. Butin 1643 a group of 74 Cossacks led by KurbatIvanov arrived on its shores and took up theBuryat name, “Bajgal”. They Russianized theword, replacing “g” by “k”, to make “Baikal”,which is how the Lake is known today.V.Surikov. The Cossacs.A Sketch for the picture “Ermak’s conquest of Siberia”.Kurbat Afanasevich Ivanov (?–1666) – a Cossack from Tobolsk, is considered to be thethe “discoverer” of Lake Baikal. He led an expedition from the Cossack settlement ofVerkholensky, which brought Russians to the shores of the Lake for the first time. Someyears after his expedition Ivanov created a map, which he called a “Drawing of Baikal andof the rivers that flow into it”.14

People have called Baikal a“sea” since ancient times andthis is the term used by the OldBeliever, Avvakum, in his bookThe Life of Avvakum, the firstliterary work to mention the Lake,where he writes: “We mendedthe boat, set the sails, and wentacross the sea…”.S. Miloradovich.Avvakum’s way in Siberia. 1898.Avvakum Petrovich Kondratyev (1620–1682) –was a church writer and head of the Old Believers.He crossed the Lake in July 1662, returning fromexile in Dauria (now the region of Transbaikaliye).In 1675 Nikola Milesku Spafary described the Lake as follows: “The Baikal sea remains unknownto chroniclers of past and present ages because […] to journey around it is impossible […] andits size, length, width and depth are great. And it can be called a lake because its water is fresh”.Local people still call Baikal “the sea”.Nikola (Nikolay Gavrilovich) Milesku Spafary (1636–1708) – was a Russian diplomat andscholar of Romanian origins. He crossed Baikal on his way to China, where he headed aRussian embassy. He gave the first detailed geographical description of Baikal.So Baikal has been an object of study for many centuries. The achievement of the earliestexplorers was to discover the wonders of Baikal. Our task today is preserve these wonders forfuture generations.15

The deepest lake…Baikal is the deepest lake in the world (1637 m). Its depth is explained by its geological origins.There are only two other lakes in the world with depth greater than 1000 m: Lake Tanganyika inAfrica (1470 m) and the Caspian Sea in the south of Russia (1025 m).Baikal is the second biggest lake in Russiaby the volume of water, which it contains: theCaspian Sea is larger by this measure. However,the waters of the Caspian are salty, while Baikal'swater is fresh. The waters of Baikal represent80% of all the fresh water in Russia and 20% offresh water on the entire planet.Find Lake Baikal, Lake Tanganyika and the Caspian Sea on the mapof the world, and find out what continents they belong to.The world's biggest lakes by surface areaNameArea (sq. km.)Caspian Sea 371 000Verkhneye 82 414Victoria 69 485Huron 59 500Michigan 58 016Tanganyika 32 893Baikal 31 500Bolshoye Medvejie 31 080Niyasa 30 044Aral Sea 13 900Now look at the outlines of the Lake. In itswidest place Baikal is almost 80 km across,and the distance from shore to shore at thenarrowest place is almost 27 km. If we measureBaikal's surface area, we find that it is roughlyequal to that of some countries (Belgium, forexample). Baikal is one of the biggest lakes inthe world.Look at the table. You can see that Baikal numbers amongthe ten greatest lakes in the world by surface area.16

The mysterious depths of BaikalIf we took all the water out of Baikal, you would find that the bottom of the Lake is a landscapeof mountains and valleys. All this is concealed beneath a mass of water that is nearly two kilometersdeep in places.Sazhen – a Russian linear measure equal to 2.13mLot – ead weights with a thin rope or a cablePood – a Russian measure of weight equal to 16.3 kgSince long ago people have aspired to knew more about Baikal. You have already learnt thenames of some of these travellers and scholars from different ages and countries. In particular,people have wanted to know how deep the Lake is.Fishermen were probably the first to gain an idea of the depth of Baikal. Milesku Spafary spokewith local people and reports in his Travel Notes that “its depth is great because it has beenmeasured with lines of a hundred sazhens and more, without reaching the bottom”.In the 18th century a German scientist, Peter Simon Pallas, make anexpedition to Baikal and tried several times to find the bottom of thelake, but his 200m rope proved too short.In 1837 one of the exiled Decembrists Wilhelm KarlovichKuechelbeker – a friend and a schoolfellow of Alexander Pushkin– carried out deep-water soundings in one part of Lake Baikal (theBarguzin Gulf).In 1859 deep-water soundings of the Lake were conducted by theLieutenant Konstantin Kononov in preparation for the laying of a cableline from Kazan to the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Kononov used arope one thousand sazhens long with an end-weight of one pood.17

Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe scientific study of Siberia, including Baikal, began with the foundationof the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg in 1725.The first scientific measurements of the depths of Lake Baikal were bythe Polish scientists B.I. Dybovsky and V.A. Godlevsky, who did mostof their work in the winter time. The fathometer (depth measurementinstrument) which they invented is still used today with someimprovements. In 1870, the two scientists were awarded the goldmedal of the Russian Geographical Society for their researchon Lake Baikal.Nowadays depth is often measured using a cable plummet or an echo-sounding device.Cable plummet (used in 1959).Measured depth of the lake = 1620 mEcho-sounding device (used in1974).Measured depth of the lake = 1637 m.A specialized institute – the Limnological Institute – is located in the village of Listvyanka, bythe Lake, and is dedicated to studying all aspects of Baikal's ecosystem.Limnological Institute СО RAN, in IrkutskThe science, which studies lakes, is called Limnology.18

The greatest depths of Lake BaikalThe waters of Lake Baikal fill a natural depression in the earth's crust. The depression isdivided into three large troughs – southern, middle and northern, – each of them separated by anunderwater ridge.NorthMiddleSouthThe ridge, which divides the northern from the middle trough is called the Akademicheskaya(“Academic”) ridge. The middle and the southern troughs are separated by the Selengino-Buguldeisky elevation.Which of these parts of Baikal do you think is the deepest?• The deepest point in the southern trough of Lake Baikal, between the mouths of the riversPereyemnaya and Mishikha, is 1432m beneath the surface.• The water depth in the middle part of the Lake, near the eastern shore of Olkhon Island,between Capes Izhimey and Khara-Hushun, is 1637m.• The deepest point in the Lake's northern trough is off the coastal strip between Cape Elokhinand Cape Pokoiniki, where the water depth is 890m.So the deepest part of Lake Baikal is in its middle trough.The shallowest offshore point in Lake BaikalThe shllowest depth of 34m was discovered by the scientist Gleb Yurievich Vereshchagin overthe Posolskaya shoal, which is almost in the middle of the lake.19

The mountains around BaikalBaikal is surrounded by the peaks and crests of mountains. We can find their names by studyingthe map.Try to find the Primorsky ridge on the map. It is located on the west side of Lake Baikal, and isof modest height – very few peaks along the Primorsky ridge rise higher than 1000 m.As you can see, the northern end of the Primorsky ridge rises to meet the Baikal ridge, whichhas peaks higher than 2000 m.The east coast of the Lake is girded by the Khamar-Daban mountain range, which is an offshootof the Sayany mountains.Further to the north, beyond the river Selenga, you can see the low Ulan-Burgasy ridge, andalong its northern part the Barguzin ridge has peaks as high as 2300–2600 m.Mountain systems around Baikal and their highest peaksPrimorsky ridge Trekhgolovy Golets mountain 1746 mUlan-Burgasy Khurkhan mountain 2049 mKhamar-Daban Khan-Khula mountain 2371 mBaikalsky Cherskogo mountain 2588 mBarguzin Baikal Peak 2840 m20

In some places the mountain ridges descend straight to the water's edge, while in other placesthey are at a distance of several dozen kilometers from the shoreline. The slopes on the easternside are gentle, but they are steep on the western side, with plentiful scree and pebble slides.The Baikal shoreline is also marked by valleys between the mountain ridges, the biggest ofwhich are the Ust-Selenga, Ust-Barguzin and Upper-Angara valleys, containing the rivers whichfeed the Lake – the Selenga, Barguzin, Upper Angara and others. These valleys have traditionallybeen settled by people.The valleys and ridges around Baikal stretch for a distance of 2500 km and form the Baikalmountain region.21

The islands and headlands of Lake BaikalBaikal has many islands and headlands(capes), but only one large peninsula, known asSvyatoy Nos (“Sacred Nose”).The largest of the islands on the Lake isOlkhon Island, which is located in the centralpart of the Lake and is considered to be itsheart. Olkhon covers an area of 722.4 km2, itis 73 km long and 15 km wide. It coastline isgently sloping on the western side, but tall andsteep on the eastern side.The part of Lake Baikal between its westernshore and Olkhon Island is called the SmallSea. The south-western end of the Island isseparated from the Baikal shoreline by a straitknown as the Olkhon Gate, which is viewed bysailors as the most treacherous part of the Lake.The highest point on Olkhon Island is Izhimeymountain, the peak of which is located only 11km from the Lake's deepest point – the 1637mdepth, which we described above.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe name of Olkhon Island is believed to come from the Buryat words“khoi” or”«khon”, meaning forest, or from “olkhon”, which means“dry”. Strong winds make it difficult for trees to take root on the Island,so they tend to grow alone or in small clumps, and the western coastis without any tree cover.22

You might be interested to know what birds and animals live on the Island. You can see themand count them by looking at the pictures.Olkhon Island is home to various animals, including the lynx, fox, hare, squirrel, weasel, polecatand others, as well as one endemic species, the olkhon vole, which is only to be found in thesteppes around Baikal. In winter time wolves sometimes cross the ice to the Island, but bearsnever go there. Baikal seals can sometimes be seen along the Olkhon coastline.Olkhon is the only island on Lake Baikal,which has been settled by people. Humanhabitation on Olkhon dates from the earliesttimes: scientists have found evidence of humanpresence (fragments of pottery and a crudeknife) at one part of the Island – Saraisky Bay– dating from 13,000 years ago. About 1,500people inhabit Olkhon today, and they livemainly from fishing and cattle breeding.23

Not far from Olkhon we find the four Ushkany Islands. The Island are famous for their sealrookeries, and they have the curious names of “Big”, “Thin”, “Round” and “Long”. All of them arepeaks of the underwater Akademichesky ridge.Why do you think the Ushkany Islands have these names? Can you imagine what they looklike? Why would an island be called “Long”?Big Island rises out of the water in the form of a mountain 216 meters high, but the other threeislands are not more than 17-22m above the water level. Big island has three caves at the foot ofits limestone cliffs, in which archaeologists have found pottery fragments, other ancient remains,and seal bones, probably left behind by ancient seal hunters.Big Ushkany has huge 300 year-old larches andpine trees growing on its slopes and its rocks areentirely covered with brown moss. Big Ushkany isalso remarkable for its thousands of ant hills, whichare almost unique in Russia. Unfortunately, the antpopulation has been reduced in recent years byfires that have broken out on the Island.The Ushkany Islands take their name from theword “ushkan”, which is the Siberian word fora hare. But, strangely, there are no hares on theisland. The name in fact comes from the north ofEuropean Russia where people on the coast of theWhite Sea call sea-seals “hares”, using the standardRussian word for a hare, which is “zayats”. Whenthese people visited Baikal and saw seals on itsislands, they therefore called the islands “zayachi”(this is the name used in Simeon Remezov's atlasof 1701). The local people then substituted theirword for a hare, and the name “Ushkany” hasstuck to this day.24

Yarki Island in the northern part of LakeBaikal takes the form of a narrow sandy spit,stretching for 15 km along the northern shoreof the Lake. The Island is covered with grass,birch trees and cedar scrub.Mountain pineGreat Baklany (Shimai) Island, situated in the Chivyrkuysky Gulf of Lake Baikal, is a smallrocky island, which used to be a nesting place for cormorants (“Baklany” in Russian) and is stillinhabited by grouse. Larch trees spread from the highest point on the Island down to the water'sedge, interspersed with glades. A sheer cliff rises from the Lake on the south-west of the Island.Check what you have learnt !1. What is the largest island of Lake Baikal? Why are there so few plants andtrees on this island?2. The high points of the Akademichesky ridge form a chain of islands.What are these islands called?3. What is remarkable about Yarki Island?25

Cape Shamanskiy Many of the capes andheadlands on the shoreline of Lake of Baikal taketheir names from the rivers and streams that flow intothe lake. The names of some others have differentsources. The best-known of Baikal's capes areShamansky, Burkhan, Khoboy, and Kobylya Golova(“Mare's Head”). In fact, there are two ShamanskyCapes on Lake Baikal, one of them in the northeastpart of the Lake and the other in the south. Thesecond Shamansky Cape deserves special mention,because it is often considered to be the gate to LakeBaikal. The Cape is near to the westernmost point ofBaikal and extends into the Lake for half a kilometer.It is situated between the settlements of Kultuk andSlyudyanka and divides the southwest end of thelake into two parts, with Kultuk to the north andSlyudyanka to the south. The top of the rocky capeis covered with birch trees and resembles the whalefrom the Russian fairy tale “The Hump-backed Horse”.In the past the Buryats called this cape Aikha-Shulun, which means “Awful Stone”, reflecting the legendsof shamans who carried out sacrifices and religiousrituals here. Later Russian merchants used to makestopovers at the Cape, believing that by showingrespect to the shaman's spirit they would ensure thesuccess of their business affairs. Hence the name“Shamansky”.When you visit Baikal with your parents, take photographsof the Lake at different times of day and in different seasons.Collect the photos in an album and submit them forcompetitions or organize a photo exhibition in class.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxCape Shamansky was the scene of an interesting scientific episode. In 1868the scientists Benedict Dybovsky and Victor Godlevsky carried outobservations of water levels and marked the high water mark on the sideof the Cape. Their measurement proved significant because the waterlevel in 1868 was the highest for 100 years. Unfortunately, the mark hasnot survived to the present (it was destroyed by explosives work duringproduction of building materials). However, the work of the two researcherswas continued by the scientist Ivan Chersky who made 16 water levelmarks at various locations around the Lake. Chersky's marks remainas a part of the history of scientific studies of Baikal.26

The Sacred Nose PeninsulaView at the peninsula from the place KargaSvyatoy Nos (“Sacred Nose”) is the biggest peninsulaon Baikal and has the shape of a huge nose. The Buryatname, “Hilmen Khushun” means “face (nose) of a sturgeonfish”. The peninsula is 53 km long, and about 20 kmacross. Its western slopes are covered with dense taiga,and the eastern side has a number of sheltered bays andpromontories. Find Svyatoy Nos Peninsula on the map (thephoto ​from space will help you to find it). What islands canyou see near the Peninsula?Several thousand years ago Svyatoy Nos was an islandseparated from the eastern shore of Baikal by a narrowstrait. Two rivers, the Maly Chivyrkuy and the Barguzin,flowing into the Lake to the south of the island, graduallyfilled the strait with sand and silt, helped by regularstorms on the Lake, until the island was connected to themainland by a sandy spit and the strait was transformedinto an inlet that we now call the Chivyrkuysky Gulf. Thereare three settlements on the peninsula: Monakhovo, Katunand Kurbulik.Show on the map where Peninsula Svyatoy Nos is situated.The photo made from space will help you in that. Whatother peninsulas have you noticed near the peninsula?In the place Monakhovo, in summer Tangles on western hill Peninsula’s landscape27

336 rivers flow into the LakeBaikal gathers waters from a huge territory and more than336 rivers and streams flow into the Lake. The exact numbercannot be established, because some of them dry up in yearsof low precipitation and reappear when the rains return. Theyinclude large navigable rivers: the Selenga, Upper Angaraand Barguzin. Several more modest rivers the Kichera, Turka,Snezhnaya and Goloustnaya as well as many other streamsthat are shallow, and can be easily forded.View on the Selenga from the mountain OmulevayaThe Selenga is the largest tributary of Lake Baikal, andaccounts for half of all the river water flowing into the lake.The Selenga is 1024 km long and originates in Mongolia, fromwhere it crosses the border into Russia and flows for 415 kmacross Buryatia to reach Baikal.The Selenga delta is of special interest, since it has pushedthe waters of the Lake back some distance to the west. Howhas this happened? Many small mountain rivers carry largeamounts of sand into the Selenga, some of which settle on theriver bed, while the rest is carried into the Lake and sinks tothe bottom. So a broad shallow area was created at the riverdelta and a huge flat expanse of dry land – the delta plain– was eventually formed. This new land is now occupied bymeadows, fields and the villages of Kabansky district. Manyof their inhabitants would find it hard to believe that the placewhere they now live was once covered by the waters of Baikal.The word “Selenga” is believed to derive fromthe Evenk word “sele”, meaning “iron”.28

The water of the Selenga is muddy all theyear round, especially during the summer. Whydo you think this is?At the river's source, in the Mongoliansteppe, there is a severe continental climate,almost no vegetation, and strong winds all theyear round. The winds gather up small grains ofsand, grind them to a powder and carry themfor huge distances. Rainfall captures the dustand washes it into the tributaries of the Selenga.The Selenga's delta. View from the space.A delta is found at the mouth of the river, where it flows into a lake or sea, creating anareas of shallows thanks to the river deposits that are carried into the lake or sea.The Selenga's delta.Despite the slow current, this dust does not settle on the riverbed but flows all the way toBaikal. The muddiness of the Selenga is also explained by the fact that the river flows across afriable rock, called clay loam.A river bed is a deepeningof the ground, a channel,along which a river flows.29

The Upper Angara is the second full-flowing tributary of Lake Baikal.At the beginning of 17th century Russian explorers called it simply the Angara. But as therewas another Angara (that flows out of Baikal), the river became known as the Upper Angara andthis name has been preserved to the present day.The Upper Angara rises on the slopes of the Vitimsky Plateau and covers a distance of 452km on its way to the Lake. Its mountain reaches are fast flowing with rapids, but the greater partof the river flows quietly through the marshy Angarsk depression. A variety of fish – taimen,grayling, burbot, ide, pike and perch – are found in its waters and the Arctic cisco uses the riverfor spawning. The Baikal-Amur railway runs along the banks of the Upper Angara.The word “anga” means“open” or “disclosed” inBuryat.The name Barguzin comes from theancient tribe Barghouti, who lived inBaikal region.The Barguzin, the third largest tributary of Lake Baikal, is 400 km long, with turbulent upperreaches and a gentler flow as it approaches Baikal. In the far distant past a large mountain lakeoccupied the place of the lower reaches of the river . This ancient lake gradually diminished anddisappeared, and the tributaries, which once flowed into it, came together in the Barguzin river.The villages of Barguzin district stand on what was once the bottom of the ancient lake.Smaller rivers, none of them longer than 170 km, also flow into the Lake. Can you find theirnames? Finally, a number of shallow, fast-flowing streams rise on the slopes of the ridges that forma dense ring around Baikal, and tumble down to the Lake below.30

The Angara is the only riverflowing out of BaikalOnly one river, the Angara, flows outof Baikal. The Angara is 1 km wide and4-6m deep at its start.The so-called Shaman's Stone , which is never covered by water, stands in the middle of thestream. This lone rock has been surrounded by legends since earliest times, and you can readabout one them later in our Book: according to this legend, furious Lake Baikal threw the rock afterhis disobedient daughter, Angara, who had run away to her lover, Yenisei, without his permission.The head of the river Angara never freezes, and a steam rises from it throughout the winter.Why so? The waters that pour out from Baikal into the Angara do not come from the surface,but from the depths of the Lake, where the water temperature is above 0°C, and the fast currentkeeps the Angara headstream ice-free in even the coldest winters. This fact makes the head of theAngara the only refuge in northern Asia for wildfowl during the winter: black and white garrots,buff-breasted and common mergansers, and long-tailed ducks all winter here.All of the rivers that flow into Baikal, and that we discussed above, play a prominent part inthe lives of the people who live around the Lake. Ancient culture instilled an attitude of respecttowards the rivers, and to pollute or befoul them is still viewed as a great sin.Name the 10 tributaries of Lake Baikal.Choose one of the smaller rivers, which flow into Baikal.Find its course on the map and mark it on the contour map.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe construction of three hydroelectric power stations on the Angara inthe middle of the last century (Irkutsk, Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk) has reducedthe size of the ice-free zone by three times, and the number of winteringbirds has reduced to 2000-3500. The birds start to arrive in November, bythe beginning of December there are 1200-1500 ducks, and by the end ofthe month at least 2000 birds will have gathered.31

Little lakes around BaikalThere are a lot of smaller lakes in the region around Baikal – near to the Lake itself, in thesurrounding mountains and at the feet of the mountains. Most of these lakes are under specialprotection, since they are the nesting places of migratory birds, including several rare anddwindling species.Lake Frolikha is a glacial lake situated in the highmountains of the Barguzin. It was formed during the lastgreat glaciation of Baikal region when two large glaciers,which were moving down river valleys, collided andformed a dam, hollowing out the crater which containsthe Lake we see today. Lake Frolikha is home to many fishincluding the taimen, goldilock, pike, grayling, Siberianroach, and darter. But it is most famous as the home ofthe Frolikh char, which is a rare fish found nowhere elsein Siberia (except rarely in Baikal itself).The fish is included in the RedBook of Russia (1983) andof Buryatia (1988).The Russian word for the Frolikh char is “davatchan”,which is the Buryat word for “salmon”. This fish wasonce believed to be divine and any person whoharmed it could expect divine punishment.Several of the plants around Lake Frolikha – the Baikal barotsenia, quillwort, alisma, and snowdonrose – are also included in the Red Book of Buryatia.Lake GuitaraLake SobolikhaLake VokindaArangatuy is a large lake situated on the neckof the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula and linked by anarrow channel to Baikal's Chivirkuysky Gulf.Arangatuy is surrounded by a marsh wherebirds gather in the spring and fill the air withnoise: swans, herons, divers and Eurasiancurlews all fly to Arangatuy to nest. The watersof the Lake are rich in fish, including dace, orfe,carp, pike and darter.The name “Arangatuy” derives from the Buryat word“aranga”, meaning a “platform” or “tower on posts”,which was traditionally used by the Buryat;s whenhunting for wild animals or storing food in the forest.32

Another large lake, Kotokel, is situated injust 2 km from Baikal and connects with it viathe Kotochik river, but is outside the Baikalnature reserve. The Lake is 14 km long and 5km wide and includes Monastyrsky Island. Anenvironmental disaster, which occurred someyears ago, killed most of Kotokel's fish, seagullsand ducks, as well as the Baikal otters livingalong the Lake shore.Island MonastirskyThe origin of the Lake's name is uncertain: “koto” in the Evenk language means a knifeor club, which is used to clear small trees and make a path. Another explanation isassociated with a type of footwear, “koti”, which Russians used for walking on marshyground during wet weather.Lake Frolikhaозеро Фролихаозеро Lake Котокель KotokelWhat lakes can you name? Find them on the map around Baikaland fill in the blanks with their names. Mark their location.33

Proval BayIn the winter of 1862 a strong earthquake (10 points on the Richter scale) caused a large areaof land near the estuary of the Selenga river to slip beneath the waters of Baikal. The resultingbay was called “Proval” (the Russian word can mean “fall” or “valley”). Human victims were fewin number, but many nomad encampments were flooded and 1300 people were left homelessin the January cold, without their goods and livestock. The earthquake and subsidence was onlysubjected to scientific analysis two years later and many details of what happened are still notunderstood. The village of Oymur is located on the shoreline, close to Proval Bay.34

Baikal's weatherWe are always interested to hear theweather forecast. So what is the weather likeon Lake Baikal? Weather forecasters tell uswhether to expect sunshine or rain, blizzards oreven hurricanes. But any weather pattern is acombination of wind, precipitation, clouds andtemperature.Meteorology (from Greek “meteoros” means a celestial and atmospheric phenomenon)is the science of the structure and qualities of the earth's atmosphere and its physicalprocesses. It is also called the “physics of the atmosphere”, which gives a better idea ofits character nowadays. Meteorologists build models to help forecast the weather andto carry out research into climate and the atmosphere using radar, satellites and othermodern equipment.Average weather patterns are called climate, and different regions of the Earth have cold,temperate and hot climates. Baikal is located in a temperate climate zone with a sharplycontinental climate, which means that we have a cold winter and a short, hot summer, and thatlarge temperature swings often occur through the day. But the enormous water mass of Baikalsoftens this continental climate, making it more like that of a region close to the sea. How doesthis happen? All through the summer the waters of the Lake soak up and store warmth. Then,in the late autumn and early winter, the Lake gives back this heat, tempering the harsh Siberianfrosts. As a result the early winter temperature around Baikal is warmer than in regions furtherfrom the lake (until ice fully covers the Lake in January), but average temperatures near the Lakein summer are relatively low.Baikal has many sunny days (48 per year on average and 64 on Olkhon Island).35

Precipitation over BaikalIn June and July, when there is not much wind, a fogoften settles over the Lake as warm land air spreads overthe cold water surface. Fogs also occur in autumn andwinter (from October–December until the Lake freezesover) when the air temperature is below zero but thewater has a plus temperature.The weather on Baikal is full of surprises. In summerthere may be heavy rainfall or drizzle that continues forseveral days, and in winter snowdrifts may grow to aheight of several meters. A significant layer of snowfallcan occur even in June: local people always say thatJune is not yet summer and July is no longer summer.The average annual volume of precipitation (rainand snow) over the vicinity of the Lake is 9.29 km 3 ,accounting for about 13% of all the water input to theLake. Most of the precipitation falls on the Khamar-Daban coastline and in the mountains, while the UshkanyIslands and Olkhon are the driest parts of Baikal.People can enjoy pure blue skies over Baikal for mostpart of the year, since clouds do not form above the lake.This is because the water on the Lake's surface is too coldto evaporate and form clouds, while air masses that bringclouds from elsewhere towards Baikal take up warmthand disperse as they pass over the coastal mountains.36

The winds of BaikalYou know that air circulation over the Earth's surface is called wind. It can blow in any direction,and with varying force and speed. There is nearly always a wind blowing on Baikal, and the localshave more than thirty names for the different winds that occur on the Lake (in some cases, thereare several names for one and the same wind). We will tell you about some of Baikal's winds andyou can work out which of them are the most furious and dangerous.See if you can work outthe meaning of the differentcoloured arrows on the map.The southern wind that blows from Kultuk Bay along the length of Baikal is called theKultuk (or “Nizovik”, which means “lower wind”). The Kultuk usually brings bad weather,with clouds, rain or drizzle lasting for several days, and it is sometimes strong enough toraise waves of up to 6m on the Lake. The Kultuk usually blows in autumn, and it is precededby a gathering of dark clouds in the south-western part of Baikal.The wind that blows in the opposite direction, from the mouth of the Upper Angara riverat the northern end of Baikal, is called the Verkhovik (“upper wind”). The wind is usuallygentle and brings sunshine. The water along the shoreline remains calm when the Verkhovikblows, but further from the shore the Lake becomes dark and its surface is covered withwhite foam. A bright red horizon before sunrise is a sign that the Verkhovik can be expected.A north-eastern wind, the Barguzin, sometimes blows from the Barguzin Valley in thecentral part of the Lake. It blows evenly and gradually gains force, but is less powerful thanother winds on the Lake. The Barguzin brings sunny weather. It usually starts to blow in themorning after sunrise and dies down towards sunset.37

The most treacherous and blustery wind on Baikal is the Gornyak (“mountain wind”), astorm wind that blows from the west and northwest. It is often preceded by cumulo-nimbusclouds on the Lake's western shore. The Gornyak is most usual in the period from Octoberto November.When the Gornyak blows very strongly, it is called the Sarma (after the name of theriver valley, from which it blows). The Sarma reaches speeds above 40 km/s, and it canbreak the rooves of houses and overturn boats (even motor-launches). The appearance ofstratocumulus clouds over the peaks of the Primorsky ridge are a warning that the Sarma is onits way. In the summer the Sarma begins and ends suddenly, but in the autumn it can blow allday long. The wind often rises quickly and unexpectedly, making it particularly dangerous.The Buguldeika is another variant of the Gornyak, which rises in the valley of the riverBuguldeika and can blow for days on end.A warm south-east wind, the Shelonnik, sometimes blows onto the Lake. The Shelonnikraises waves, but dies away before it reaches the other side, so that breakers sweep ontothe western shore in apparently windless weather. The Shelonnik is most usual in spring,autumn and at the beginning of winter.Does a calm every occur on Lake Baikal?It often happens that several winds blow at the same time and cannot be easily distinguished.On such days the wind direction can change unpredictably to its opposite.Baikal is only free of wind in the middle of the summer. The time of least wind in 24-hourperiods is the two or three hours after sunrise and before sunset. A calm that lasts for a whole dayis a rare occurrence: local people call it a “Baikal sheen”.In addition to the dominant winds, which we have described, there are light local winds thatblow on Baikal almost every day. These are breezes, similar to those which occur on sea coasts:on hot summer days cold air from the sea is drawn into the valleys and lowlands on shore, whileat night the breeze is from the land onto the sea, which retains the day's warmth.Calm – we say that the weather is “calm” when there is no wind, or very littlewind.Breeze – changes its direction in any 24-hour period: at night it blows towardsthe sea, and in the daytime towards the coast.38

Think, Play, Experiment, Create together!Check what you have learnt!1. What does “Baikal” mean in translation from Turkic?a) the big lakeb) the rich lakec) the dead lake2. How old is Baikal?a) 20-25 million yearsb) 10-20 million yearsc) 100 million years3. What is the greatest depth of Baikal?a) 393 m b) 1435 m c) 1637 m4. What is the length of Baikal?a) 536 km b) 636 km c) 836 km5. Match the names with the dates: who visited Baikal first andwhen?a) Nikola Milesku Spafary 1643b) Protopriest Avvakum 1675c) Kurbat Ivanov 16626. Which lake has the same shape as Baikal?a) Victoriab) Taganjikac) Ladoga7. How many rivers flow into Baikal?a) 336 b) 486 c) 5448. What is the largest river flowing into Baikal?a) the Barguzinb) the Selengac) the Turka39

Check what you have learnt!Find out the odd one out in the list of the Baikal's mountain ridges, rivers, and winds:a) Ranges: Primorsky, Baikalsky, Kichersky, Khamar-Daban, Northern, Barguzinsky;b) Inflowing rivers: the Selenga, the Barguzin, the Upper Angara, the Kichera, the Turka,the Yenisei;c) Winds: Kultuk, Verkhovik, Barguzin, Gornyak, Putnik, Shelonnik.Solve the puzzle!Use this rebus to find the word that means “the study of lakes”.+ Logic + Y for I1 2 [I for E] 3 5 4Fillword. What have I learnt about Baikal?Find 9 hidden words connected with Baikal.The words run horizontally and vertically.40

Check what you have learnt!What winds!Show the winds that blow on Lake Baikal by putting arrows on the map, then write their namesand other details in the table.The wind name Its direction Weather features41

Fill in the triangles with the same numbers using colour crayons and youwill learn where Baikal's winds blow: (insert from the yellow book)1 – Angara2 – Gornyak3 – BarguzinI am a creator!Hidden winds4 – Buguldeika5 – Sarma6 – Verkhovik7 – Kultuk8 – Pokatukha9 – Shelonnik42

Check what you have learnt!Find my nameJoin the Island's name with its photograph.Yarki islandGreat Baklany (Shimai) IslandOlkhon IslandThe Ushkany Islands43

Answer the questions:Check what you have learnt!A mysterious archipelago· What are the names of the islands in the Ushkany archipelago?· What is the other name for the Ushkany Islands?· What animal is a symbol of the Ushkany Islands?· What draws human visitors to the Ushkany IslandsJoin up the dots to find Baikal’s islands.44

P. 391. b) the rich lake2. a) 20–25 mln3. c) 1637 m4. b) 636 km5. a) Nikola Milesku Spafary 1675b) Protopriest Avvakum 1662c) Kurbat Ivanov 16436. b) Taganjika7. a) 3368. b) SelengaKeysP. 40Find out the odd one out in the list of the Baikal's mountain ridges, rivers, and winds:a) Ranges: Primorsky, Baikalsky, Kichersky, Khamar-Daban, Barguzinsky;b) Flowing rivers: the Selenga, the Barguzin, the Upper Angara, the Kichera, the Turka;с) Winds: Kultuk, Verkhovik, Barguzin, Gornyak, Shelonnik.Guess the rebus: limnology.Fillword: Sarma, Angara, limnology, Baikal, hummock, Selenga, Olkhon, Barguzin, Кultuk.P. 44Misteriuos archipelago:Big, Thin, Round, Long;Hare;Seal;Tourism.Islands’ pictures:Big Ushkany Island, Small Ushkany Islands – Long and Thin; Big Baklany, Nameless45

The Wondersof Baikal WaterPART

Green pure water in high shores,And everywhere misty shores around.The tops of mountains are seen in snowThey proudly tower above the water.What freedom! What breadth!And air is so fresh and so clear!How lake is calmAnd spring is so sleepless!It’s so easy to breeze! How heart is beating fast!Sacred sea is sleeping…The water’s glassy is smooth,Only ice is resting on waters,A gaze can’t hug the view at once,Expanse is lost in the blue sky.Igor Severyanin

CONTENTS OF PART 2Unique properties of Baikal water 50Why does the colour of water in Baikal change? 51Baikal waves 52Baikal ice 54The living water filters of Baikal. The Baikal Sponge 56Venus amphipods and Bormashi 57Baikal epischura 58Think, Play, Experiment, Create! 59• Check what you have learnt!What do you remember about the miraculous qualities of Baikal water?• What is living water?• My observations. How much water do I need a day?• Baikal's “cleaners”. Answer the questions• Experiments with Baikal waterExperiment 1. Does an egg sink in water?Experiment 2. Construct a density pyramidExperiment 3. Why does a stopper fly out of a bottle?Experiment 4. If you want to make invisible ink, here's how!Experiment 5. How does yeast "behave" in water?• Monitoring Baikal iceExperiment 1. At what temperature does water freeze?Experiment 2. Water, ice, snowExperiment 3. Can you make coloured ice?Experiment 4. Why does ice float?Experiment 5. Gradual freezing• Laboratory work. Properties of Baikal water• Creative work. What are ice crystals like?• How can a water drop get into a house?• A pure river• Creative work. Draw a snowflake• Imagine your own “New Adventures of the Water Drop”.Use a computer to help you

Unique properties of Baikal waterYoung friends! You already know that Baikalholds 20% of the world's fresh water. It issometimes called 'the planet's well'.Let's dive deep into the waters of Baikal andfind out what wonders they contain.Look at this photo. What adjectives wouldyou choose to describe Baikal water?Baikal water is uniquely pure and transparent,particularly in the spring after the ice melts.It then becomes slightly murky as tiny waterorganisms called plankton multiply and grow.Secret Corners of Baikal’sLittle Treasure ChestWater transparency is measured by a special device calleda 'Secchi disc', named after Angelo Secchi, an Italian astronomer, whomeasured the transparency of sea water using the device as early in1865. The white disc with 30 cm diameter is lowered face-down intothe water, using a rod, and the depth at which it becomes invisibleis recorded. That depth, expressed in meters, is the measure ofwater transparency.The table shows the water transparency in various seas and lakes. You can see that watertransparency in Baikal is more than 40 meters.0102030405060Water transparency in seas and lakes (meters)The Sargasso Sea Lake Baikal Lake Issyk Kul The Baltic Sea Lake Ladoga Lake Ilmen50

The water in Baikal is rich in oxygen, which, as you know, is vital for the survival of all livingorganisms. The main sources of oxygen are water weed. But the surface layer of Baikal water alsoreceives oxygen from the air, and oxygen is supplied at greater depths thanks to water transferdriven by wind and currents.Baikal water has a unique chemical composition, containing about 40 elements: calcium,oxygen, magnesium, sodium, potassium, silica, sulphur, chloride, nitrogen, iron, phosphorus,iodine, and many others.Baikal water is fresh, containing little salt. It has a soft and pleasant taste, without smell, and isexceptionally safe and healthy.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxOver 2 billion liters of bottled water are collected from Lake Baikal eachyear, so there is no need to visit the Lake in order to appreciate the tasteand quality of its water. Water is collected from a point 1007m from theshoreline and 500m below the surface. Why was it necessary to go tosuch a depth? It was found that water in this zone had a high level ofpurity. The water is bottled at special centers on the southern shoreof Baikal, in the village of Listvyanka and the town of Sludyanka.So transparency, saturation with oxygen andchemical elements, purity, absence of smell,softness and taste quality are the main featuresof Baikal water. Do you think that the water ofBaikal has any colour?Why does the colourof water in Baikal change?The water of Baikal may be light blue, emerald green and even black. The water in the middleof the Lake is dark blue, but the water close to the mouth of the Selenga river can be grayishgreen, reddish and brownish black.The water colour in Baikal is influenced by the weather: the amount of sunshine that penetratesthe depths; whether the sky is cloudy and whether the wind is blowing. In sunny weather duringthe summer the water turns green and blue, but if the weather is stormy the Lake appears almostblack.The temperature of Baikal waterDepth (m)TemperatureUpper layer+ 9-10° С200 m up to – 5-6° С900 m up to – 3-4° С1600 m up to – 3° СUsing the table data, draw the layers of waterin Baikal, write their temperature, and try tothink of their make them the right colour.51

Baikal wavesHow are waves made? They are created by the influenceof wind, tides, earthquakes, vessels moving on the water, andother external factors.The waves on Baikal can be up to 4m high, depending onthe wind speed, duration of its action, and the distance overwhich the wind drives the waves.Waves on Baikal are caused by the various winds, whichblow across the Lake.When the wind blows ata speed of less than 1mper second, the waves thatemerge on the still surfaceof are no more than ripples.If the wind blows at 4–5 mper second the waves growlarger and more visible.52

Large waves with foamingtops are called breakers.If wind speed reaches 7–8 mwhite horses appear on thewave crests: these are air bubblesformed when the wavecrests roll over.Waves on Baikal are not of long duration. If they are caused by winds such as the Kultuk orBarguzin, the disturbance comes and goes in the course of one day, and if the waves are causedby a local breeze, they last no longer than 2–3 hours after the breeze dies down.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxLook carefully at the waves. They seem to come one after the another,moving forward. But this appearance is false. You can prove that byan experiment: drop a float into the water when you are on the Lakeshore. Now watch carefully. You will see that the waves seem to movetowards the shore, but the float only makes circular movements. Thisshows that the particles of water, that make the waves, are alsomoving in circles.53

Baikal iceEvery year Baikal freezes over gradually from north to south. The first to be covered are shallowcreeks, and deepwater sections of the Lake freeze last. Baikal remains ice-covered for severalmonths, except in one ice-free zone extending for 15-20 km where the Angara river rises.Average thickness of the ice is 1m, but this varies depending on snow cover: the thicker thesnow, the thinner the ice. Frequent storm winds cause uneven snow cover in different parts of theLake.Ice formation depends on air temperature and weather. When the weather is calm and airtemperature is below -20°С as much as 4-5 cm of ice can form in 24 hours.There are many local words to describe the ice in Baikal, depending on where it is and how itforms: “sokui”, “osenets”, “salo”, “shuga”, “shorokh”, “kolobovnik”, “torosi”.What do you think is the difference between icethickness on opposite shores of Baikal if the iceon the western shoreline is free of snow, but theeastern side has snow cover of 80–100 cm?21The photos show different kinds of Baikalice. Look at them and try to guess whichnames are used.54

A thin ice cover that appears on rocks and stones due to water splashes is called “sokui” (1),and it is the first sign that the Lake is about to freeze. More water splashes freeze and form newlayers , so the ice becomes thicker and has a wave-like surface structure. Sokui can be seen alongthe shore, reaching heights of 10m above the water level.As the temperature drops drift ice appears. At first it moves from one place to another acrossthe water, driven by the wind, but it gradually freezes fast and binds the Lake under a thick layer.Floating ice has been given the name “osenets” by the local people (2). It is characterized by anopaque whitish colour and uneven surface.Locals have given the name “salo” (“lard”) (3) to another ice variety, consisting of thin, flatcrystals of ice that have not frozen together into a solid ice layer. They appear on the still surfaceof the water and are a sign that the water temperature has fallen below 0° С. Whether or not saloappears depends on how warm the Lake became during the summer. In shallow parts of the Lakethe water cools down earlier than in others parts, so this kind of ice appears there first.At night, in calm weather, the crystals of salo freeze together and develop thin crusts. Thecrusts are then broken into pieces by currents and waves, forming crumbly whitish pieces of ice,called “shuga” (4).Later, grains of ice called “shorokh” appear in the water (5). The crystals of this ice are eitherneedle-shaped or round.Waves and wind break off the edges of ice masses. Those broken pieces, with a round shapeand murky coluor, are called “kolobovnik” (6).Closer to the middle of winter cracks appear in the ice layer of Baikal. The cracks can be aslong as 30 km, with width of 2–3 m. The crack formation is accompanied by a noise and rumblingcomparable to guns shooting or blasts of thunder.When the temperature rises and the cracks become thinner, the ice is squeezed upwards andcreates a “toros” (7), which can be as high as 10–12 m. The ice on Baikal breaks up between Apriland June. Large pieces of floating ice can still be seen even at the beginning of the summer in thenorthern part of the Lake. The highest water temperatures, of +26° С, can be reached at the endof the summer, particularly in the Chivyrkuysky Gulf.3654755

The living water filters of BaikalBaikal's water is kept clean by living organisms which are called “biofiltrators”. Let's find outmore about them.The Baikal SpongeBaikal sponges are animals in appearance very similar to plants. Their structure is close to thatof coral and they live on stony sections of the Lake bottom, and on underwater rocks. They canbe found at depths up to 100m.Sponges are very important for Baikal, since even a small organism (5–7 cm across) can filter10–12 liters of water every 24 hours. The underwater forests formed by sponges are also home tofish larvae and fry, water worms and molluscs. Local residents have found an original applicationof sponges in housekeeping: their rigid lime skeleton can be used to do the washing-up.There are 19 kinds of Baikal sponges, including 14 endemics (found only in Baikal). The endemicvarieties include Baikalospongia, Lyubomirskaya, Svarchevskaya and Rezinkovaya. The names areunusual, but try to remember them.Endemics (from the Greek word meaning "local")are animals and plants, which are only found inspecific and limited territories.The most widespread sponge is the Lyubomirskaya.These sponges live in places where light penetrates and they stand out by their emerald-greencolouring, caused by the mono-cellular green water weed, which covers the body of the sponge.The deeper the water, the lighter the sponge.The Lyubomirskaya sponge may be branched or flat and can grow as high as 1m. It grows veryslowly (by 0.5 to 1 cm per year on average). Branched sponges form underwater forests at depthsof 5–20m.Its feeding mechanism defines the sponge as a filtration organism or biological filter. Allsponges are characterized by an unusually acrid and unpleasant smell. Sponges are also importantfor the circulation of chemical substances in the Lake. The sponge uses silica compounds that aredissolved in the water to create its own skeleton.56

Venus Amphipods and BormashiAmphipods are a type of crustacean livingin Lake Baikal. Their Russian name (“bokoplavy”= “side swimmers”) reflects the way they movethrough the water. Amphipods are the commonesttypes of Baikal fauna and can be foundall around the Lake. They can burrow into sandand silt, and also move through open water.Amphipods have a special place Baikal'sfood chain, being eaten by various fish (omul,Baikal oilfish, grayling, bullheads) and even byseals. These crustaceans are omnivorous, eatingplants and small animals. Some of themfeed on dead organisms, helping to keep theLake water clean.Venus amphipodThe largest kind of amphipod is the Venusamphipod. It lives in deep water and can growto 6-9 cm, which is unusually large for thesecreatures.Smaller amphipods (from 3-6 up to 14-30mm) live permanently in open water and arecalled “yur” by the locals. At night billions ofthem rise up to the water surface, retreatingback downwards to depths of more than 200mwhen the dawn comes. Amphipods move atan estimated speed of 1m per minute, tracingspiral paths in the water.Small amphipod types are known as“bormashi” (“amphipod shrimps”), andthey live along the shoreline of Baikal as wellas in rivers and small lakes. They vary in sizeand colouring and are the main source of foodfor fish, particularly the Baikal omul, so thatfishermen often use them for bait and to attractthe fish. They are also used for ice fishing.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal Box“Amphipod” is a term from Greek meaning “with different legs”. The 13 pairsof extremities on an amphipod carry out different jobs: some are used tocapture food, others for walking, others for swimming, while others operateas wheels, supporting the body and guiding it in a certain direction. Thecolouring of amphipods is diverse, but they are usually brightly coloured(orange, red, violet, crimson, and green). Deep-water amphipods developlong antennae, which they use to orient themselves in space, detectsmells, and perceive the slightest movements of the water.57

The Baikal epischurаThe Baikal epischurа is a related to the amphipods. For the greater part of the year mostof them are found in the top layer of water, where there may be between 3000 and 45,000 ofthem per cubic meter. In the cold season, epischura account for more than 90% of all planktoncreatures.The Baikal epischurа is exceptionally small (no larger than a semolina grain). But it is the mosthardworking animal in Baikal. It is hard to imagine, but the creature's mouth allows it to eat tinypieces of water weed and bacteria as it filters water and returns it pure into the Lake through itsgills. During one year the armada of epischurаs can clean the entire top layer of the Lake to adepth of 50 m three times over. The creature therefore deserves it name – “the miracle of Baikal”.The epischurа is particularly sensitive to water temperature, being unable to live at temperaturesabove 15° C. It consumes a great amount of Baikal's water weed and it is an important source offood for Baikal oilfish, omul, bullheads and other fishes.Dear children, you know that Baikal is the purest natural storehouse of fresh drinking water onEarth. Now you also know that the exceptional purity and other properties of the Lake water arethe result of action by its animals and flora. In the next part of this Book, you will learn about thespecies that live above the water and under the water of Baikal.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxPlankton are microorganisms that live deep underwater.The term was first used by a German scientist, Victor Genzen,at the end of the 19th century.58

Think, Play, Experiment, Create together!Check what you have learnt!What do you remember about the miraculous qualities ofBaikal water?1. Why is Baikal water called unique?2. How can the transparency of water be measured?3. What determines the colour of Baikal water?4. What waves can be seen on Baikal?5. What crustacean is considered to be a miracle of Baikal and why?6. Tell the class about a sponge, which bears a name of a well-known researcher of Baikal'sfauna (see Part 5 of Lake Baikal Box)7. See if you can find the name of the ice, described below:– it is the first sign of Baikal's cooling below 0 о С;– it consists of thin flat crystals of ice, which have not frozen together in a continuous crust.What is living water?1. Do you remember why the waters of Baikal are called “living waters”?2. You can see frozen crystals of water in the picture, as shown by a Japanese scientistMasaru Emoto.Dead waterLiving water3. What do you think is the difference between living water and dead water?4. Think of Russian fairy tales. What do they say about living water and dead water?5. What is your understanding of the Russian saying “Don't spit in a well”?6. What do you know about holy water? Can it be called “living”?59

I am a researcher!My observations.How much water do I need a day?Conduct your own investigation: how much water do you use every day and what do you useit for.Answer the questions:1. What for does a man need water?2. Think over and answer, where and how much a man uses water.Find out how much is used by one person in one day in a house with running water, drains,bathrooms and centralized hot water supply. Then find out what the norm is for houses that do nothave these facilities.Do we really use that much water?Washing-up usually requires 10-20 liters of water a day, we use 2-50 liters for washing ourhands, and a bath takes 150-180 liters, while a shower needs only 30-50 liters. So daily water useper person, including a shower but not a bath, will be under 200 liters. Based on that, work outhow much water your family uses on average.Think of rules for saving water in your household.60

Check what you have learnt!Baikal's “cleaners”Read the text and answer the questions. If there are any words you don't now, find them in adictionary. Answer the questions:1. Who do we call the guardians of purity and transparency of Baikal's water?2. Why is the epischura called the “cleaner” of Baikal?The main “cleaners” after purity and transparency of water are amphipods. There are more than350 kinds, that is 1/3 of all known amphipods in Baikal. About 90% of all amphipods make twokinds: epischura and copepods. They are met only in Baikal and they keep the purity of the watertogether with Baikal’s ecosystem originality well.Epichura can be easily callled “a yard-keeper” of Baikal. Its length is about 1,5 mm, but underevery square meter of the water more than 3 mln of epichura can be met. Every epichura clears15 cubic meters of water. The cleaner the water, the more amphipods. Epichura appeared in Baikalabout 20 mln years ago, and all generation ate only natural compouds. And if epichura dies, thenBaikal will loose its unique purity.Copepod – is a colourless and hardly observable amphipod, but it’s more solid – up to 3 cm. Itworks as a “night man”. Everything that stops moving, or dies or drowns is its food.Main “cleaners” after Baikal’s water purity3. What other crustaceans living in Lake Baikal do you know?Find out some interesting facts about underwaterinhabitants and “cleaners” of lakes and seas in other books.61

Check what you have learnt!1. How are the inspectors of cleanliness and transparency of water of Baikal called?2. Why is the epishura called the “cleaners” of Baikal?3. Who are freshwater shrimps and why are they so unique?What crustaceans are shown in the photos? Write down their names.62

Let's be creative!Draw from memory one ofBaikal's cleaners or guardians.63

Let's do some experiments!I. Experiments with Baikal waterExperiment 1. Does an egg sink in water?You will need:– a raw egg;– water;– a glass;– a few tablespoons of salt.Do the following:1. Put the raw egg in a glass with pure water.2. What do you observe?Write it down3. Take the egg out of the glass and dissolve somespoons of salt in the water.4. Put the egg in the glass with salty water.5. What do you observe?Write it downHow do you explain the result?Try the same experiment with other objects: take asheet of paper (smooth and crumpled), a piece of clay(make a ball from it and then a boat).How do you explain the results?Let's ask a scientist: An egg is more dense than fresh water, but less dense than saltywater. So the egg sinks in fresh and floats in salty water.The saltier the water, the less it sinks. In the Dead Sea in Israel the water is so salty that aperson can lie motionless on its surface without sinking.64

Experiment 2. Construct a density pyramidYou will need:– A tall, narrow glass vessel;– 1/4 glasses (65 ml) of corn syrup or honey;– food dye of any colour;– 1/4 glass of Baikal water;– 1/4 glass of vegetable oil;– 1/4 glass of medical spirit;– various small objects, such as a cork, a grape, a nut, a slice of dry spaghetti,a ping-pong ball, a cherry tomato , a small rubber toy, a metal screw.Do as follows:1. Pour the honey into the vessel so that it occupies 1/4 of its volume.* Remember that any liquid should be poured down the wall of the vessel.* When pouring a new liquid, pour it very carefully so that it does not to mixwith the liquids already in the vessel.2. Dissolve drops of the food dye in water then pour it into the vessel containingthe honey until it is half-full.3. Slowly pour in the same quantity of vegetable oil.4. Pour the spirit into the vessel.5. Carefully put the small objects into the vessel one by one.6. What is the position of the objects in the vessel?7. How do you explain this?8. Draw how the liquids and the objects are distributed in the vessel.9. Think why the honey has taken the lowest position in the vessel.10. Write down your observations.Draw your own density pyramid.rubber balltomatospiritvegetable oilmacaroniscrewwaterhoneyLet's ask a scientist:This experiment is based on the abilityof various substances to sink or floatdepending on their density. Substanceswith lower density float on the surface ofsubstances with higher density.65

Experiment 3. Why does a stopper fly out of a bottle?You will need:– a glass bottle;– Baikal water;– a cork bottle stopper;– 3 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice;– coloured paper;– 1teaspoon of baking soda;– PVA glue;– a paper napkin.Prepare for the experiment:1. Cut out a rectangular shape from the coloured paper (as in the picture №1).2. Glue strips of paper to both sides of the cork so that it has the appearance ofa rocket (look at picture №2).3. Measure the stopper in the bottle. The stopper should enter the neck ofthe bottle without being forced.1 2 3Do as follows:1. Pour some water into the bottle and mix it with lemon juice.2. Wrap baking soda in a piece of the napkin, and bind it with threads (look at picture №3).3. Put the soda packet into the bottle and seal it with the stopper-rocket, but not too tightly.4. Put 1 the bottle on the table and 2 retreat to a safe distance. 3Don't put it under a ceilinglight!5. The “rocket” will fly upwards with a loud pop.1 2 31 2 3Let’s ask a scientist: Lemon juice is acid. When it mixes with with soda carbon gasis formed. The build-up of gas in the bottle causes the stopper to fly out.66

Experiment 4. If you want to make invisible ink, here's how!You will need:– a lemon;– a match or a toothpick;– cotton wool;– a cup of water.– a sheet of paper;Do as follows:1. Squeeze the lemon juice into a cup.2. Add the same quantity of water. This is your invisible ink.3. Dip the match or a toothpick with cotton wool on the end into the lemon juice andwater solution.4. Write something on a paper with the match. Leave the paper overnight so thatthe ink dries.5. Heat the paper over a table lamp. The written words, which had been invisible,will start to appear.Let’s ask a scientist: Sugar, acids and other chemical substances in the lemonjuice darken when they are warmed, but paper does not. So your secret messagewritten with lemon juice will show up on the white sheet.67

Experiment 5. How does yeast "behave" in water?You will need:– sugar;– a pack of dry yeast;– warm water;– a balloon;– a one-liter plastic bottle;– a funnel;– a tablespoon.yeastDo as follows:1. Insert the funnel into the one-liter plastic bottle.2. Pour the yeast, the tablespoon of sugar and a mug of warm water throughthe funnel.3. Fit the balloon over the bottle.4. Make sure that the balloon adheres tightly to the bottle.5. Shake the bottle for 30 seconds.6. Leave the bottle at rest for 15-30 minutes.7. Put your ear to the bottle. What can you hear?Why is there a hissing sound in the bottle? How do you explain it?Let’s ask a scientist: Yeast is a living organism and it eats sugar. When poured into asugar solution the yeast starts to produce carbon gas and to multiply. Pressure of thegas in the bottle inflates the balloon.The foam which you see on the liquid surface consists of tiny bubbles of carbon gasproduced by the yeast as its uses up the sugar. The hissing sound you hear when youput your ear to the bottle is the generation of carbon gas as the yeast “eats” the sugar.68

II. Monitoring Baikal iceLet's remember the properties of Baikal water. We can carry out a few experiments.Experiment 1. At what temperature does water freeze?You will need:– two thin plastic glasses;– boiled water;– water that has not been boiled.Prepare for the experiment:Carefully wash the glasses. Do not wipe them dry but let them dry naturally, turnthem upside down so they do not accumulate dust.Do as follows:1. Wait until the air temperature is equal to 0°С.2. Put the glasses with boiled and unboiled water outside the window.3. Cover the glasses with pieces of glass to prevent dust entering.4. Make sure that the glasses are not exposed to direct rays of the sun.5. Check the content of the glasses after school.6. Draw your conclusions and write them down.Unboiled waterBoiled water7. Do the same experiment when the air temperature is below 0°С.8. What are your conclusions?Write down:Unboiled water freezes at a temperature ofBoiled water freezes at a temperature of9. Think why unboiled water freezes first?10. What does this experiment show? Write down the results of the experiment.69

Experiment 2. Can you make coloured ice?You will need:– a plastic glass;– water;– colour gouache.Do as follows:1. Pour some water into the glass.2. Add a little gouache and mix it. What do you see? Draw it.3. Wrap some cloth around the glass.4. Put it outside on the snow.5. Do you have coloured ice?6. What have you in fact got? Draw the answer.BEFOREfreezingAFTERfreezing7. Write down what you see.8. Complete the sentences:At the place where the water started freezing, the iceThe top part of the ice___________________________________________________________.Choose the right answer:– intensity of colouring of the top part is stronger than that of the initial solution;– weaker than the initial solution;– similar to the initial solution.70

Experiment 3. Water, ice, snowCool a glass of boiled water to 0°С.Then throw a small lump of ice or snow into the glass.What do you observe? Write down what you see.Experiment 4. Why does ice float?Take a bowl with water. Put a piece of ice from the refrigerator into the bowl.What do you see?Think why the ice floats? Write down the answer.Explain why rivers and lakes do not freeze right to the bottom?Experiment 5. Gradual freezingFill one third of a thin plastic glass with water and put it in a cold place.When the water in the glass freezes, add a little more water. Incline the glass at aslight angle, being careful not to spill the water, and then freeze it.Do this experiment changing the position (shape) of the glass and the quantity ofwater added. Describe the results.So what are the properties of ice? Write down your conclusions.71

Let's do some experiments!Laboratory work.Properties of Baikal water.1. Pour Baikal water into one flask, tap water into anotherflask, and water from a local source into a third flask.Number the flasks.2. Compare the properties of the liquids for transparency,colour, presence of suspensions and smell.3. Write down the data in the table.Properties of waterFlask number Transparency Colour Smell Presence ofsuspensionsa) Transparency of the water.Take a glass with a wide bottom, pour water of each type into it by turn (each time 100 ml),hold it over a page of printed text at a height of 10 cm and try to read the text. Characterizethe transparency of each water type.b) Colour of the waterThis analysis should show the colour of the water: transparent, murky, with a specific colourshade.The colour can be defined by means of a clean sheet of paper. In daylight the sheet shouldbe put behind the flask, before looking carefully at the water colour.c) Smell of the water (whether it has or does not have a smell)d) Presence of suspended particles.Presence or absence of suspended particles, flakes, etc. in the water can be established byobserving whether or not a deposit is formed. The analysis is in two stages:– Shake the flasks, compare them and see whether any flakes, particles and other depositsare visible, floating in the water;– Filter the water and look at the filters to see whether there are any significantdeposits in them.4. Compare the results and draw conclusions.72

Let's be creative!Creative work 1.What are ice crystals like?Look at the picture. This is a crystal lattice of ice.The black balls are distributed so that each of them has four“neighbours”.The task. Make a model of a crystal lattice of ice like that in the pictureusing salty dough or coloured plasticine. Connect the crystal ballswith a toothpick.You can paint a model made from salty dough using gouache.You should keep the crystal lattice of ice made from plasticineaway from any source of heat.Creative work 2.How can a water drop get into a house?Imagine that you are drop of water.Think and write how you would get into a house.73

I am a researcher!A pure riverPlan a route for an imaginary small river from your house to Lake Baikal.Do the work in groups. Try to follow particular rules within your group.Make a small river route.Describe who and what it will meet on its way to Baikal.Try to predict the consequences of pollution.You might begin like in:“More than 10 small rivers flow down from the east slopes of Hamar-Daban and give riseto the river Gilbira. First it flows through cedar and fir wood, then through mixed wood.The Gilbira flows from north to south and merges with a small river, the Orongoy, whichflows into the Selenga as its carries its water to Baikal. The Gilbira is part of the Baikal'sriver basin and it has an impact on the state of Baikal's ecosystem, because the Lake'swater depends on the rivers flowing into it, and 50% of its water comes from the Selengariver. The small river becomes polluted...”Think how your story ends.74

Let's be creative!Draw a snowflakeLook, how beautiful snowflakes are! They are very different! You can make sure in this yourselflooking at them on your palm in winter. Try to remember thier shapes.Firstly, fulfill this exercise: draw the snowflakes according to the sheme. And now think overand draw you own snowflake.Put together a sheet of paper a few times, and then with the help of scissors you can cut outan amazingly beautiful snowflake.To cut a snowflake out put together asheet of paper according to this scheme.75

“The Adventures of a Water Drop.”Hi! My nameis Water Drop.I love floating highin the clouds! I have lotsof friends here!The sun, a light breeze…I can get a view of the wholeworld from above!What happened?Why is the sunno longer warm?Brrr, it's so cold!Oops! I'm turninginto Snowflake!Why is thathappening?Oh, you big cloud!I'm coming down!I wanna touch theground!After all, it's not toobad to be Snowflake.I've met quite a fewnew friends! We areall so different,pretty and fancy!There's braveSnowflake down onthe ground – so white,so pure, and so fluffy!One snowflake,two snowflakes –there comesa snowman!Snowflake, I'll helpyou out! Come on,hold on to myray-hand!Oops! I'm stuckin here! How canI possiblyget out?Wow, now I'mWater Drop again!Or am I onlydreaming? Whathappened to me?Hey, Snowflake!Where are you?What a pity!Snowflake is gone,now there is water allaround!Ouch!Somebody'spulling me up!Water Drop,don't be afraid!Where have you been?We need you so!76

Let's be creative!“New Adventures of the Water Drop”Make up a story about new adventures of Water Drop. Probably it will be a story about howWater Drop helps a man, or how Water Drop tells about water saving. You can also tell howWater Drop found our house or how she flew to another planet a met aliens. Maybe you will geta glimpse into the future, and we will know what is awaiting for Water Drop in a hundred years ....New adventures of Water Drop are in your hands! We want your story to be very interestingand teaching. Mind it!Retell your fantastic plot in pictures-comics. Here are some pieces of advice which will helpyou to make up comics:1. Define main moments of Water Drop's adventures:– where does the action take place;– whom did Water Drop meet on her way;– what trials do they have to cope with;– what do the comics' characters talk about;– what does the story end with;– what did Water Drop learn to do or what can she teach a reader to?2. Think over a new image of Water Drop and other characters of your comics:– what do they look like;– what traits of character do they they have;– transfer their mood: joy, surprise, grief, etc.Changing form and shape of eyebrows, eyes, mouth you can add the characters differentexpression (laugh, sadness, etc.). Look, how it can be done.78

3. Comics, as you know is a row of pictures. They are quite different, and they can be placed indifferent ways. A sheet of paper takes up different positions either vertical or horizontal. You canpaint pictures of the same size and form, but it is not necessary. Some artists surround a picturewith a wavy or a dotted line. But usually it is a black straight line.4. In order to “hear” the comics' characters, you need to draw clouds, those which fly out oftheir mouth when they speak. Professional comics' painters call them “balloons” or “bubbles”.They can be of different shape. In an oval or a rectangular bubble they right what a character syasin his usual voice. A short tail is connected with the character's mouth. The character's thoughtsare written in a bubble which really reminds a cloud, and then little circles are connected with thecharacter's head. If a character is crying out, his words are written in a shape with sharp corners.Such “stars” painters draw when an explosion takes place.5. If you make up comics together with your friends, then you can draw up its plots on separatecards and them connect them in a united series.6. To create comics, use abilities of your computer.It is much better to make up comics about Little Drop together with your friends. When youdraw them in the pictures and then join all sheets of paper, you will get a comics-magazine aboutDroplet’s adventures. The main rule is: “Making up easily, drawing nicely, playing merrily!”79

Above Waterand Under WaterPART

As soon as Mother left the house, at any weatherSeal pup got into Baikal’s water,And on the ice-floe – what can we expect from the fidget –He secretly went to walk barefooted.He swam in Mom’s hat with large fields,And he didn’t listen to his father –he made friends with omuls.Once a naughty omul fell into a net,But our sea-pup helped him to get out of it.Mark Sergeeva passage from the poem «A drink of ocean»

CONTENTS OF PART 3Birds of Baikal 84Gulls of Baikal: Yellow-legged Gull, Common Tern 85Are all waterfowl birds the same? Tufted Duck, Great-crested Grebe, Green-winged Teal,Garganey, Mallard Duck, Ruddy Shelduck 86The Great Cormorant 90Shore Birds 91“Every sandpiper praises its own bog”: Common Sandpiper, Little Stint, Oyster Catcher 91The Gray Heron 92The Wagtail 93The Dipper 94Routes of birds from Baikal to their wintering grounds 95Fish of BaikalBest-known Fish of Baikal: the Baikal Omul, the Baikal Sturgeon, the Whitefish,the Black and the White Grayling 95Fish Known to Everyone: the Siberian Roach, the Sazan, the Silver crucian 99Who are those Fish-predators? The Perch, the Pike, the Taimen, the Burbot 100Endemics of Baikal: the Baikal Sculpin, the Oil Fish 103The Baikal Seal (Nerpa) 106Think, Play, Experiment, Create together! 109• Check what you have learnt! Guess the riddles• Solve some ecological tasks• I am a researcher! I know everything about the seal!• I'm a creator! A creative task. Free the stones of Baikal from an evil spell• Cut-out collage with Baikal fish• Cut-out collage with Baikal birds• Solve the crossword

Birds of BaikalWe will start our story of the creatures thatlive above the waters of Lake Baikal with thebirds, which crowd the Lake's shores.Have you ever been on a river, lake orsea? Do you remember what birds live by thewater? And do you know what birds you canmeet on the shores of Lake Baikal?Ornithologists divide all of Baikal's birdsinto water and waterside birds, shore birdsand forest birds.Dear friends, watch the birds that you see everyday. Photograph or draw them and make a storyabout one of the birds based on your observations.Ornithologists are biologists who study birds.If you are lucky enough to take a boat across Lake Baikal, you are sure to come across largeflocks of ducks. A great numbers of gulls perch on the rocky islands of the Lake, and when you arefar from land you will see cormorants. Bird thrive in the delta of the Selenga river and in shallowbays. Whooper swans are occasionally to be found on the shores of Lake Baikal, and on the banksof rivers around the Lake you might see a gray heron, a dipper, a wagtail and several species ofcurlew. In total there are 392 species of birds inhabiting the Lake region, of which 200 live on theshores of Lake Baikal itself.How can we find our way in all this diversity? How can we recognize the bird that flies past usas one we already know or spot a bird of a rare species? This is what we will discuss in the thirdpart of our Book.84

Gulls on Lake BaikalYou know who this is, of course – it is the YellowleggedGull, one of the largest gulls on Lake Baikal, andone that stands out from the others: you can recognizeit by its white plumage, gray back and the black tips onits wings. Its beak and legs are yellow. Its cry sounds likea loud laughing, which explains the Russian name “thecackler” (“khokhotunya”). Gulls find their food in water and rest on water. Yellow-legged Gulls aregood swimmers, but they don't dive. They can use air streams to hover in the air for long periods.They move easily along the ground and are good runners. They live in large colonies. Gulls arethe commonest water birds. They build their nests on islands, dry sandy hills along creeks, andon the shores of lakes where there is good grass cover. The nest usually has 2-3 eggs, which arebrownish green or yellowish olive with dark spots.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxGulls come to Lake Baikal in mid-April, when the lake is still coveredwith ice, and stay until October. They eat fish, which they spot from theair, as well as large insects, mollusks, worms, and sometimes the eggsor nestlings of other bird species. Gulls are often called “water cleaners"because they eat carrion, food scraps, and weak and sick fish.A close relative to gulls is the Common Tern. It's a bird of starling-size.One can know her due to its gaunt body, long and narrow beak, and tailof fork-shape. Its back and belly are warm grey; there is a black hat onthe head; its beak is red and black, its legs are red. While hunting the birdhangs in the mid-air above the water flapping, and then it it falls downthe water like a stone.Look at the pictures of gulls. See what features set them apart from other birds.How many years does the Yellow-legged Gull live? Where does it hibernate? Find theanswers to these questions and add the new information to Lake Baikal Box.85

Are all waterfowl birds the same?Of course not. They differ in size, color ofplumage, how they nest and how they feed.There are believed to be several dozen differentspecies of duck in Buryatia, and about 20 ofthem live on the shores of Lake Baikal.Recognizing a waterfowl bird is quite easy,because they all have flat beaks and webbedfeet, which help them to swim so well. Theydon't like walking on land. Nearly all of themfly away to warmer climes for the winter – theyare migratory birds. But the different species ofwaterfowl birds have some unusual features.This, for example, is a tufted duck. There are various Russiannames for it: a “grass-eater”, a “white-side”, and several others . Itfinds its food in clean water and can dive to a depth of 4-5m. Itscolouring sets it apart from other ducks: its belly and sides are white,the breast is black, it has a short tail and a tuft on its black head.The tufted duck is often to be seen at the northern end of Baikalin the valleys of large rivers such as the Barguzin, the Kichera, theUpper Angara and the Svyatoy Nos peninsula. It is also to be seen inthe Selenga delta and on the small lakes of Baikal's terrace.The birds arrive in April and fly away to winter grounds inSeptember or October. We have already seen that some birds stayfor the winter, which they spend on the ice-free waters at the sourceof the Angara river, but such wintering is often an ordeal and manyof the ducks perish before the spring.86

And do you know, children, which bird loses its plumage in winter? It is the great crestedgrebe (“chomga”), also known in Russian as the “bolshaya poganka”. The great crested grebe canbe recognized from its peculiar appearance: it has a thin neck, long straight beak, a brownish-redback, and its neck and head are white. In spring, two dark clusters of feathers grow on its head,having the appearance of ears or horns, and a red collar grows round the neck. All of this extraplumage is lost in winter.The great crested grebe lives in the Selenga delta, the Chivyrkuysky Gulf and the UpperAngara. The birds arrive in April or the beginning of May, and fly away in September. Youngcouples build new nests in the nesting areas, but old couples return to their usual spots and arehighly protective of their own territory. The great crested grebe winters in Europe, on the Caspianand Black seas. A great crested grebe, which had been ringed on the shore of Lake Baikal, wasonce found in Germany.The great crested grebe is a skilful swimmer and diver – it can dive to a depth of 7m and stayunderwater for more than a minute, and can also swim underwater at high speed (60m in 30seconds). It feeds mainly on fish. While building their nest the birds fetch pieces of water weedfrom the bottom of lakes and rivers, and give them to each other as gifts. The great crested grebebuilds its nest of reeds or cane on the surface of the water, creating a floating island.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe chicks, covered in down, hatch about 25 days after mating and arealmost immediately placed on the back of an adult bird. They stay outof the water for nearly two weeks, riding on the back of one or other oftheir parents. The great crested grebe has one other interesting feature: itwill allow a person to come close to it, but it cannot be caught because itwill dive deep into the water at the last moment. The grebe was huntedclose to extinction in many European countries in the 19th century,because its extravagant plumage was popular as a decoration forwomen's clothing. Populations are now recovering thanks toprotective measures in European and Asian countries.87

What is the difference between a teal-whistler (Green-winged Teal) and a teal-cracker(“Garganey”)?Teal-whistlerTeal-crackerCompare the ducks in the pictures. What are their similarities and differences? You willlearn the exact answers below.Green-winged Teal is among the most numerousspecies on Baikal. It is the smallest duckon the Lake and flies in small groups. It arrivesin the southern part of Baikal in mid-April andin the northern part of the Lake in May, whenthe rivers thaw out. The Eurasian teal nests onwater where there are willow thickets or largeold trees.These ducks are very energetic – they liketo fly over shallow water, making steep curvesand turns. Their distinctive call explains whythey are called “whistlers”: the males, particularly,produce a low, abrupt and loud whistlingsound, while the females produce a shrill, highpitchedquack. The sounds make an interestingmixture when the birds are calling each other.The Teal cracker (Garganey) is a little biggerthan a Green-winged Teal, it has a brown headand a white stripe from the eye to the nape ofits neck, and a light-grey pattern on its sides. Itarrives on Baikal at the same time as the GreenwingedTeal, and settles in the Selenga delta,the Chivyrkuysky Gulf, the Upper Angara, andon the banks of small rivers. Unlike the GreenwingedTeal the teal cracker does not make itsnest on water surrounded by trees. Instead, thefemale makes a hole in dry ground, lines it withdry grass, then, after laying eggs, the nest iscompleted and covered with belly down.The crackly voice of the teal cracker, muchheard both on the water and in the air, comesfrom the male, who is always found togetherwith his mate. The Russian name, “treskunok”(from the word for “crack”), reflects the distinctivesound of the bird's call.88

All ducks quack, but in Russian only one iscalled the “quacker” (“kryakva”). This is theMallard, which is the most common of all theducks found in Buryatia. It can be recognize fromits voice and appearance: the head and neck ofthe male is green, the breast is brownish-fulvous,and the back and belly are grey with spots. Thefemale is brown and the spots on its grey bellyhave a darker hue. Both male and female have amirror-like blue-violet spot on their wings.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxMallards arrive on Baikal in early to mid-April, and depart en masse at theend of September or start of October. Flocks of several hundred birds canbe seen during the migration periods. In some years small flocks evenremain to winter in ice-holes. The mallard lives on the banks of shallowwater, feeding on water plants and small insects. It nests in thick grassand in bushes, and, very occasionally, uses the tree nests of magpies.Mallards lay 7-10 white eggs with a greenish hue.Task: Try drawing or making a wild duck from plasticine basedon the description in our book. The photograph of the bird will behelpful too.The Ruddy shelduck, or red duck, is the most commonand well-recognized bird in Buryatia. The ruddy shelduck isa land duck, which nests in the fissures and hollows of steeprocky mountain slopes, in stone ravines, in the burrows oflarge animals and in tree hollows.In September they migrate to warmer climes, but returnto Baikal early, at the end of March or start of April. Theruddy shelduck is a large dark-red bird; its head is white,there is a black stripe on the neck, and it has black featherswith a white “mirror” spot on the wings. The male has a darkstripe on its neck.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxIt is interesting that the female ruddy shelduck makes sure that its nest isno further than 3 kilometers from water, so that the ducklings can reachthe water by themselves.89

How can you recognize a cormorant?The adult cormorant has black plumage with a metallic greenishvioletshine. There is a black tuft on the head, a yellow mark from thebeak along the head, and a greenish-brown ring around the eyes. Thecormorant has webbed black feet, a long neck, and a curved brownishblackbeak. In terms of size the cormorant is comparable with a goose.It weighs about three kilograms. There are many nesting species forcormorants on Baikal, and three islands in the Chivyrkuysky Gulf areeven named after the bird: Cormorant Island and two outcrops, both ofwhich are called “Cormorant Stone”.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxCormorants feed only on fish and they hunt in groups. Their hunts are anoisy affair: they clap their wings together, cry, dive, and splash in thewater, as they hurry to keep pace with shoals of fish. When the hunt is overcormorants sit on the shore with their wings spread, drying their plumage.It is interesting that people in south-eastern Asian countries, wherecormorants fly for the winter, use the birds as “living fishing rods”: fishermenmake the cormorants dive for fish and then take the fish for themselves.In the second half of the 19th century there were thousands of cormorants in theSelenga delta and the Barguzin river. Fishermen were worried about the impacton their livelihoods and began to hunt the cormorants, which werealmost extinct by the mid-20th century (they were even registeredin the Red Book of Buryatia). Nowadays ornithologistsreport that flocks of cormorants are increasing, andthey have been removed from the Red Book.Choose one picture of the bird which particularly strikes you.Use it to make up a story with the help of additional resources.PintailShovelerAvocetWigeon90

The Asian Dowitcher – is a bird of dove-size. It has a motleyback and wings, its belly is rusty-red, and the tail is striped. The birdhas long legs and a long beak. It can be met on Baikal, on lake BigYeravnoye, on lake Orongoy, on the lakes not far from the town ofKyakhta. In the valley of the Selenga river more than 300 couples ofasian dowitcher nest starting from May. They build their nests in moistplaces putting dry leaves, stalks and grass into a hole. Usually thereare 2 eggs in the laying, the parents brood them in turn. It's a rarebird; it isn't studied much. It's registered in the Red Book. They winterin India and Birma, on their way there they stop in China and Japan.Shore BirdsWhat birds do you know that inhabit the shores of Baikal? Ornithologists call them “watersidebirds” because they cannot live for more than a day away from water. They get their food fromwater, and build nests on the shore. There is a Russian proverb, “Every sandpiper praises its ownbog” (the meaning is close to “there is no place like home”). But the sandpipers in Baikal are notpraising a bog, but the most wonderful lake in the world, on the shores of which they rest andfeed on their journey from the south to the far northern tundra. Sandpipers inhabit shallow watersclose to the shore, where they spend the day (and sometimes part of the night) running along thewater's edge, gathering insects, larvae, mollusks and other food.There are several species of sandpipers, of which the little stint, the common sandpiper and theEurasian oystercatcher can all be found on Baikal. Their names give us an idea of their sizes, andthey also differ in colour: the little stint is rusty-red with brown spots, changing to grayish-brownin winter; the common sandpiper is white-black with a distinctive white spot under the eye; andthe Eurasian oystercatcher is grayish-brown. All of the sandpipers have a long, thin beak.The Common Sandpiper can be frequently met on the shoresof Baikal and nearby waters. Its call sounds to Russian ears like“Perevezi! Perevezi!” (“Carry me across! Carry me across!”), whencethe Russian name for the bird – the “carrier”. Local people interpretthe stooping gesture of the bird when its hunts for food along theshore as a respectful bow to Father-Baikal, to whose shores it returnsevery spring from warmer southern climes.The Little stint and the Eurasian Oystercatcherare rare transit birds, whichuse Baikal as a stop-over on their journeyfrom wintering places, but do not nest onthe Lake. Their Russian names (“sparrowsandpiper” and “magpie sandpiper”) reflecttheir similarity to these other birds.The Common Snipe – is not a large bird with a long straight andpointed beak. It is widely spread in Europe and northern parts of Asia,also it can be met in the southern part of Baikal. The snipe is goodnot only at flying, but it can run well even in the grass. It is not easyto see it: it is a very reticent bird. In its free time at noon, it standshiding behind hummocks and drowing its head into its shoulders. Itflies up quacking, and it flies as if it waddles. Besides, the snipe-cockcries out its “taku-taku” or “tyok” on the land, on stumps, on trees. To Baikal snipes come in May.Their autumn flight lasts up to October, sometimes the birds winter on the Baikal's shores not farfrom non-freezing streams.91

Grey heronWhat bird can stand still in one place for hours,sometimes on one leg, with the other leg tuckedunder its body? Of course, it is the grey heron,a large bird, weighing up to two kilograms andeasily distinguishable from other herons.Its back is grey, the belly is white, and it hasfeathered wings, a stripe above the eye, a blacktuft and a black stripe on the neck. The head isnarrow with a long, straight, yellowish beak, squeezed in at the sides. The legs are long and ofa yellowish colour. The grey heron has large, wide wings and a short tail. It flies smoothly, ata gentle pace, with slow flaps of its wings. In flight the heron produces a distinctive, instantlyrecognizable cry: loud and sharp, as if it was shouting “kryank!”.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxIt is very interesting to watch a heron. When hunting for food, heronsstand still for long periods in shallow water or near the hole of a voleor of a gopher, waiting for their prey. If something bothers a heron itstretches its neck, but otherwise remains motionless. However, it can flyaway instantly if it needs to. Herons sometimes walk slowly and silentlythrough water, with their head down, looking for prey in the water. Thestrike is quick and sudden, seizing the fish or other small animal in theherons beak.Herons nest in large colonies on tall pines and there may be severalnests on one tree. The male gathers building materials, while the femalestays most of the time in the nest, putting the twigs into place. GreyHerons lay eggs once a year or, very rarely, twice. Both parents sit onthe eggs. Newly hatched nestlings are covered with grayish down andtheir plumage appears on the seventh day. Both parents feed and nursethe nestlings, and one or other adult bird remains in the nest at all timesprotecting the young from sun and rain with their wings. Nestlingsknock on the parent's beak when they are hungry and the adult birdeructates food directly into the nestling's beak. Young heronsstart to fly when they are about 55 days old.92

The Wagtail and DipperThe Wagtail is another shorebird, like thesandpiper and heron. The white wagtail is foundon Lake Baikal and has a distinctive appearanceand plumage, which make is easy to recognize.You may well have seen this nimble bird.The wagtail has a long tail, small head, andits colouring is grey, white and black. The birdsruns quickly along the shore looking for bugs,small crayfish, young fishes, and other types offood.Wagtails migrate to the banks of rivers andrivulets near Baikal at the beginning of April andleave for warmer climes (Vietnam, Thailand) inthe second half of September.WagtailDipperWhat you see here is a Dipper – a nonmigratorybird that nests in Buryatia. It lives onthe banks of fast-flowing rivers and streams thatcarry their waters to Baikal.In winter the dipper moves to ice-free streamsand springs. The dipper is sometimes calleda “water-sparrow” because it can easily rununderwater. It feds feeds on water invertebratesbut sometimes also catches young fish.It has thick, dark-brown plumage, which iswater resistant. Dippers build their nests on stonesand in rock fissures. The nests usually contain 4–6white eggs, and the bird will often bring a wholefish, which it has caught, into the nest.93

Trace on the map the route taken by birds when they migrate from Baikal to their wintering grounds.Try to calculate how many kilometers birds have to cover in one direction.Scale: 1 : 20000000 (1 cm : 200 km)Dear friends, you now know a lot about the variousspecies of birds, which live by Lake Baikal. You can learnabout other bird species – forest birds – by reading thechapter about protected natural areas around Baikal.94

Fish of BaikalBaikal's water is fresh, clean and clear. What kinds of fish live in Baikal's water, and which arethem are only to be found in Baikal?Ichthyologists subdivide Baikal fish into two main species: Soroviye (because they live inBaikal's bays and shallow waters, which are usually called 'sor') and Baikal fish, which live in theopen waters of the Lake. The Soroviye include the Baikal omul, the whitefish, umber, sturgeon,roach, bream, perch, pike and burbot.Ichthyologists are biologists who studyfish and marine animals.Best-Known Fish of BaikalBaikal's best-known fish is Baikal omul. Nearlyevery Russian thinks immediately of the “omulbarrel” from the popular song “Glorious Sea – HolyBaikal!” (even if he or she has never been to Baikaland has never eaten omul).But what else do we know about the omul?This is a fish that likes to travel. The omul is foundin Baikal and the basin of the Arctic Ocean. Thoughmany ichthyologists consider the omul to beendemic to Baikal, there is a closely related fish, thePenzhinskiy omul, which is found in the PenzhinskiyLakes in the north of Russia.The omul feeds mainly on small crustaceansliving in the Lake water, invertebrates at the Lakebottom and the young of goby fish. The omul entersrivers to spawn from the end of August or beginningof September up to the end of November. The timeof spawning depends on water temperature (theomul will not spawn until the water is cold enough).It is also of interest that the omul will only spawnupstream in rivers.“Omul” in Latin means“wandering white-fish”.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxA real riddle is how the omul got into Baikal in glacial period or postglacialperiod from the rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean. Does it meanthat the omul might be a mammoth’s contemporary or, for instance, aherbivorous dinosaur of the Age of Reptiles? One bone of such a dinosaurwas found not far from Gusinoye Lake. Now it is kept in Baikal museum ofthe settlement of Listvyanka.95

One spawning shoal of omul may consist of between 1.5 million and 6 million fish. At this timethe water in Baikal's rivers seems to seethe and glitter from the huge number of fish that it contains.Omul release spawn on sand-and-pebble areas of the river bottom. Fertilized eggs developfor 170-200 days and the young fish appear in April or May. They are carried down into Baikal'sbays (“sory”) and then into the open water of the Lake.The omul, which fishermen catch, are usually up to 19 years old and 38 centimeters long,though some fish may live to 25 years of age and be up to 51 centimeters long. The large varietyin length of life is one more mystery of the omul!In summer, omul swims near the surface of the water at certain places in the Lake, which areknown to fishermen, gathering near the Lake shore at a depth of about 5m. The fish hibernate atdepths of 200-300m, close to the areas where they will feed in the summer time.Omul are artificially bred at a fish nursery not far from Baikal on the Bolshaya Rechka river, andhalf of the fish are released into the Lake. There is a similar nursery in Koma village in the PribaikalskyDistrict of the Republic of Buryatia.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxNumbers of omul were on the increase in the last years of the 20thcentury, thanks to these efforts to support populations.96

Are there differences between the omul living in different parts of Baikal?The omul has adapted well to the conditions of Baikal, where it has acquired some specificbiological features. There are four sub-populations of omul in the Lake: North Baikal, Chivyrkuysky,Selenga and Posolsk. The North Baikal and Barguzin omul prefer shallow water, while Posolsk andChivyrkuysky omul live in the depths of the Lake. The small and fat omul, which are caught inthe Maloye Morye (the Little Sea) near Olkhon Island are called Malomorsky, and are close to theNorth Baikal and Chivyrkuysky groups.What other differences are there between these sub-populations of omul?0 -24-32 сm100 m20 -the Selenga omul22-24 сm120 m32-38 cm180 -the North Baikal omul200 mthe Posolsk omulLook at the illustration of different features of omul subpopulations(size, depth and locality)subpopulationsThe Selenga omul is the most numerous sub-population. It spawnsmainly in the Selenga river and in other rivers flowing into Baikal.It lives in the southern trough of the Lake and the southern part ofthe middle trough.The Chivyrkuysky Omul is the most useful sub-populationfor fisheries, as it grows very fast, gains mass and can beartificially spawned.The North Baikal group is notable for its small size. It swims up theUpper Angara river to spawn and is therefore sometimes referredto as the Angarskaya omul. It also spawns in the Kichera river andother mountain rivers, as well as in the Chivyrkuysky Gulf.The Posolsk omul is the largest species, and specimenshave been found with weight of 5 kilograms and length upto 50 centimeters.97

Subpopulation Size (cm) Depth (m) LocalityPelagian (Selenga) 24-32Coastal (North Baikal) 22–24The southern trough of Baikal,the Selenga deltaChivyrkuysky Gulf, themouth of the Kichera river,the Upper Angara, etcBottom-dwellers (Posolsk) 32-38 180–200 Posolsky Sor regionFill in the missing information in the tableabout various sub-populations of omul.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxYou might try tasting some omul. The fisherman who eats it with you willtell you of an ancient superstition: if a fisherman falls ill, you must preparea fish soup of Omul, pass the tail of the fish over the fisherman's lips andfeed him the soup. This will surely cure him! Such was people's belief in themarvelous qualities of the omul. The fish is very useful for healthy peopletoo, because it contains much fish fat and vitamins (A,D,E), as well asprotein, all of which are good for health and for vision, strengtheningbone tissue and raising vitality.98

Which Baikal fish is called the “Tsar fish”?The Baikal sturgeon – is the largest andmost ancient fish in Baikal. Its length sometimesreaches 1.5-1.8 m, and its weight – 100-130 kg.Because of its size this fish got the name «tsarfish». A sturgeon is the only fish that belongs tothe group of cartilaginous. Along its body it hasoutgrowth in the form of plates. It looks like agiant in armours.In Baikall basin basic localities of sturgeonare the delta of the Selenga, the mouths ofsome rivers and the bays with the depth of20-50 m. In autumn, sturgeons come to thedepth of 150 m, wintering in deep holes in themouths of big rivers. In April they usually travelto spawn to the Selenga, the Upper Angara andthe Barguzin. In the Maloe Sea and in Slyudyanka sturgeons are very uncommon. Sturgeons growvery slowly, by 10 years of age they are 70-75 cm in length and 1,5-2 kg in weight, by 20 years itslength can be 125 cm, its weight – 12,5 kg. The male fish mature by the age of 15 and the femalefish in 18–20 years.The Cisco or Whitefish closely resembles theomul, but can be easily recognized by its jutting upperjaw. It has small round black spots on its head anddorsal fin. Its head is extended with a more or lesscuspidal shape. It can be found only in Lake Baikal andthe Baunt Lakes.Baikal cisco are of two kinds: lake and lakeriver.Large numbers of lake cisco are found in theBarguzin and Chivyrkuysky Gulfs, and in the Selengadelta shallows. There are three sorts of Baikal cisco,classified according to their locality: Chivyrkuysky, Barguzin and Maloye Morye. Adult cisco feedon mollusks, plankton, larvae, worms and young goby fish. Numbersof cisco are limited, due to intensive poaching. The ban on omulfishing helped to support populations of Baikal cisco, which areoften found in fishermen's catches today.Secret Corners ofLake Baikal BoxThe total number of fish is not big as this kindof fish was poachered a lot. The ban on omulfishing helped to save the Baikal sturgeon.Nowadays it is often met in fishermen's catch.99

Another well-known lake-river fish in Baikalis the grayling, which is represented by a Baikalsub-species of the Siberian grayling, occurringin two forms – the black and the white grayling.The Black grayling has bright dense scales,high bright fins. It can be 60 cm long with aweight of 1,5 kg. Graylings are found in allthe rivers flowing into Lake Baikal and in theAngara River. In summer, the grayling lives at adepth of 10-20m, and in winter it is found at depths of 3-12m. It diet consists of larvae and adultinsects, small crustaceans, and fish roe. The grayling swims for hundreds of meters up mountainrivers with stony beds in order to spawn. When hunting for flying insects, it can leap out of thewater to a height of 0.5 m.The White grayling is larger than the black (itgrows faster and reaches a weight of 3.0-3.5 kg),and it has less dense scales with red spots on silvergray sides and shorter fins. It usually lives close tothe Baikal shoreline at depths of 50 m. Both the blackand white grayling live for 10-12 years.Fish Known to EveryoneThe roach lives in natural water basins allover Russia, but the biggest roach are to befound in Baikal. Local people call the roach a“soroga”, and there are two types of “soroga”in the Lake: a small “sor” fish and a biggeropen-water fish. The roach has dense scalesand distinctive red fins, and it is the secondmost numerous fish in catches made by Baikalfishermen. An adult roach of 5-7 years may be13-15 cm in length, and it can grow to 30 cmwhen it reaches the age of 11-17.The Sazan is a beautiful fish with goldenand yellow scales, dark back and fair belly. Itlives only in basins with fresh water. In warmwater it feeds actively and it grows quickly. Itsmaximum weight can reach more than 20 kg.In cold seasons it lies down to winter andstops eating. Every fisherman dreams to catcha sazan, but it requires not only good luck, butgood skills, as well. This omnivorous fish becamea food fish. It's grown up in ponds almosteverywhere. A domesticated sazan is a carp.100

The best-known fish in Buryatia is the SilverCarp. Its shape the bright silver of its scalesgive it the appearance of a large coin. The silvercarp is numerous in shallow lakes (no more than3m deep). It is a calm and lazy fish, preferringto stay in quiet spots where there is plenty ofslime and no shortage of food. Interestingly, itcan live in places where other species die dueto lack of oxygen: overgrown basins, dryinglakes, and stagnant ponds near Baikal. The carpdoes not usually grow to more than 30 cm inlength, and the specimens found in most lakesare 11-13 cm.Who are those fish-predators?The main predatory fish of freshwater basinsis the Pike, and it is also to be found in Baikal.The Pike has a spotty colouring, light bandsalong and across its sides, with a dark back,and whitish belly with grey specks. Its fins areslightly brown with black spots, and its thoracicand abdominal fins are yellowish-red. The pikeis a fairly large fish, up to 80 cm in length, andits grows very fast: by 5 years it weights upto 1 kg, by 12 years it reaches 6 kg, and thefish have been known to grow to 20 kg. Thepike has a very long life – 70 years on average.In Baikal a young pike is called “travyanka”(“grass dweller”) because it hides in shallowwater where grass grows watching for prey. Allfishermen dream of catching a pike.The Taimen – is a large fish of the salmonfamily. It grows up to 1,5 m long and up to60 kg. The taimen has a peculiar coloration indifferent time of its life and in different seasonsof the year: more often it is dark, almost blackwith dark spots on its fair belly. In spawning itcovers with crimson spots, and its tail becomesdark red.It swims quite fast; it dashes to its catch veryswiftly. Usually its catch is fish, small animalsand birds. The taimen is a raptorial fish; it feedsall year round except in the time of spawning. It lives in pure mountain rivers flowing into Baikal,but its number is not high. It is registered in the Red Book. To meet the taimen is a big luck!101

Its colouring and habits have earned thePerch the nickname of “sea tiger”. It is apredatory fish with a dark green back, yellowishsides with dark diametrical bands, bright redfins, yellow thoracic fins, and orange eyes.Perch are commonly found in all the basins ofBuryatia except those, which are closed andshallow. Perch aged 17 years and more than40 cm in length are occasionally caught. Thebiggest perch are found in Baikal.The Burbot is another sor fish. It is mostcommonly found in Baikal and the main riversthat flow into the Lake, as well as in otherbasins of Buryatia. It is has black-brown spotsand bands all over its body, and its belly andneck are of a grey colour. There are two kindsof burbot in Baikal: one that lives in lakes andrivers, and one that lives in lakes only.Ichthyologists note that lake burbots differfrom those that also inhabit rivers by theirfaster rate of growth, high levels of fat on theirbody a lighter colouring. The lake and riverburbot spawns in rivers, while lake burbots arebelieved to spawn in Baikal, though it is notknown exactly where. The burbots lay eggs in the very severe frosts of December and January,sometimes till March and even till May. Its size can be up to 2 m and 30 kg. Its coloring isyellowish-grey with spots but sometimes depending on water it can be dark grey with spots.Usually it is peat brown waters that make burbot have such a coloring. The fish has two dorsal finsand a little barbel on its mandible.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe burbot likes the cold but it spends most of its life in waters with thetemperature of 10–12 degrees. In hot summers they are usually passive. Theygo to hibernation in Baikal at the depth of 100 meters. At the end of summerboth kinds of the baikal burbot begin to shoal and go into the depth of 10-15 mintensively feeding on gobies from the bottom. In September burbots approachthe shores. During the last years along the southern shore of Baikal burbots havealmost disappeared. This fact was probably caused by the work of the Baikal pulpand paper mill and other industrial companies. Fishermen named the burbot ahermit because it doesn't like a sunlight hiding from it at the bottom. Alsothey don't shoal.102

Endemics of BaikalFish that are found only in Baikal include theGoby (both bottom-dwelling goby and anothervariety, which lives a medium depths) and theoil. The goby family is the most numerous ofBaikal's endemic fishes.Bullheads, a variety of goby, are mostlybottom-dwelling. They are small fish and poorswimmers, and their body shape is adapted tolife among stones on the bottom of the Lake,where they find refuge. Their dark-colouring isalso adapted to this life, since it helps them toblend in with their environment. Fishermen alsocall bullheads “shirokolobka” (“broad head”)due to the shape of their heads. Some bullheadspecies can be found along the shoreline, atshallow depths. Different species inhabit areasof water with a stony bottom and areas wherethe bottom is sandy.Another bullhead type, the Baikal sculpin,form coastal shoals, which are a source offood for omul and various other fish. However,young sculpin escape the predators thanksto an instinctive reaction to the smell, whichpredatory fish emit.The long-finned Baikal sculpin grows aslong as 22 cm. It feeds on plankton, glidingalongside it through the middle depths, helpedby its fins and light weight – this mannerof movement have earned it the nickname“samoletik” (“little aeroplane”).Fish that live close to the bottom of a water basin are called “bottom-dwelling”.103

The Oil fish is the most interesting ofBaikal's other endemic fish species. It growsto no more than 20 cm and its pinkish bodyis almost translucent, consisting mostly of fat,so that you can even read a newspaper ora book through its body. The oil fish is veryattractive: its surface reflects all the colours ofthe rainbow, its eye borders are bright orange,and its thoracic fins, which cover half of thebody, are almost translucent. Its mouth opensto a width, which is half as great again as thelength of its body.There are two kinds of oil fish living in Baikal: the Great oil fish and the Dybowski oil fish (thelatter named after the scientist-ichthyologist who first discovered it). Both are found at variousdepths, but the first is more often close to the bottom of the Lake. Both types can also be keptin aquariums. The oil fish is highly sensitive to temperature: when the temperature drops to 8degrees centigrade, it is unable to move and becomes numb. Interestingly, the oil fish does notspawn, but puts out live young – the female fish produces up to 3000 grubs, which develop intoyoung fish in spring and summer. Adult oil fish are cannibalistic, feeding on the young of the samespecies. The species reaches maturity at 2–3 years, so it may live to be 10–15 years old, but nooil fish of such advanced age has ever been recorded. Their main diet are epischuras (up to onemillion tonnes per year in Baikal).104

The Lesser oil fish is a sub-species, also endemicto Baikal, living in the open waters of theLake at depths of up to 1600m. Lesser oil fishfeed on epischuras, macrohectopus, and theyoung of the greater oil fish and of its own kind.It breeds at the age of 2–3 years, bearing grubsthat grow inside the fish's body for 90–100 days.There are reckoned to be about 100,000 tonsof lesser oil fish in Baikal, and it is an importantpart of the diet of omuls and of seals.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe oil fish family is very peculiar – so much so that ichthyologists hadtrouble establishing what group of fish it belongs to. It was at first believedto be a kind of mackerel, then it was related to the codfish family, andonly at the start of the 20th century was it established that the oil fish isclose to the sculpin.105

Baikal seal (nerpa)Why do you think the Baikal Seal deserves a special section in ourBook? Are there any other names for the Baikal Seal?The nerpa is a large mammal: adultsare over 150 cm long and can weigh upto 110 kg. It is endemic to Baikal andis the only mammal living in the Lake.The nerpa is a member of the true sealsfamily (Phocidae) and a part of the Pusagenus. The back of an adult nerpa issilver-gray and its belly is light with ayellowish hue.The female nerpa can live for 56years and males may live 52 years,and child-bearing age for the female isfrom 4-7 to 40 years, in which periodshe can produce over 20 offspring.One pregnancy lasts for 11 months andproduces one seal pup.Baikal seals eat fish, particularlygobies, and are also partial to the mostnumerous fish in Baikal – the oil fish.The creatures can be seen in all partsof the Lake but they are most frequentlyfound in its northern and central parts.In summer the coastal regions alongBaikal's shores and its main bays serveas seal rookeries. The biggest sealrookeries are in the Ushkany Islands.Nerpa numbers vary between 50,000and 70,000.106

Locals have several names forthe nerpa: “ushkan” (“young hare”),“kumutkan”, and “hubunok”. A newborn baby seal is called a “belyok”, andit has become one of the best-knownsymbols of Lake Baikal.In winter, seals live under the icesurface and breathe through airholes,which they make themselves at thebeginning of winter and keep open untilthe spring. Pregnant seals build holesand burrows in the snow layer wherethey bear their pups. At the end of thewinter and the beginning of spring sealscome out onto the ice to bask in thesun..At this time seals are vulnerable topoachers: the fur of young seals has ahigh value on domestic and internationalmarkets (it is used for making hatsand coats) and nerpa fat is used in thetanning industry and for soap. Seal meatis also edible.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxScientists believe that the Baikal seal has a common ancestor with thewell-known northern seal, and that the animals reached Lake Baikal bytravelling from the Arctic Ocean along the Yenisei and Angara rivers. Thismust have happened during the Ice Age, when the rivers were locked inice from the north. Other scientists believe that the nerpa came to Baikalvia the Lena river, which was linked with the Lake before the Ice Age.107

A seal – is a very cautious and timidanimal. To see it in nature is very difficult.In order to watch it and to study thisunique mammal, a lot of house-houseswere organized on Baikal. There arethree of them: in Irkutsk, in Listvyankaand a summer seal-house in thesettlement of Sakhyurt. The biggest oneis situated in Listvyanka, it was openedin summer, 2009.There one can see trained sealswhich can sing, dance, paint, play witha ball. Animal-trainers say that it is quitedifficult to work with seals, because theyare very independent animals.The most important task of creatingseal-houses is study and preservationof this Baikal endemic, one of the threespecies of freshwater seals.In natural conditions the main enemyof the seal is a man. Seal-hunting is stillallowed, though the number of theseunique animals according to some datadoesn’t exceed 100 thousand specimen.In seal-houses scientists studytheir ration and way of life, watch sealpups born in artificial conditions, planecological actions on protection of theBaikal seal.108

Think, Play, Experiment, Create together!Check what you have learnt!Guess the riddlesIt lives close to the bottom,It's very hard to catch.It's on the list of rare fish,And had been saved fromdisappearance.(sturgeon)Swims in lake,Walks in bays.Its silver scalesHave pinkish flame.Epishuras,Golomyankas,Little gobiesAre its food.But this fishIs very tasty.Try to taste it-It's so good!(Omul)Its origin is very old,People call it “a great sea”,Sea waves splash in it,How will we call it?What fish is it? It's very little!Smaller than your cuff.Pinkish in color and sensitive -It must have cold water.It melts in summer,Spills its fat.It's enedemic.Can you name it?...(oil fish)In snowy lair they are born.They are not afraid of storm.They will grow and start diving,Changing their white fur.If they are lucky enough –They will live for too long enough.What an animal with whiskers?You think and guess quicker, quicker!(Baikal seal)(Baikal)109

Check what you have learnt!Try to solve these ecological tasks:Problem 1We need 10 kg of zooplankton or epischuras for 1 kg of omul, and 1 kg ofepischuras in turn need 10 kg of plankton bacteria and algae.So how much algae do we need to grow 28 kg of young omul?Problem 2The nerpa's daily diet consists of 4 kg of fish and 2 percent of the diet is omul.How many omul does a seal eat each day? What weight of fish does a sealeat in 30 days?Problem 3The seal swims at 10km/h, so how far can it travel in 2.15 hours.?Problem 4The oil fish is the fattiest fish in Baikal: up to 43 percent of its body weight isfat. Two great oil fish females weighing 80 grams have the same fat contentas an omul weighing 340 grams or a 500 gram grayling.What is the fat content in an omul and in a grayling?Problem 5What is the length of these fish in metres?A Baikal sturgeon – 1m 6 dmAn omul – 37 cmA grayling – 350 mmAn oil fish – 2 dm110

Check what you have learnt!“I know everything about the seal!”1. What do we call a seal pup?· Hubunok· Malyok· Kumutkan2. What does a seal pup feed on?· fish· milk· algae3. The Baikal seal is· a fish· a mammal· waterfowl4. What food does a seal not eat:· gobies· omul· capelin5. How do seals breathe under the ice?· they collect oxygen for the winter;· through airholes;· they keep air in pillows.6. You can find the average length of an adult sealwith the help of our magic square.1) Choose the biggest number from the first line.2) Choose the smallest number from the second line.3) Choose the middle-sized number from the third line.4) Find the sum of these numbers.27 65 3178 67 5545 56 36111

We are playing!Solve the crossword!Baikal is rich in fish. There are more than 58 species in the Lake today.Fill in the words using the pictures.BAIKAL112

I am a creator!A creative taskMy funny seal pupLook attentively at the articles in the pictures. Do you like them?Mould a seal out of salty batter. Paint the article and give to your friend.Tell what interesting you have learnt about seals?113

I am a creator!A cut-out collage with Baikal fishNow we are going to dive in a submarine into the underwater kingdom of Baikal.How wonderful to see with our own eyes who lives in this crystal tower! We will write downeverything we see in our exercise books and create a cut-out collage using photos.The depth – 150 mOn the starboard side there are rocky walls. The omul likes to spend its time at such a depth.It can grow as long as 50 cm, weighs up to 5 kg, and can live for up to 25 years. But onlyone of about one hundred roe will survive to become a fish. The number of roe who survivedepends on the purity of water.The depth – 200 mA sturgeon swims by – the Tsar Fish of Baikal. Sturgeons live for 50-60 years or more andsometimes weigh as much as 100-130 kg. They grow very slowly. Over-fishing has reducedBaikal's stocks of sturgeon and the fish has been included in the Red Book.The depth – 380 mHere he is – the famous oil fish! He is light pink in colour. The females do now spawn eggs,but eject 2000 or 3000 tiny fish into the water. The body of the oil fish is translucent, soyou can read letters on white paper looking through its tail. Fishermen do not take oil fish,because they melt at a temperature higher than 8 degrees above zero. They spend most oftheir lives very deep underwater.The depth – 500 mThrough the porthole you can see silver oil fish and planariidae. It is a beautiful sight. We arerecording them with a colour cinema camera.114

Now let's put all the sea creatures we have just seen on these pictures.115

I am a creator!A cut-out collage with Baikal birdsPut the cut-out pictures of various birds on the photographs of Baikal, matching the birds to thescenes that are shown. We have a Yellow-legged Gull, a Mallard, a cormorant, a sandpiper, aheron, a wagtail and a dipper.116

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I am a creator!A creative taskFree the stones of Baikal from an evil spellYou will learn:· see something wonderful around you;· dream and share your dreams in the process of painting;· make up souvenirs with your own hands.These will be necessary for you:stones from Baikal, acrylic or tempera paints, brushes, pencils (lead or wax),transparent nail polish, some water and several napkins.For the first time we advise you to use the help of your teacher or adults!The work order is as follows:First of all, read a fairy-tale.A long time ago all the shore of Baikal was covered with cliffs. Then windsand rains broke the cliffs down into stones. Now imagine a kingdom ofstones under an enchantment, and imagine that our stones are the citizensof this magic country. They used to be people, living in peace and friendship,never quarreling (just like you and your classmates!). But one day a wickedwizard whose name was Envy learned about that country. He called Greed,Indifference and Hatred to his aid and they decided to cast an evil spell onthe magic kingdom.The wicked magicians turned the citizens of the magic country into greysoulless stones. They would have been left lying on the shore if a kind fairycalled Rainbow and her little rainbows has not appeared. You can help ourlittle rainbows, using brushes as magic wands to bring to life and removethe enchantment from the citizens of this wonderful country.118

Before you start you should learn some magic spells. Otherwisethe magic won't work.Repeat after us:· We are little rainbows!· We are not afraid of brushes and paints!· We are ready to help the citizens of a magic country!On your stones you can draw birds, animals, fish, flowers, berries,waves, Baikal shore, mountains. Let this easy rule helpyou: “The person who wants to succeed succeeds, and the personwho succeeds can do everything!” You can put yourself ina creative mood by turning on your favourite music! Have youchosen what you will paint on the stones?Let your teacher or another adult help you when you first start!Do the following:1. Take a good look at the stones (you can find them on anywalk along the shores of Baikal)2. Now dry it with a wet napkin.The stone is ready to be painted!So, dear rainbows, let's start creating magic! Let's apply the imageonto the stone in a lead pencil.Now let's start to paint it.3. Let's protect the stone from rains (cover it with polish). Leaveyou stone for 2-3 minutes. Don't touch it for 2-3 minutes in orderto make it dry.4. Admire the images on the stone. Well, yes, they look likealive! The magic works!5. Think who you can give your souvenirs to?6. Invite your friends to paint other stones. You can make anexhibition of your works in a class or at school.So, children, not only have you removed the spell from thefairy-tale – you have also learned to dream and convey yourfancies through drawing. But the most important thing is thatyou have made beautiful objects with your own hands.119

I am a creator!Let's paint a seal pup120

I am a creator!Make up puzzlesCut out the puzzles on this page.When you put them together you will get the answer to this riddle:Not a fish nor a whale,Catches fish, keeping silent.121

Baikal’sSecret TrailsPART

To save Baikal - is a good deedWhy are you so sad, dear Baikal,What is your surf thinking about?Does somebody cruel sneer at you?And Baikal sighed to me out:«I’ve lived in the worldfor thousands years...And nobody else offended me,On the contrary, they respected me…But for the last half a centuryI don’t recognize a man!..As if he wouldn’t need at allMy pure water after all.»Baikal in he only one on the planet,There are no other sacred lakes…We are all, Baikal, your children,And we are to live with you!People, don’t offend the sea!Because Baikal wants to live further:To play with its waves,To argue with winds,To save Baikal - is a good deedIts destiny is in our hands!The nature itself asked usSo as Baikal will live forever!And I believe: Russia's fameWill grow up owing to Baikal!And our children will rememberTo give Baikal's due.Mikhail Mitukov

CONTENTS OF PART 4Under the protection of the state 126Specially Protected Natural Areas 128Nature Reserves:Barguzin Reserve, Dzherginsky Reserve, Baikalsky Reserve, Baikal-Lensky Reserve 129National Parks: Tunkinsky National Park, Zabaikalsky National Park 145Wildlife Sanctuaries: Frolikhinsky Wildlife Sanctuary, Enkhalooksky Wildlife Sanctuary 152Natural Monuments: the Mysterious Ushkan Islands, the “Singing Sands” of Turali,“The Stilted Trees”, the Ininsky Stone Garden 154Peoples of Baikal: the Evenks, the Buryats, the Russians 157Ecological Traditions and Customs of the Buryat Peoples 164Ecological Problems of Baikal 167Human activity on the shores of Lake Baikal:A waste problem on the shores of Baikal 168Water and air pollution 170SOS! Fire! 172Garbage on the shore of Baikal 173Think, Play, Experiment, Create together! 174I am an ecologist! The garbage problemExperiment №1. “The impact of heat on plastic”Experiment №2. “Does plastic decompose?”Project: Pines and NeedlesStage 1 of the project: Multi-coloured readingStage 2 of the project: Growing cedar treesStage 3 of the project: Measuring air pollution by the state of pine needlesQuiz: Who is the best Baikal eco-expert

Under the protection of the stateDear friends! Now we are going on a fascinating journey along the secret paths of the regionaround Baikal. You will learn many interesting things from Lake Baikal Box, which will help youchoose your own route, find out more about the unique natural environment round Lake Baikal,and – most importantly – to understand why Baikal needs our love and protection.It is common practice nowadays all over the world to set up specially protected natural territories– nature reserves – to protect unique wildlife and landscapes.The purpose of a nature reserve is to protect endemic and rare species of plants and animals,many of which have been registered in the Red Books of plants and animals of Russia and theRepublic of Buryatia. Red means danger – like a traffic light – because these plants and animals arein danger of dying out. There are four types of nature reserves: protected areas, national parks,nature sanctuaries, and so-called “natural monuments”.Specially protected natural territories – are places,where any human activity is either limited or prohibited.Children, do you know which are the most famouswildlife areas and national parks in the world?Yellowstone (USA) is the world’s first national park, created in 1872.The Great Smoky Mountains national park has the world's longest continuous foot path, whichmake its particularly popular with hikers.126

The Great Barrier Reef is a national sea park off the coast of Australia and is also a UNESCOWorld Natural Heritage site. This great underwater ridge consists of nearly 3000 coral reefs andislands, and is one of the world's natural miracles.The unique Askania-Nova protected area in the Kherson Region of Ukraine was created in thelate 19th century by Fridrikh Falts-Fein, a large landowner in Tavrichesky Province who loved andknew a great deal about nature. It remains the only piece of steppe landscape in Europe, whichhas never been ploughed up.There are very strict rules as to what you can and can't do in a nature reserve. Hunting, fishing,gathering medicinal herbs, large-scale tourism, building of hotels, rest zones, and asphalt roadsare all forbidden inside protected areas.UNESCO is the United Nations organization thatdeals with educational, scientific and cultural issues.The Red Book is a list of rare animals, plants andfungi that are in danger of disappearance.127

Specially Protected Natural AreasNature reserves have also been created round Lake Baikal: our Lake has 4 protected areas, 3national parks, and 22 nature sanctuaries. They include the Baikal-Lensky protected area and thePribaikalsky national park (both in Irkutsk Region) and a number of territories in the Republic ofBuryatia. You can find some of them on the map.128

Nature reservesWe will start our journey from the Barguzin Reserve– the first and oldest nature reserve in Russia. It is bestknownfor the Barguzin sables, which live here. Sables weredriven close to extinction by intensive hunting at the endof the 19th century, and a strict hunting ban was needed tosave them. This was the purpose of the Barguzin Reserve.In 1996 the reserve was included in UNESCOs list of worldcultural and natural heritage sites (representing Lake Baikal)A protected natural area is a naturalterritory where shooting of wild animalsand gathering of plants are prohibited –they are places where you can experiencenature untouched by man.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxSiberian hunters called the sable "askyr", the Mongols "bologan", the Evenks"dynka", and the Yakuts gave it the short but expressive name, "kis".In ancient times the sable was considered to be "a diamond",or “soft gold” because it was used as a meansof payment instead of money.Suvinsk rocksBaikal lake coastIn the Evenk language “Suvoya” or “Suvi” means "whirlwind". The Buryats believedthat the land of the Barguzin reserve belonged to two mythical characters,Suvo Tumurshi –noion and his wife Tudugish–hatan, in honor of whom a wooden shinehad been built here.What is special aboutthe Barguzin Reserve?The reserve includes several naturalbelts: tundra, Alpine meadows, and taiga. Thereare also a number of hot springs in the reserve,and 17 rivers rise on its territory and flow intoLake Baikal.129

What grows in the Barguzin Reserve?An amazing variety of plant species grow in the Barguzinsky Reserve – about 900 in all – andthey include several rare species that are in need of protection: the butterfly orchid, a particularkind of tussock grass, ladies' slipper, Snowdon rose, and many others. What strange names plantshave! Children, why do you think we give them such names?Ladies' slipper is also known as “Venus'sshoe”. According to the legend, the Goddessof Love, Venus, wore unusual footwear – shoesmade of flower petals. Whether or not that istrue, the flower certainly looks like a shoe, andhence the name. There exist about 50 speciesof this plant. Ladies' slipper is found in Southand North America, in Europe and Asia, andfrom the forest-tundra to the tropics. It doesn'tbloom until it is 18 years old! Its flowers arevery large, up to 8 cm across, violet-red witha network of crimson veins. The flower "hides"under the leaf when it rains, so it never fills withwater, even during heavy rain, but always containsa few drops of dew.Snowdon rose is a well-known perennial medicinal plant. It has fleshy oblong leaves andsmall yellow flowers, grows slowly and loves moisture. Its folk name is “golden root” and it is alsocalled “Siberian ginseng”. The root is used for medicinal purposes and takes 8-10 years to reachmaturity. It is called “golden” not only because of its colour, but also because it helps to restore aperson's energy, eyesight and hearing, and was therefore considered to be of great value. Accordingto ancient beliefs, a person who finds the golden root will live a long, lucky and healthy life.The Ghost orchid (in Russian, the “Over-chin”) is a rareperennial species. It has no green leaves, and its stalks arefragile, coloured a hollow light yellow with red strips. Thereare from two to eight flowers on the stalk, which is 30 cm inheight. These gentle flowers attract insects by the light smell,similar to banana, which they give off. Its coral-like rhizome ismass of fungal threads, which the plant used to find nutrients.The ghost orchid grows in shady coniferous and mixed forests.It blossoms plentifully in rainy weather with thunder-storms.Botanists gave the plant its unusual Russian name due to thearrangement of its petals, which looks like lips over a beard.130

Barguzin Reserve faunaThe Barguzin Reserve has a rich and unusual fauna:39 species of mammals, 243 bird species, 4 species of reptiles, 2 types of amphibians, about 30species of fish and a great number of invertebrates.The best-known inhabitant of the reserve isthe Barguzin sable, which lives in taiga solitudeamid cedar thickets from which it extractsits favorite delicacy – nuts. It also hunts forfish, squirrels and other small animals (ermine,rodents and birds). The sable can also be vegetarian,eating cowberry, bilberry and mountainash berries.The most interesting thing about the sableis that the colour of its fur depends on whereit lives: the further north and the higher themountains, the darker its fur. The Barguzin sableis the darkest and its fur is valued most highly.Sables with light fur live in various places fromthe Urals to the Yenisei river.The Chernoshapochny (“black hat”)groundhog lives only around Baikal. It takesits name from its colouring, since it is brownall over except for a darker stain on the head,which looks like a black hat. The black-hat isthe smallest sub-species of groundhog (22,400individuals), and they live in separate families,each with its own wintering hole. The familiesusually live on dry, southern slopes of mountainsand hills with light snow cover. Groundhogholes are not deep (from 20 to 70 cm) andhave many exits. In cold autumns and wintersthe groundhogs stop up the holes with drygrass to keep more heat.And this small animal was called theNorthern creeper because of a whistlingsound. The creeper produces whistle as if it'talks', or warns about some danger. It lookslike a hare with a short tail and the rounded-offears, it has smooth fur of brown or grayish andyellow color. This small animal is a vegetarian,it eats grassy plants and branches of bushes.All creepers are remarkable mowers. They bitegrass with their sharp teeth, drag it to the holesand display so that it gets dried. Therefore thecreeper has the second name – «senostavka».What's more hunters guess about weatherjudging by their behavior: if there is no grassbrought by creepers on stones, it'll rain.131

The Musk deer is the smallest representativeof the deer family. It can be met in Buryatiain almos every mountain and taiga regions.Its body's length is 80-100 cm, height in witheris up to 80 cm, its weight is about 15-20 kg.Neither females (cows) nor males (bucks) havehorns. Mature bucks have fangs with the lengthup to 10 cm, which stick out of the upper lip.Also they have a musky small bag on the innerside of the hip. About 40–50 g of musk can begathered in the bag. It is well-known as «a muskdeer's stream». The musk is valued in perfumeryindustry as a holder of smells. Also it waswidely used in medicine.In summer the deer eats woody or groundlichens, thin branches, sprouts, needles andplants. In winter it eats woody lichens andbark, branches. It eats at night and in twilights.It spends a day liing near rocks, among stoneplacers.A musk deer is a very cautious animal. Itmoves jumping, climb different rocks well, thus escaping from enemies. Escaping from pursuersa musk deer fouls the trails. It is sometimes difficult to grasp in them. A she-musk deer is aself-sacrificing mother. At any signs of alarm she, risking her life fearlessly, rush onto the enemy,while little deers hide in safe places. A musk deer is a unique animal; it's a decoration of our taiga.Barguzin's rare bird speciesBarguzin's rare bird species include thesea eagle, golden eagle, black stork, and osprey,and the gray crane can be seen nestingon bogs. Let's find out more about the birds wecan meet along Baikal's secret paths.There are seven species of eagles aroundBaial: the steppe eagle, golden eagle, imperialeagle, great spotted eagle, dwarf eagle, whitetailedsea eagle, and long-tailed sea eagle.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxEagles are treated with great respect by the Buryats, and there are manylegends associated with the bird in the area around Baikal. A fearsomespirit is believed to inhabit Olkhon Island and to assume the shape of awhite-headed eagle. The Buryats still believe that a person who kills orwounds an eagle will soon die himself. This reverence for the birds isone reason why they continue to flourish on Baikal, while in otherparts of the world eagles have become endangered.132

The Steppe eagle is large and beautiful. It weighsfrom 2 to 5 kg, has wingspan up to 2m, and its headis dark-brown in colour. Young eagles stand out fromold birds by well-defined strips on the underside oftheir wings, longitudinal motley specks on the belly,and brighter plumage. They grow the final feather intheir “dress” in the fifth year of life. The steppe eaglehas a very unusual way of hunting. It watchesfor and catches rodents at the exits from their holes.The eagle can lay motionless on the ground for hourswith its head close to a hole until the gopher or voleemerges, to be struck with a powerful blow from theeagle's beak or claws.The White-tailed sea eagle is the largest predatornesting in Baikal Region. It stands out by its long"rectangular" wings, a wide, short, wedge-shaped tail,and a small head which is much lighter than the restof the plumage. The sea eagle has a large and powerfulbeak of light yellow color. Unlike the golden eagle,its feet are not covered with feathers. The sea eaglereaches its adult appearance aged five, after which itstail becomes white.The sea eagle seldom catches strongly swimmingfish, but usually picks up sleepy or dead fish fromthe water surface, as well as fish thrown ashore by astorm.The Black stork is another rare Baikal species.These birds fly to the lake in early May, having alreadyfound a mate, and feed on fish, frogs, tadpoles, andcrustaceans in shallow rivers. They build their largenests (1-1.5m) on the open banks of rivers and lakes,or in the remote taiga and lay two or four eggs of agrayish-white color. Both male and female birds sit onthe eggs for more than a month. These graceful birdsfly away in September in family groups of three, fouror five birds.133

The Dzherginsky Nature ReserveThe Dzherginsky nature reserve is located in KurumkanskyDistrict of the Republic of Buryatia, in a unique positionto the north-east of Baikal where three large mountains –Barguzinsky, Ikatsky and Southern Muysky – meet. This is ahigh-mountainous place with a distinctive natural environmentwhere the stony tundra mixes with Alpine meadows,thickets of cedar shrubs and dwarf birches. More than 650species of flowering plants are to be found here.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe most ancient inhabitants of these places, the Tungus, called theterritory where the reserve is now located “yarga”, which intheir language meant “sacred” or “happy”. The present-dayname, “Dzherginsky” derives from that word.Types of plants at the Dzherginsky reserve divideinto forest-steppe, taiga and high-mountainous.The Daurskaya larch is dominant in the forestzone, having soft and fragrant needles, which fallevery autumn, like the birch. The tree is much lovedin Siberia for its beauty, aroma of fresh needles, theintense heat it gives when burnt and (most of all) itsquality as a building material – it is very dense anddoesn't decay in water thanks to the large amountsof resin that it contains. The Italian city on water,Venice, which is more than 1000 years old, wasbuild on Siberian larch. The larch can live for 500-600 years.Herbs also grow in abundance, includingCamel's tail, which has anti-inflammatory propertiesand is registered in the Red Books of Buryatiaand Irkutsk Region. Camel's tail is a peculiar, highmountainplant that grows to a height between oneand five meters, with thick branches having four tosix pairs of leaves. Its flowers contain oils, ascorbicand other organic acids, sugar and pitch. The upperpart of the plant is used in medicine.134

The Dzherginsky reserve has diverse and very interesting fauna: 43 species of mammals, 145bird species (including 118 nesting types), 3 amphibians, 4 species of reptiles, 6 fish species, 839species of insects, 164 species of spiders, and 39 species of protozoa.Mammals include the white hare, squirrel, wolf, fox, brown bear, sable, glutton, ermine, weasel,river otter, lynx, wild boar, roe, elk and reindeer.Local amphibians include the Siberian frog and a Far Eastern tree frog. Main reptiles are theviviparous lizard and copper-head snake. Water spaces at the reserve contain graylings, burbot,river minnow, greenling and taimen.Bird inhabitants include the black-throated loon, black stork, whooping swan, swallow, tealcracker,mountain duck, partridge, black grouse, stone wood-grouse, hawk (teterevyatnik), buzzard,imperial eagle, a golden eagle, white-tailed sea eagle, gyrfalcon, owl, and eagle owl.Of the reserve's bird inhabitants, the black stork, black crane, and whooper swan are underspecial protection.The white-winged Whooper-swan is aproud and handsome bird, and the hero ofmany Baikal fairy tales and legends. It has along neck, magnificent, snow-white plumage,a yellow beak, black feet and a loud, trumpetlikevoice. The swan moves with effort on theground and takes off with a long run-up. It isboth a carnivore and herbivore, and finds foragein water by immersing its long neck. Itspreferred nesting place is on the ChivyrkuyskyGulf. The birds arrive at nesting places in pairsin late April or early MaySecret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxIt is known that couples mate for life (hence the folk expression,“faithful as a swan”). According to ancient legends, several Buryattribes – the khori and hongodory – originated from swans.The Black-necked grebe is a small bird ofblack colour with red sides, a white paunch anda dark gray beak. In spring the bird produces aloud whistle, which then turns into a trill. Thebirds nest together in flocks, and feed on waterinsects, larvae, crustaceans and mollusks.135

What are the main types of fauna at the Dzherginsky Reserve?The Lynx is the fearsome master of the taiga– a dangerous predator of about 19 kg, whosemain weapon is a sudden attack and who huntsonly at night. It is a tree-climbing member of thecat family with strong hearing and sight, whichuses its whiskers as tactile organs. The lynx hasreddish-gray, dense and soft fur.The Wapiti stands out from other deer bythe bright reddish colouring of its wool in thesummer and darker colouring in the winter. Theanimal lives in the mountains and mountainriver valleys, and is a good swimmer. Its winterforage is dead grass, and plants, which it extractsfrom under the snow, and in summer iteats leaves and the shoots of trees and bushes.Children, which do you think isbigger, a wolf or a dog?Usually a male wolf weighs about 50 kg,and a she-wolf weighs about 5 kg less. Theirheight to the shoulders is about 75 cm, andtheir length from nose to the tip of the tail is1.5-2m. Wolves are created by nature for hunting.In winter wolves leave a neat path throughthe snow, putting their back leg precisely in linewith the front leg. This gait enables the wolf torun even on deep snow. the wolf's weapon areits teeth: it has 42 teeth, of which four pointsoutwards – two 5 cm curved canines aboveand two below. Wolves hunt almost silently,thanks to their gait. Their keen sense of smellmeans that that they can pursue prey over longdistances.136

The Baikalsky ReserveThe Baikalsky National Biosphere Reservespreads over parts of three districts in the Republicof Buryatia (Kabansky, Selenginsky andDzhidinsky Districts) and is bounded by theKhamar-Daban ridge and the southern coast ofLake Baikal. The Baikal Reserve was set up in1969, covers about 165,000 hectares and has aperimeter of 200 km.The Baikalsky Reserve is 30% Alpine highlands and 70% taiga and has 160 lakes in its confines,thanks to which it is of international importance as a wildfowl habitat. Its major purpose is to supportbiological diversity.137

787 species of plants grow in the reserve, including 180 herbs, and 50 species are included in theRed Books of Russia and Buryatia.What plants do you recognize in these pictures?Rare species include an endemic tree, the Baikal swertia, which grows only in Khamar-Daban.It has wide roundish leaves, dark-violet flowers shaped like stars, and a poplar fragrance. TheSwertia grows to a height of 30m, and its trunk is about 1.5m in diameter.The Blue spruce is another tree of much interest, remarkable for the gray-blue colouring of itsneedles, cone-shaped crown, and horizontally growing branches. The tree is frost-resistant, andunfussy about its soil, capable of growing even in an urban environment, and can live for 400-600years. The tree's ancestral home is in North America.Baikal swertiaSweet poplarBlue spruce138

The Wild rosemary. It's a well spread bush with its height up to 2 m, of the heather family. Awild rosemary grows in Eastern Siberia, it often makes tangles in piny and larch forests. The leavesblossom out after florescence. Flowers are of elliptical form, individual, pink.In Greek the name means «a pink tree».A wild rosemary is a harbinger of Baikalspring. Florescence of a big amount ofpink flowers, especially when greeneryhasn't appeared yet, makes a feeling ofblooming garden on the coast of Baikal.These amazing flowers start bloomingin May–June. Sprouts and leaves give astrong aroma which causes guidiness.All the parts of the bush are poisonous,and they cause nausea.139

Fauna at the Baikalsky Reserve include very rare species such as the osprey, golden eagle,sea eagle, black stork, and eagle owl, which feature in the Red Books of Russia and of Buryatia.Birds worthy of mention at the Reserveinclude owls and taiga flycatchers.The Owl is a non-migratory but wanderingbird and very large: 63-66 cm long andwith wingspan of 130-140 cm. It weighs 1 kgon average, eats rodents, and hunts duringdaylight hours. The owl rarely builds its ownnest (at the tops of broken trees, high fromthe ground) generally preferring old nests ofother birds. The owl is a symbol of wisdom.The Taiga flycatcher is a red breasted bird,which attracts attention by its unusual violin-likesong, which sometimes turns into a sound likethe crack of a dry tree. The flycatcher arrives inMay and flies away in September, living in hightrees of the mountain woods. It builds nests onbranches by the tree trunk, and lays 4-8 olivegreeneggs with red-brown spots. As the namesuggests, flycatchers feed on various flying insects.Other protected species at the reserve includethe River otter, a dexterous and flexibleanimal with short, roundish ears with valveswhich keep out water when the otter dives.Its legs are short, with membranes betweenthe claws, and its front paws are shorter thanits back paws, which helps it to swim well. Theanimal has a long brawny tail. The otter's fur iswaterproof, which helps it to keep warm.140

The Chipmunk. This small animal with anelongate body and a long tail can be found inthe whole forest zone of Buryatia, The body'slength is 13–16 cm, the tail's length is 8–10 cm.The color of the body is red with dark lengthwisestripes. It lives in coniferous and mixedforest, in bushes on the coasts of rivers and lowforest. It climbs trees, lives in holes or fallentree holes. The chipmunk leads a daylight wayof life. It eats seeds of coniferous trees, berries,grass, mushrooms mainly. Also it eats insects,worms, birds egges. By autumn time it alreadyhas rich stores, sometimes about 5 kg of cedarnuts which it eats in the early spring. A shechipmunkcan have 4–5 cubs. In a month theystart walking out of the hole, and in two-montholdage they lead an independent way of life.In September-November the chipmunk fallsinto hibernation. It wakes up in April–May. Thechipmunk is not afraid of a man; it gets used toa man quite quickly and can live not far fromhis dwellingYou know the Brown bear from fairy tales,legends and poems, and it was also the symbolof the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.The bear looks clumsy and slow – to call someone“as clumsy as a bear” is proverbial. But thisis a false impression: in fact, the brown bear isdexterous, fast, a good swimmer and capableor swarming easily up trees.Its claws are long (about 10 cm), sharp andof a black color. It can easily break an elk's spinewith one blow, and it stalks its prey silently despiteis huge weight. The bear is also skillfulfisherman, and has a sweet tooth that makesits partial to honey. The bear sleeps in its denfor nearly half a year, and lives for more than45 years. Hunting brown bear hunting is strictlylimited.141

The Baikal-Lensky Nature ReserveThis reserve, which was created in 1986,takes its name from Lake Baikal and the Lenariver, one of Russia's greatest rivers, which riseshere and flows northwards to the Arctic Ocean.It is the largest of the reserves around LakeBaikal, covering an area of 659,000 hectares intwo districts of Irkutsk Region. The reserve wasset up to ensure protection of the environmentduring construction of the Baikal-Amur railway,which was accompanied by widespread treefelling and a number of forest fires.The Baikal-Lensky Reserve is home to 47plant and animal that are endemic to Siberia, and31 protected species of flowering plants, 11 ofwhich have been included in the Red Book of Russia. Two types of bulb plants are of particularinterest, as are various rare species of mushrooms and lichens. This is the only part of the Baikalmountain ridges where one can find such endemics as the Baikal sulla, sharp-leafed oxytrope,cotoneaster tjuliniae, and Popov's poppy.Turchaninov's tussock grass is a Baikal endemic, registered in the Red Book of Russia, whichgrows on sands and stony slopes. It is 20–60 cm high with narrow leaves and is also found at theBarguzin reserve.The Altai onion is a perennial grassy bulbplant of the herb family, which flowers in earlyJune. It is used in traditional medicine as an antimicrobicand a tonic to improve digestion.142

The Siberian globeflower, more known as a “flameflower” is called in honor of its brightlyorangecolor. It is a grassy perennial plant, an early blossoming decorative plant. It grows in coniferousand mixed forests, on forest clearings, meadows. The flowers are large up to 5 cm in thediameter.In the past the flowers were used for painting fabric into a yellow color. The Siberian globefloweris a quickly blossoming plant; it blooms for about 20 days (from the beginning of June). Theseeds are spread from the second decade of July.The Siberian globeflower is a medical plant. It has an antibacterial action. In the Tibetan medicineit is used for treating eye-sight weakening; in Mongolian medicine for treating diseases ofgastrointestinal disturbance and as a tonic. The melliferous flower is registered into the Red Bookof Buryatia.143

The Baikal-Lensky reserve has a great variety of fauna, including 261 bird species, of which18 types are registered in the Red Book of Russia, and 6 are in the Red Book of the InternationalUnion for the Conservation of Nature (the white-tailed sea eagle, bustard, imperial eagle, Baikalteal, osprey and greater spotted eagle).Many native animals of the taiga arealso to be found here: squirrels, sables,elks, chipmunks, and red-gray voles,and birds such as the nutcracker, woodgrouse and hazel grouse. Animals thatcan be found in the high-mountain tundrainclude wild reindeer, white and tundrapartridges, and the black-hat groundhog.Steppe fauna include the long-tailed gopher,daurian jackdaw and ruddy shelduck.The symbol of the Baikalo-Lenskyreserve is the brown bear, which liveshere in large numbers, and the Lakeshoreline of the reserve is even known asthe “brown bear coast”: in the early summer six or seven bears can be seen on the beach at oncetime, absorbed in hunting for caddis flies, bullhead fish and fish spawn.There are about 15 species of fish living in water spaces at the reserve. The Lena river is inhabitedby a Siberian grayling, common cisco, lenok, whitefish and burbot. Pike and perch are foundonly in the Northern Lake on the Pokoiny cape. Taimen used to live here before the reserve wasestablished and there are plans to re-introduce them. Dwarf forms of the grayling and the Siberianloach are found in mountain lakes, and minnows swim in the local rivers.Moor frogs and Siberian wood frogs are to be foundat the reserve, particular in the Lena river valley, as wellas the Siberian salamander. This amphibian is particularlyfond of taiga river valleys, the shores of lakes, bogswith high grass, and damp meadows. The salamandergrows to about 16 cm, half of which is its tail. It has awide head, which is slightly flat, and four short legs.The top part of its body is brown, its stomach is lightcoloured,and it has dark patches all over.Siberian salamanders migrate to shallow, well-warmed water spaces in order to breed. Theyspawn in May-June, attaching the spawn to water plants or stones. The larvae develop for about amonth, and young salamanders take to the land in July-August, where they feed onspiders, flies, land mollusks, and grasshoppers. They go into hibernation in the second half ofSeptember or October. Salamander populations have declined due to the destruction of habitatsand pollution of water spaces.144

National parksUnlike reserves, the purpose of national parks is not only to protect unique flora and fauna, butalso to enable people to admire it. There may specially reserved zones in national parks whererare plants and animals are found, as well as human settlements that still observe a traditional wayof life. National parks are protected by strict rules, in the same way as nature reserves.National parks are extensive natural territories with remarkable landscape features,where various outdoor tourist activities and educational tourism are encouraged, providedthat the natural environment is carefully protected.National parks are open to visitors, but groups and individual visitorsmust be registered by the park administration and show the route plan fortheir visit as well as the estimated time of their return, thus ensuring protectionof the environment and the safety of the visitors themselves.145

The Tunkinsky National ParkThe Tunkinsky national park was establishedin 1991 on an area of 11,836 squarekilometers and is among the largest nationalparks in Russia.The distinctive feature of the park is thecombination of nature protection with activeeconomic activity (agriculture, wood industry).Thepark combines protection of naturewith various economic activities (agricultureand forestry), as well as popular tourist resorts(Arshan and Nilova Pustyn), and hot and coldsprings with curative properties. The park occupies the whole of the Tunkinskaya valley, theKhamar-Daban and the East Sayan Mountains, including the peak of Munku-Sardyk (3491 m).Some 68 plants species at the park are registered in the Red Books of Buryatia and Russia, includingthe Tangut aconite, which is now threatened with disappearance, and the Sayan buttercup,which grows in the Alpine belt on damp meadows, near springs, on the edges of streams,and along the upper reaches of the Ekhe-Ugun river.146

The Megadeniya Bardunova is a mediumsizedplant of the cruciferous family, named aftera distinguished botanist and biologist, LeonidVladimirovich Bardunov, who discovered itas recently as 1953, when he was a student atIrkutsk University. Only very few samples of theplant have been found. It is an annual, stemlessplant with rounded, heart-shaped leaves havingsmall, white flowers, which grow close tothe root on very short peduncles.Many plants that grow in the Tunkinsky parkhave medicinal qualities. They include the Juniper,an evergreen coniferous bush that growsto 1-3m. It is found in mountainous habitatsand is used in traditional medicine as an antiinflammatoryand disinfectant. Infusions andbroths made out of juniper fruits are useful intreating diseases of the respiratory organs. Juniperoil is used as a balm for rheumatism, gout,etc. The juniper has a pleasant smell. The Buryatshave a very high regard for the juniper anduse it as a means of purification: juniper smokeis believed to lift evil influences from houses,objects and people.Secret Corners ofLake Baikal BoxThe larch-unikum is found around the Arshantourist resort. This tree has diameter of 1.2meters, grows to a height of over 30m andcan live for more than 500 years.147

A number of rare animal and bird species, which figure in the Red Book of Russia, are also tobe found in the Tunkinsky national park: reindeer, Siberian mountain goat, red wolf, snow leopard(irbis), beaver, golden eagle, eagle-owl, and black stork.The Reindeer is another “athlete” of the national park.The animals weigh 150 kg, are more than 2m long andabout 1.2m high to the shoulders. Reindeer are stocky, withlarge hooves and roundish, short ears. Both male and femaleanimals have horns, which are arch-shaped and usuallydirected forward. Colouring in the winter-time is gray(close to white) and in summer the hide takes on a brownshade. Reindeer that live wild have less distinct colouringcompared with those, which are herded by the local inhabitantsWild reindeer feed mainly on lichens. In the summerthey eat grassy forage, mushrooms, and cowberry leaves.The Siberian mountain goat is a large animal with big,sabre-like, back-curved horns, which continue to growthroughout the anima's life. The beard is dense and long,and the animal's hooves are perfectly adapted to swarmingup stones and rocks. The goat eats cereals, beans, grass,and onions. The female gives birth to 1-3 young.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe Khamar-Daban deer population is remarkable for having a small share ofcalves – 8.2 %, so the number of animals is decreasing year by year. Thiseffect and shinkaage of the areas over which the animals roam has beencaused by human activity (hunting, fires, wood cutting). The deer arealso preyed on by wolves, wolverines and bears. The animals arenot shy of humans, so they can easily fall victim to hunters.They are relatively safe only in virgin landscapes, wherethey seldom come into contact with humans.The Eagle owl differs from other types of owls by itslarge size (it is nearly as large as a domestic goose), its colouring,and black, feathery ears. It has a strong, low-pitchedcall (sounding like "u-hu-huuu"). Its colouring is usually red orocher, and the male and female birds both look the same.The birds have yellow eyes. One-year old baby birds are alreadysimilar to their parents. The adult eagle owl weighs2–3 kg and lives for about 20 years. The most interestingfeature of the eagle owl is its ability to turn its neck by 270degrees. The bird has bewitching eyes, which can see inthe dark. Its diet is highly various, including voles, mice, gophers,groundhogs and chipmunks, which it catches at distancesup to 7–10 km from the nest. The eagle owl beginsits hunting at the end of the day. The birds mate for life andare highly territorial.148

The Zabaikalsky National ParkVisitors to Lake Baikal are always keen spend timein the Zabaikalsky national park. You could be theirguide. Here is some information that will help you:the park was founded in 1986, it covers an area of267 000 hectares, and contains 17 outstanding naturallandmarks, many of which were tourist attractionssince before the park's creation – the Ushkany islands,the Chivyrkuysky Gulf (the most beautiful bay onBaikal), the Svayatoy Nos peninsula, and Lake Arangatuy.Remind guests that they must keep to the pathsand only make halts at specially designated places.You are already familiar with the Svyatoy Nos peninsula. You probably remember that thereare three settlements on the peninsula. But do you remember the main occupations of their inhabitants?The most attractive and most visited place in the national park is the Chivyrkuysky Gulf. Itsextends for 25 km and has water depth between 5m and 10-15m (in the central part). There are7 islands in the Gulf (access to visitors is limited).149

You have already met several of the plants, whichare to be found in the Trans-Baikal national park, includingthe Snowdon rose. In total there are about 1000species of flowering plants in the park, of which 19 areendemics.A relic is a type of a plant or an animalhaving preserved since the most ancienttimes.You could make a story about one unusual tree that isto be found in the park, the chozenia. Visitors would beinterested to learn about this relic species of the willowfamily (a “relic” species is one that has survived fromvery ancient times).The Crowberry (Empetrum sibiricum V. Vassil) Crowberry(Black crowberry) is a small berry of black color. It's eatable, stony,almost tasteless, neither sweet, not sour. It is an evergreen branchybush of the Empetrum family; its height is up to 25 cm. Long upto one meter, dark-brown stalks of black crowberry creep on theland; their ends rise up. With cold period they get dark obtainingviolet-black color. The crowberry's branches look like branches ofa coniferous tree bacause they are covered by small leaves remindingneedles. The leaves are small, dark-green, stiff, subulate.It starts blossoming as soon as snow melts. Its flowers are small,tripetalous, pink or dark-red. They turn into fruitage – black withgrey bloom juicy berries. People gather the crowberry in August.Apart fro the coast of Baikal the crowberry can be found on thesubalpine mountain zone of Eastern and Western Sayans. Youngsprouts of the crowberry are used as a medical means.The Cowberry is a perennial plant. It grows on dry and dampconiferous forests, in bushes, sometimes on peat boggs. Theplant's root is horizontal with rising branchy sprouts 15–20 cmhigh. The leaves are coriaceous, on short leafstalks, elleptical, withdeclinate edges.Cowberry's globe-formed fruitage of red color on the backgroundof green leaves, are eaten by animals and birds. Decoctionon the leaves is ised in medical purposes. Tea with cowberry jamis a good sudorific. For a long storage fresh berries are coveredwith sugar or water. Frozen berries are especially good for gamebird,also it is used for making sweets filling, marmalade, fruitdrink and jam.150

The park also has a huge variety of fauna, including several species that registered in the RedBook of Russia. Bears, reindeer, black-hat groundhogs, wapiti, elks, red deer, sables, squirrels,foxes and wolves are all to be found here, and water spaces in the park contain otters, a muskrats,and Baikal seals. Looking up to the sky you can see white-tailed sea eagles, whooping swans,black cranes, and black storks.You can also see a bird we have not met before –a member of the falcon order. What is it? Find outmore about it.The Grass-snake. This rare not nymerouskind is met in the southern and central regionsof Buryatia and Eastern Pribaikalie.Sapsan FalconIt is a snake of medium and small size, witha long and thin body, a well marked neck, asmall elongate head and a thin sharp at the endof the tail. There is a yellowish or orange spoton the back of the head. It doesn't have poisonousteeth. It inhabits coasts of reservoirs, bogs,thermal springs. It winters in holes and crevices.After wintering it appears at the end of Aprilbeginningof May, and in June-July it oviposits.Natural factors (short non-frost period, low birthrate, early summer frosts) as well as anthropogenic factors (cattle pasture, field works with a useof technics their capture by locals and tourists) influence on the grass-snakes' population.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThere is a remarkable abundance of ant hills(6-7,000 of them) on the Ushkany islands.They are not found in such numbers anywhereelse in Russia. The biggest ant hills are 170 cmhigh and 310 cm across.151

Wildlife sanctuariesIn a wildlife sanctuary special protection rules do notapply to all natural species, as in a nature reserve, butonly to particular species: the vegetation, or certain animalspecies, etc.Wildlife sanctuaries are created for various purposes: to restore and increase populations ofanimals that are hunted, to provide a rest zone for birds which are making their annual migration,to protect places where fish spawn, etc. Hunting, fishing and some other activities are not permittedin such areas.There are three state wildlife sanctuaries under federal control in the Republic of Buryatia – theAltacheysky, Kabansky, Frolikhinsky wildlife areas, – occupying more than 180,000 hectares intotal. The Kabansky wildlife area is a part of the Baikal national biosphere park. There are also17 wildlife areas in Buryatia under regional control. We will tell you about the two wildlife areaswhich are located near Lake Baikal.The Frolikhinsky Wildlife Sanctuary wasestablished in 1976 in the north of Buryatia. Itis a part of the central ecological zone of LakeBaikal and is also part of a World Natural Heritagesite.The main landscape feature at the Frolikhinskysanctuary is Lake Frolikha with its crystalclearglacial water. The landscape features hereare both beautiful and romantically named:capes Ayaya, Frolikha, and Khaman-Kit, Papakharock, and Frolikhinsky spring.The area is home to several large animals,including elk, wapiti, musk-deer, wild reindeer,bear, and wolverine as well as ermine, foxesand wolves. Some animals are under specialprotection: the otter, osprey, white-tailed seaeagle, black-hat groundhog, and one fish – theFrolikh char. The Frolikhinsky wildlife sanctuaryand Lake Frolikha are very popular destinationsfor visitors.152

Another wildlife area, the Enkhalooksky Sanctuary, is locatedin Kabansky District and was set up in 1995 to protect andrestore populations of animals that are hunted along the coast ofLake Baikal, particularly the wapiti and elk. The area is home toelk, wapiti, wild boar, bear, white hare and many other animalsthat we already know. Birdlife includes the great bittern, graycrane, Caspian tern, eagle owl, and the white-backed woodpecker,all of which are registered in the Red Book of Buryatia.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe origin of the place name “Enkhalooksky” is uncertain, but mostspecialists derive it from the word "Enkhe", which means "good fortune"in the Buryat language. The name of the Frolikhinsky wildlife area andof the river and lake, which are located there, is believed to derive fromFrol, one of many Russian settlers who came to the shores of Baikal inthe 17th and 18th centuries (a nearby cape is called after Frol). It is alsopossible that the name is connected to the char fish that are found in theLake, since some old written sources call these fish “trout” (“forel” inRussian).153

Natural monumentsDear friend! Lake Baikal Box has taught you a lot of new and interesting facts about the uniquelandscapes of Baikal's shoreline: its rocks, capes, islands, plants and animals. Some of them havebecome symbols of Baikal. As well as its parks and reserves, Baikal has a number of landscapefeatures that are considered to be “natural landmarks” in their own right. The term “natural landmark”was first coined by the German scientist, Alexander Humboldt (he used it to refer to aparticular tree of unique size and shape), but what exactly do we mean by a “natural landmarks”?Looking at the encyclopedia, we find:Natural monuments are natural objects that have scientific, historical, cultural and educationaland aesthetic value (waterfalls, unique trees, etc., which are protected by the state).Scientists often disagree about the natural sites that deserve to be classed as monuments.They may be ancient trees, rocks, or islands. What natural monuments can we find on Baikal?There are the Ushkany islands, and many other unique and mysterious natural phenomena – treeson stilts, singing sands. So many that it is impossible to name them all!Mysteries of the Ushkany IslandsThe Ushkany Islands are unique (although they arefrom being the only unique islands on Lake Baikal) and objectsof fascination to scientists and researchers on accountof their mysterious origin, and unique flora and fauna. Youalready know that the Ushkany archipelago consists of fourislands, and you probably remember where their strangename came from. Do hares have anything to do with theIslands' name? Tell your friends about it.The Ushkany Islands are 7 km to the west of the SvyatoyNos peninsula, and their total area is 10 sq.km. BigUshkany Island has a meteorological station and is part ofthe Trans-Baikal national park. Look carefully at the photo.What animal does this creation of nature remind you of?Round Island is closest of all to the Svyatoy Nos peninsula,and Long Island is (unsurprisingly) the longest in thearchipelago (it is 1.25 km long). Bailal's greatest colony ofgulls is to be found on the southern side of Long Island.What other creatures are found on the Ushkany Islands?There are about 2000 seals living on the western side ofThin Island, which is framed by a beautiful “necklace” ofmalachite (its bright green is visible in shallow water).Look attentively at the photo.What animal does this creation of nature remind of?154

The “Singing sands” of TuraliTurali, with its remarkable "singing sands",is one of the most visited places around LakeBaikal. The native people of the northeastshore of Baikal – the Evenks – knew of the singingsands long ago. The small cape of Turali wasalready marked on old maps of the Lake. Onsandy beaches in a blustery wind and sometimesduring a surf the sand makes a creakingsound, like new shoes or the touch of a bowon a violin string. There are many legends associatedwith "singing sands”: they have beeninterpreted as siren voices tempting travelersinto the desert, or the ringing of bells in citiescovered with sand. The explanation for “singingsands” remains mysterious and the sensationthey arouse is uncanny – as if the earth beganto sing beneath your feet. In fact, the soundis closer to a melodious whistle than to a song.Where else in the world can we find singingsands?The word "turali" in the Evenklanguage means «rattling,singing sand».The Stilted treesPeschanaya Bay (“Sandy” Bay) is a popular andpicturesque spot. It is sometimes called the SiberianRiviera on account of its golden sandybeaches, cedar taiga and the emerald water ofthe Lake. Peschanaya is considered a naturalmonument due to its “stilted trees” – ancientlarches that are bent in freakish form, and standon natural stilts, that are taller than a man'sheight. The stilted trees are found on the northernslope of Sandy Bay, where water and windconstantly wash and blow soil away from underthem, leaving the tree roots exposed.The Ininsky stone garden, to be found 15 kmfrom the village of Suvo in the Barguzin valley,presents a spectacle of various and different-sizedstones, which seems to have grownfrom under the ground. These boulders are upto 4–5 m in diameter. One researcher on LakeBaikal, Vladimir Lamakin, believes that theseboulder heaps are glacial deposits, dating fromover 100 000 years ago. Another explanationis that the stones were hurled into their presentposition by some natural cataclysm.155

Children, to round off our story about nature reserves,here are some important rules that youMUST ALWAYS OBEY WHEN YOU VISIT SUCH PLACES:you can only visit reserves and protected natural areaswith the permission of their administration;DO NOT:you must not dig holes to leave rubbish;you must not pick flowers;you must not damage trees and bushes;you must not cut your "autographs"on stones or trees or anything else;you must not gather plants, herbs or stones.156

Peoples of BaikalMore than 100 nationalities live in peaceand harmony on the shores of Baikal, sharingthe invaluable wealth of friendship betweenpeoples.Now let's learn about how human settlerscame to Baikal and its territories.Various tribes and nationalities have beenliving round Baikal since ancient times different.In the 3rd century B.C. the region was settledby the Kurykans, which were nomadic tribes ofTurkic origin. Their livelihood depended on cattlebreeding.The next to arrive were the Tungus or Evenkpeople, who lived in river valleys and specializedin hunting and reindeer breeding. LaterMongol-speaking tribes settled around Baikal.The Buryats had a semi-nomadic way of life.Russian settlers came to Baikal in the 17th century.Unlike the Buryats and Evenks, the Russianshad a settled way of life: they cultivatedthe land, grew crops, made tools, and builttowns and villages.Later arrivals include Tatars, immigrants fromBelarus and Ukraine, and exiled Poles.157

The EvenksThe Evenks have lived in the taiga beyondBaikal since ancient times.The earliest records concerning the Evenksare in the works of Gmelin, Middendorf andPallas, who refer to them as “Tungus”. Onecomment by these authors tells us that the Tungusare “obliging without servility, proud andcourageous”.The traditional way of life of the Evenks wasnomadic or semi-nomadic. They engaged inhunting, fishing and reindeer breeding, andalso excelled in various crafts: forging metal,making implements out of the bone and hidesof wild animals and reindeer, building sledgesand skis, etc. They have a reputation as excellentforest hunters and pathfinders.The Evenks (the self-name –orochen, Tungus).158

The Evenks dress differently in the summerand winter and for festive occasions, and thereare marked differences between the clothesworn by men and women.“Their costumes are like the waistcoats ofSpanish grandees” wrote the exiled Decembrist,Wilhelm Kuechelbeker, who was delightedby the Evenks and called them “Siberianaristocrats”.The Evenks are still well-established in theirtraditional territories, which cover almost thewhole of Eastern Siberia.National dishes of the Evenks include silavun (the meat of a wild animal or fish, fried on a spit),kulnin (dried meat dipped in flour and boiled in water with berries) and seven (bear meet crumbledinto small pieces and fried in bear fat).Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThe Evenks lived in tent dwellings (“chumy”), covered with birch bark inthe summer and deer skins in winter. These shelters give excellentprotection from frost and the north wind, and can be erected in lessthan twenty minutes!159

The BuryatsThe Buryats are a native people of EasternSiberia who have inhabited the area thatis now the Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk Regionand Zabaykalsky Territory for many centuries.The Buryat tribes are first mentioned in the SacredLegend, a renowned Mongolian chronicleof the early 13th century. The Buryats who settledaround Baikal chose a way of live that suitedtheir surroundings. Their skills included huntingand fishing, and later farming the land. The Buryatsexcel particularly in cattle breeding.Under Russian rule the Buryat groups andtribes came together to form a distinct community– the Buryat ethnic group – by the end of the19th century. But several separate Buryat clanscan still be recognized: the Bulagaty, Ekhirity,Hori, Hongodory, etc.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxVarious legends have survived about the emergence of the Buryattribes. The Buryats connect their origin with particular animals andbirds. The Hori Buryaty tribe, for example is supposedly descendedfrom a divine swan-girl who had to marry the sharp-witted Horidoy,after he stole her swan clothes when she was bathing. She bore him11 sons who were the ancestors of the Hori Buryats, but thentricked her husband, took back her swan clothes and left herfamily, saying:“You, earth dwellers, stay here, and I willfly to my homeland in the skies!”.160

The traditional dwelling of the Buryats is theyurt. A yurt can be made of felt, and also oflogs or planks. The dome-shaped ceiling standson four columns and has a hole to give lightand allow smoke to escape from the central fireplace. The entrance to the yurt is on its southernside. The interior of the yurt is divided intotwo parts: for men (on the left) and for women(on the right).A decorated post for tethering horses standsin front of the yurt.Surkharban is a buryat sport holiday. Its oldname is “Eryn gurban naadan” (“Three games ofmen”). Necessary competitions in three kindsof sport take place at the holiday – archery,horse racing and wrestling. During the holidaya famous dance called Yokhor is danced.The holiday of White Month or Sagaalgangoes back to the ancient national and religioustraditions of Mongolian peoples. It’s a symbolof man’s and nature’s renewal, openness andpurity of thoughts, hope and good expectations.The name of the holiday comes from theword “sagaan” which means “white”. Earlier“White Month” was considered to be a holidayof dairy products and was celebrated in autumn.Nowadays the holiday of White Monthis celebrated as the New Year according to thelunar calendar.The best known Buryat dish is buuzy, whichis steamed in a way similar to the Central Asianmanty. Other traditional foods are milk anddairy products: salamat and urme, which aremade from beaten milk, as well as sour milk,and dried pressed curds (huruud) which cattlefarmersate instead of bread.161

The RussiansThe first Russians who came to Baikal were Cossacks, sent thereby order of the Tsar to settle this part of Siberia. They engaged infarming and cattle breeding, crafts, hunting and fishing. They broughttheir own folk culture with them to the new place of settlement,but also enriched it with new Siberian cultural elements, learning tobuild houses that can withstand the bitter Siberian cold and to growbread, wheat and other crop types. Later, more Russians came toBaikal from many different regions, particularly after the emancipationof the serfs, when development of these virgin lands offeredgreat opportunities.The Old Believers are a particularly interestingpart of the Russian community around Baikal.162

The Old Believers came into existence as a result of theschism that accompanied Russian church reforms in the 17thcentury, and migrated to Siberia in order to escape persecution.The Old Believers had large families (hence their othername, “Semeiskiye”, which means “family people”) with asmany as 10 or 20 children. They grew wheat, kept cattle andwere the first in Siberia to grow vegetables. The Old Believersof Trans-Baikal are still unique in maintaining a traditionalRussian way of life that has been lost elsewhere.The “Semeiskiye” are respected for their devotion to hardwork, strict observance of old customs and adherence to differentrules, which helped them to survive in the Siberianclimate.They observe high moral standards: not to abuse alcoholor to smoke, and to maintain a strong commitment to thefamily. These habits have ensured good health and long lifein their community.Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxDescendants of the Trans-Baikal Old Believers live todayin the Republic of Buryatia (Bichursky, Zaigraevsky,Mukhorshibirsky and Tarbagataisky Districts), also a numberof villages: Novo Desyatnitskoe village (KyakhtinskyDistrict), Yagodnoe village (Selenginsky District), Hasurtavillage (Horinsky District), Leonovka and Voznesenovkavillages (Kizhinginsky District), and in the cities of Ulan-Ude and Gusinoozersk. Many Old Believers alsolive in Krasnochikoysky District, which is partof Trans-Baikal Region.163

Ecological traditions andcustoms of the Buryat PeoplesEcological traditions are the sum of national knowledge and skills gained inthe process of human interaction with the natural surroundings, formed underthe influence of culture, standards, ideals and stereotypes of thought, whichare transmitted from generation to generation.“Ecological traditions” can be in the nature of recommendations or absolute prohibitions concerninghuman action in the environment. The first call on us to avoid disturbing mother-earthwithout any need: not to damage and dig into the earth, except on arable land and at farmsteads,or the recommendation to use dead wood and not live wood for making fires.There are also many prohibitions: not to pour water on a forest path, to cut down trees nearsettlements, to cut pine, fir or cedar trees, and to kill certain animal species.Boys and girls, let's make a checklist of the ecological principles, which are applied by the people livingaround Lake Baikal. This is very important because national beliefs, customs, traditions have always beenused for the protection of nature. Then you can tell your friends and visitors to Baikal all about them.Since ancient times all peoples have respected five natural elements: water, fire, land, air, wood.WaterAll peoples have treated water withcare since ancient times. Water washonored as a pure element. In old Russiawater was a means of purificationand at the same time a source of power.People organized their merrymakingand fortune-telling near water. Thereligious attitude to water among theBuryat people is connected with beliefin a water spirit, called "Lusaday Khan."Remind your friends that people shouldnot profane water, do their laundry orwash cars in reservoirs.EarthMany peoples call the earth the great provider.In ancient times it was considered a terrible sin to move stones, todig and damage the earth's surface without any need, and to spillcow's or mare's milk on the earth. A person who cleans roads isconsidered to be a benefactor, and he also clears the path throughlife path for his descendants. So it is always a good deed to clearobstacles from a road. When you cultivate the land you should notleave stakes and tools in the ground when they are not longer necessary,because they are like splinters in a finger. When tubers androots of plants have been dug out, the ground should be leveledand not left uneven.164

FireFire is a symbol of life and was respected as oneof the most formidable forces of nature for bothgood and evil. Fire must be clean: you should notstep over it or throw garbage into it.The sun is the sky's fire and the home hearth isthe earth's fire, so it should be treated with respect.Ancient people believed that flames were alive andneeded food and drink.It is good to give a present to the fire spirit, splashingfresh tea and throwing meat slices into the fire.AirAir is the basic element of life. Every livingbeing needs it. All peoples consider it sinful topollute the air in holy places with smoke.The Buryats clean the air with a special aroma,which they call “Sanzei” (Bogorodskayadried grass, or “Aya-ganga” in the Buryat language),and Russians use incense (an aromaticsubstance that includes the juice and pitch ofdifferent plants)WoodThere is a strong cult of respect and worshipfor wood among many peoples. The oakwas sacred to the Slavs, who viewed it as the“world tree” and as the essence of maleness,while a birch tree was close to femininity. TheSlavs planted an oak if a boy was born and abirch or a pine for the birth of a girl.The Buryats believed that by cutting downa tree without reason you would shorten yourown life and that of your descendants. It wasforbidden to cut down trees without need, andto cut down a tree that stood alone was particularlysinful.Boys and girls, you shouldn't break branchesor scrape the bark from a tree, because it is aliving being and feels pain like we do.165

Secret Corners of Lake Baikal BoxThere is a superstition that if you want to come back to Lake Baikal youshould throw a coin into the water. This will symbolize that you havetreated the Lake well, pacified it, and showed your respect, so the Lakewill not prevent you from coming back.Another belief connected with water was that fertilerain could be brought on by clearing springs and wells,and deepening the channels of streams. Light rain couldbe encouraged by throwing grain into a well and for heavyrain people threw peas.Children in Buryat families were taught to respect theland. Damaging and desecrating the environment couldmerit punishment as serious as the death penalty. Evensocks in Buryat boots (called “gutuls”) were turned upwardsto avoid stumbling and offending the ground.According to ancient beliefs, the forest has two owners:Borovoi and Grandfather Woodsman, who keep astrict guard over the forest. Anyone who injures the forestwill be punished, as the forest guards will call their friends,“Manila” and “Uvodila”, to help punish the malefactor.There is a tradition in Buryatia of decorating the branchesof certain trees with ribbons and scraps of new fabric.A tree that stands alone in the steppe is also sacred, andpassers-by should stop and make a ritual offering of food,coins, or coloured fabric.166

Ecological problems of BaikalDear children, we have come to the end of our journey across Baikal. Now you know that welive in one of the most remarkable places on earth, on the shore of the deepest, the most ancientand one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. But, unfortunately, not everybody treats it properlyand shows due respect towards the natural environment. In this part we will tell you aboutecological problems of the Lake and of the landscapes and habitats around it. We hope that youwill then be among those who are ready to protect the unique natural wonder, which is LakeBaikal.“Ecology” is a word from Ancient Greek, meaning “the science concerninghome or dwelling place”. It studies all the complex interrelations in nature,the interactions between living organisms and non-living matter. The termwas first coined by a German scientist, Ernst Haeckel, in 1866.The Ecological problems of Lake Baikal arise mainly from human activity and particularly fromthe operations of industrial enterprises along its shoreline and in its drainage basin.A drainage basin is the zone from which rivers, lakes or seas collect theirwater: it includes underground water sources, streams, and ponds fromwhich water gathers, flows and falls into a river, and then into a lake or sea.It includes also the natural area from which water flows down to rivers andlakes after rain. Quality of the lake water also depends on agriculture: wastefrom animal husbandry, and soil erosion.167

Human activity on the shores of Lake BaikalHuman beings have not always caused harm to the Lake. The difficulties have arisen gradually. Wecan separate the recent history of human activity on Lake Baikal into several stages.The first stage is the end of the 19th and startof the 20th centuries, which was a time of discoveryand application of new scientific inventions,and improving technology: universal applicationof steam engines, invention of cars,electricity, and the construction of railways, includingthe rail link from Moscow to the coastof the Pacific Ocean, one part of which was laidalong the shore of Lake Baikal.The second stage dates from the 1930s,when there was rapid development of forestryand wood processing. Forests on the slopesof mountain ranges around Lake Baikal werefelled and timber was floated down rivers andover the Lake.Some of the timber sank and decayed at thebottom of rivers, polluting them and reducingthe populations of some fishes and animals:black and white grayling, taimen, otters andother species that can only live in clean water.Different types of wood were floated down rivers: pine,birch and larch. The larch often sank.The third stage began in 1959 when workstarted on a hydroelectric power station on theAngara River, as a result of which the water levelin Lake Baikal rose by one meter. The shoreterritory along the east coast of the lake wasflooded, the area of bogs increased, and populationsof some fish, which were important forfisheries, declined due to decline in numbersof crustaceans (particularly epischuras) in theLake.168

The fourth stage was in the 1960s-80s whenthe Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant (BPPP) was builtat the southern end of the Lake and the Baikal-Amur Railway (BAM) was built around its northernshores, disturbing the Lake's ecosystem.The fifth stage, which dates from the 1990s,has seen large-scale poaching both on the lakeitself and in the surrounding forest, involvingillegal catches of valuable fish species (omul,and sturgeon) as well as hunting for fur animals(sable, fox, and seal).Boys and girls, unbridled human activity causes huge damage to the environment. Deforestation,fires, uncontrolled ploughing, and uprooting of forests have led to wind and water erosion.As a result, more than 10 species of birds that live around Baikal (whooper swan, tundra swan,gray goose, shelduck, etc.) have ceased to nest, and their numbers have declined sharply. Variousplants and animals, which are biological pollutants, have also appeared: Canadian pondweed, theAmur catfish, the Amur sleeper, and many others.Erosion (”corrosion” in Latin) - corrosion of rocks and soils by surface waterfloods and winds. It includes a break and carrying out of material wreckageand their further measures.Define, what kinds of erosion are represented in the pictures.Explain, why it happens in nature. Do you think it’s possible toprevent it?169

Water and air pollutionThe principal pollutant of Baikal is the Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant (BPPP) which dumps its foulwater directly into the Lake and emits pungent, suffocating gas and vapors from cooked pulp, pollutingthe air and river tributaries running into Baikal. Many people ask: “Why was this plant builton the shore of Baikal? Is it impossible to produce paper, cardboard and pulp somewhere else?”Children, you know that the water in the Lake is so pure that it is close to the quality of distilledwater. Such water is needed for pulp processing, which is why the BPPP was built on Baikalin 1966. The cellulose made at the plant is used for production of special aircraft tires, and alsoto make carbon for the defense industry, which can withstand temperatures of several thousanddegrees. The forests around Baikal provide raw material for the plant. Imagine how many treesare cut down to feed the plant!Another plant produces cardboard and paper on the banks ofthe Selenga River (the Selenginsky Pulp and Paper Plant), but ituses a closed production cycle, which prevents direct dischargeof foul water into the river.170

Another major source of water pollution in Baikal is the Selenga River, the largest inflow to theLake. The river delta is a center for migratory birds and the main spawning place for the Baikalomul. The main pollutants of the Selenga River are large industrial enterprises on the territory ofthe Republic of Buryatia. Sewage treatment plants account for 35% of foul water flows into theSelenga.Enterprises in Trans-Baikal region also create pollution: the town of Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky and thevillage of Krasny Chikoy are located on the Chikoy and Hilok rivers, which are the main tributariesof the Selenga river.The Selenga River has its source in Mongolia, and the river also takes in pollutants in that country(created by industrial and mining plants, and by agriculture).Other pollution of Baikal watercomes from industrial facilities inRussian cities and towns nearlythe Lake, including Irkutsk, Angarsk,Cheremkhovo and Usolye-Sibirskoye.The Irkutsk hydroelectric powerstation, shipping on Baikal, andthe Trans-Siberian Railway havenegative impacts on water levelin the Lake.171

SOS! Fire!The greatest threat to the forest around Baikal is from fires,which are particularly destructive for coniferous forest, since ittakes longer to restore.Fires are usually caused by people who fail to put out a campfire or throw down a burning match or cigarette. Very rarely firesare started by lightning.Fire destroys the habitat of birds and insects and its aftermath is a ”green desert” of deforestedland covered by shrubs and grass. Until the taiga is restored, only poor-quality species of woodwill grow. What would happen if the Lake did not have forests around it? Rains water would washearth down into the Lake in a dirty avalanche, the rivers and streams feeding the lake would dryup, and Baikal would turn into a big, dirty reservoir.Remember these simple rules!Carefully clear the space before starting a campfire, or usethe remnants of an old campfire.Never build a campfire under trees, especially when thelower branches are not far off the ground.Do not make a fire near dried grass or dry tree stumps.Never leave a campfire unattended! When you leave, putout the fire very carefully and sprinkle the ground with water.You can cut sods of earth to cover the fire.Make sure you have water nearby (bring it from a pond ifyou have a suitable container).Don't throw down burning matches and cigarettes or shakeout hot ashes in the forest.Don't burn grass or make bonfires near forest areas.When you are in the forest, don't leave bottles and otherglass behind, because it may act as a magnifying glass for thesun's rays.Whenever you go to the forest, take an axe, shovel, bucketor a big plastic container for water…just in case172

Garbage on the shore of BaikalGarbage left behind by people is a major problem forBaikal. You have probably seen yourself how much garbagepeople leave behind –glass and plastic bottles, plastic bags,tins, etc. Thousands of people come to the Lake shore everyday, so you can imagine how much waste accumulates.Paper takes only 15 days to break down in earth, but a cantakes 20 years, and plastic does not decompose at all.What must you do to reduce the quantity of garbage leftaround the Lake?Remember these simple rules:Don't throw down garbage in places where there areno special bins.After you have finished your walk or picnic, collect yourgarbage and take it away to the nearest garbage bin or box.It is important to distinguish between three differenttypes of waste:a) Products of plant and animal origin (vegetables, fruit, meatproducts), which decompose naturally;b) Paper, glass, plastic, metal (they can be recycled);c) Thermometers with mercury, luminescent lamps,used batteries (they require special recycling).Following these simple rules, you can helpto save our unique lake.173

Think, Play, Experiment, Create together!I am an ecologist!Dear boys and girls, garbage is one of the main ecological problems for Baikal today. We askyou to discuss this very important topic in your classroom, and to carry out some experiments.Questions for discussion:What will archeologists of the future be able to learn about our civilization from investigating ourgarbage heaps?What is the difference between waste and garbage?What can be reused?What can be recycled?What are the difficulties in processing garbage?What resources can be saved by recycling of waste?How can garbage be processed and what are the most efficient ways of processing it?What do you and your relatives do with garbage?Glass is one of types of garbage.What can we do with empty glass bottles?What can be made from glass?Why is glass a suitable raw for cookware production?What are advantages and disadvantages of things made of plastic?Plastic is the type of garbage that takes longest to decompose.What do you think what plastic is made of?Why is plastic used to make certain things?What are advantages and disadvantages of things made of plastic?Experiment №1."The impact of heat on plastic"Tools and materials: a hand-dryer with a clampor vise, a pair of tweezers, different things madeof plastic (spoons, containers from food), and astopwatch.Topic issue: How does heat influence plastic?Work process: using tweezers, you can holdone of plastic things under the stream of hot aircoming from the hair dryer. Write it down whatyou have noticed. Try to do the same in turnswith other things with a help of tweezers.What did this experience help you to learnabout plastic and its production?Experiment №2.“Does plastic decompose? “Work process: dig various plastic bags intothe ground, and nearby dig in the sameamount of bags made from paper.Questions for self-checkup: What do youthink what will happen to the paper andplastic bags? In a few weeks time dig thebags out of the ground. Compare your hypothesiswith the actual result. Do you thinkplastic can be recycled? What things can bemade from recycled plastic?174

I am an ecologist!Project: Pines and NeedlesBaikal's shores are surrounded by green. People often go to theforest to admire its beauty, breathe the fresh air and to listen to thesilence. But not everyone knows which tree species make up Baikal'sgreen necklace. Find the odd-one-out in the following list. Indeed,these plants have a feature, by which you can select two “odd” species.Find them.Pine, fir, cedar, Siberian dwarf-pine, larch, Siberian spruceWhy exactly them?The trees that you have selected belong to coniferous species.They differ from other plants because:– Coniferous trees have needle leaves;– Coniferous trees are also called “evergreen”;– Coniferous trees have cones.STAGE 1 OF THE PROJECT: multi-coloured readingRead the text to learn about those coniferous treeswhich grow on the shore of Baikal. Use colour pencilsto shade them:– for the tree’s crown– for cones– for needles– for growth conditions175

Project: Pines and Needles.Use these data to fill in the comparative tableName ofplantsCrown shapeCone featuresNeedlefeaturesGrowthconditionImportance innature and forpeopleCommon PineSiberian pineSiberianspruceFirCedarSiberian Larch176

The Siberian spruceThe Siberian spruce is a slim evergreen tree, whichgrows as high as 50m, with trunk diameter up to 2m. Unlikethe pine, the spruce has a cone-shaped crown. Spruceneedles are small (about 1.5 cm long) and do not formbunches, but stay separate, forming a thick covering. Theneedles have a life of 6 or 7 years. A Siberian spruce haslong beautiful cones, about 10-12 cm tall. A young sprucehas a dense, often narrow top, while older trees usuallyhave a wide and spreading top.A spruce forest is dark, quiet and damp, with little lightand few insects.The spruce can also be used to build houses, as well asfor making pulp and paper, essential oils, and even ascorbicacid. Some stringed musical instruments are madefrom spruce wood.The life-cycle of the Pallas' warbler, the smallest birdin Buryatia, is closely connected with the tree. This shybird, weighing just 3-7 grams, builds its nest at the base ofspruce branches making it almost impossible to see and toapproach.The Siberian larchA larch is one of few coniferous species that shed their needles during the winter, thereby retainingmoisture, which it badly needs in the winter months. In the springtime the long, thin branchesof the larch are covered with needles that look like soft, green brushes. In autumn larch forestsflash with a golden light, and the queen of the Siberian forest sheds her raiment at the first frosts.Winged seeds fly out of the ripe cones at the same time.Larch has been valued as excellent ship-building woodsince earliest times, and larch forests were called “shipgroves”. Its high concentration of resin protects larchwood from rot, and the timber may last for hundreds andeven thousands of years. The larch lives for about 400-500 years and withstands cold winters, so it can be seeneven far beyond the Arctic circle.The tree can also resist southern heat and drought. Thelarch is fond of light, and therefore has an open crownthat allows light to penetrate. Straight-growing larchescan grow into forest giants with height of 40–45m and atrunk diameter greater than 1,5 m.177

The FirThe fir looks very like the spruce; having the samedense, conical and feather-edged crown. The two treescan be easily confused at a distance, but are easily distinguishableclose up.Fir needles are rather different from those of thespruce, being flat with a rounded top. There are twowaxy white lines on the bottom side of each needle andthe upper side of the needles is a monotone dark greenwith a glossy surface. Fir needles are arranged on thebranches one by one like spruce needles, but they livelonger (up to 10–12 years) and are soft to the touch. Fircones point upwards like candles on a Christmas tree.The trunk is covered by a light gray, smooth bark butolder trees often have some splits in their bark. The trunkitself is very slender and straight.Fir trees like shadow, so it is always very dark in a firforest. The tree resists cold, but it requires humidity, sofirs will only grow where the level of air humidity is highenough. The fir is very particular about its soil and will not grow on poor sandy soil and in bogs.Fir wood is soft, weak, and rots easily. It is used in the perfumery industry because it containsspecial aromatic substances that can be used to produce perfume and soap and which are notfound in the needles of other trees.The Common pineThe common pine is a slim, evergreen tree, whichgrows as high as 40 m. Pines seek light, so the bottombranches usually die off and the trunk becomes a slendercolumn pointing up to the sky. The pine has a mastlikecrown. Pine forests are always light and it is possibleto see a long way through the forest. Pine needles formbunches of two needles each.Pines are not particular about their soil quality, whichmay be dry or boggy. Pines that grow on sandy soil senddown deep roots to find water, so they stand up well tohigh winds.The pine is a very useful tree for people. It can be usedto build houses, and pine wood is naturally rich in resin,which prevents rot. Pine resin also has many medicinalproperties. Pine needles are used for the production ofpine extract for baths, essential oils, and also to make aspecial paste for the treatment of burns and swellings.178

The Cedar pineThe cedar pine is a powerful tree with a dark greencrown and long,barbed needles. It grows to about 35–40meters, has diameter up to 1.8 meters, and its needlesare about 6–14 cm long. The needles are three-sided,and gather in bunches of 5.Cedar wood has a beautiful texture and a pleasantpink colour. A grand piano made of cedar is gracefuland sonorous, containers made of cedar are excellentfor keeping milk products fresh, the wood is used tomake containers for oil, a wardrobe made of cedar will keep moths out, and a beehive of cedaris well-liked by bees. Cedar wood resists rot and can be easily cut, so it is much used in woodenarchitecture, and also for making pencils. Families can live in houses made of cedar pine for manygenerations, and the wood is excellent for building bath houses, saunas and for making barrels.Hunters in the taiga will often spent the night under a cedar because of its warmth. The tree'ssoft resin cures toothache and gum disease, and can also heal cuts and burns. Cedar needles canbe used for aromatic baths. The cedar nut is particularly valuable and can be used to make cedaroil, cedar milk and cedar cream.Under natural conditions, in the taiga, a cedar pine starts to produce nuts when it is 40-50years old. A bird, the nutcracker, depends on the cedar pine, and also helps the tree to propagate,by pecking at the pine nuts and hiding them in thewoodland floor.In two months the bird can store up to 60 kg of nutsin 20,000 different places. The bird feeds off the nuts inthe winter and uses them to feed its young, and some ofthe remaining nuts sprout into new trees. Cedars can livefor 300–600 years.The Siberian dwarf-pineThe Siberian dwarf-pine, which can be seen in the forestaround Baikal, is a thickly branched, low-lying evergreenbush. It has three-sided needles, 4–7 cm long andgathered in bunches of 5.The cones are oval or oblong, 4 cm long, of a bright,light-brown colour. The edible seeds are about 7–10 mmlong and are spread by the nutcracker bird. The bushesare a favourite refuge for sables, squirrels, bears and otheranimals. The wood and the needles can be used asfuel, and also to extract turpentine, resins and essentialoils. A water infusion of the needles is a good remedyagainst scurvy and the seeds contain nut oil. The Siberiandwarf-pine cedar is grown as a decorative plant in gardensand parks.179

Stage 2 of the project: growing cedar trees”Plan of ActionTo grow up a Siberian cedar pine you need seeds ( pine nuts)1.Make the seedsgerminate2. Protecting againstinfection3. Soaking4. Stratification5. Sowing the seeds inthe ground6. Make the seedsgerminateWatch how sproutsemerge7. Make the seedsgerminateTaking care of theyoung treePut the seeds into a container with water. Seeds of good quality will swell upand sink to the bottom. Empty husks and seeds of bad quality will float, andyou should throw them away.To prevent seed diseases you should pre-treat the seeds by keeping them for2 hours in a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate.Pour hot water (40-50 C) onto the pine nuts and soak them for three days,changing the water each day. Then mix the nuts with three times their volumeof peat or medium-grained, well-washed river sand. The sand or peatshould be damp, but not too damp.The best time for planting cedar is the end of April and beginning of May.90 days before planting the nuts should be “stratified”. This is done by pouringthe mix of seeds and peat or sand in a wooden box to a depth of 10-20cm. Then, make holes in the walls of the box and under the box to allow airto enter. Mix the contents of box once every 15 days and ensure that theyremain as damp as when first mixed. The box should be kept at a temperatureof + 4-6 C in a basement, cellar, or home refrigerator. It is important thatthe seeds remain damp at all times. The temperature can fall as low as –4 C,but only for 2-3 days. If the stratification is done correctly, most of the seedswill produce sprouts when they are sown.The best soils for the cedar are sub-sands (not too dry) or loam soils (not toowet). The seeds should be sown at a depth of 2 - 3 cm.The sowing should be “mulched”, which means covering it with a layer ofsawdust and peat crumbs. This prevents the soil from drying out, and fromsolidifying after watering or rain, and also stops weeds from growing.It is interesting to observe how the cedar sprout rises. First of all, there is agreen loop. Then the sprout becomes straight and puts the nutshell out ofthe ground, so that it looks like a cap on the top of the stem. Little by littlean emerald whisk of needles opens, and the nut falls off.You should care for the growing cedar by weeding, loosening soil and watering.The best way to improve the soil is with cow manure (mixed with water),but you can also use combined mineral fertilizers.The cedar grows slowly for the first 5-6 years, but then much faster and thereis not long to wait for the first harvest of pine nuts.180

Stage 3 of the project:measuring air pollution by the state of pine needlesDo you know that: Coniferous trees are particularly sensitive to air pollution. You can easilymeasure the degree of air pollution based on the condition of pine trees.Monitoring plan:1. Select several trees that are a little higher than a person. You can define the age of a treeby counting whorls (points from which a circle of branches emerge) on the trunk.2. Look at the top sprouts from the previous year (the second whorl from the top) and examinethe state of the needles to define the level of damage and drying-up.3. Define the degree of damage according to the following features:1 – Needles without visible damage;2 – Some small spots on needles;3 – Many spots on needles, some of them large.4. Classify degrees of drying as follows:1 – There are no dry areas on the needles.2 – The tip of the needle is dried (2-5 mm).3 – The needle is dried for up to 1/3 of its length.4 – The needle is dried for more than a half of its length.5. The age of the needles should be taken into account. To do this, count the share of needlesthat are still present (e.g. 10%, 30% or 50%) on each whorl. Then you can work out the age ofneedles by comparing the number of areas on a sprout that have completely preserved needleswith the areas of partially preserved needles on the previous sprout.6. Do a quick test to measure the level of air pollution:Maximum age of needlesThe degree of needles damage on two-years old sprouts1 2 34 years I I–II III3 years I II III–IV2 years II III IV2 years – IV IV–V1 year – IV V–VI1 year – – VINominal designation of the air pollution degree:I – perfectly cleanIV – polluted ("cause of concern")II – clean V – dirty ("dangerous")III – fairly clean ("normal") VI – very dirty ("highly dangerous")181

We are playing!Quiz – “Who is the best Baikal eco-expert ?”Dear friends, we propose a quiz the everyone can join in: parents, relatives and neighbours.Having read From Secret Corners of Lake Baikal Box, you have every chance of being the winner.The game includes 6 groups of questions with different degrees of difficulty (correct answers tothe questions are worth between 10 and 50 “Baikaliks”). The game is for two teams – childrenand adults. The team that gives the right answer to the question, “what does the word the word"Baikal" originally mean?”, begins the game.Section Value Question Answer1020What song is sung by the northeast wind onBaikal?What is the most famous legend about LakeBaikal?“Glorious sea, Holy Baikal”The Beauty AngaraOur Baikal30 What is the main wealth of the lake? Water40 How many rivers flow into Lake Baikal? 33650 How old is Lake Baikal? More than 20 mln years10 What is the Red Book?The list of rare animals, plants andmushrooms being under the threatof disappearance.20 What nature reserve is the oldest in Russia? BarguzinskyProtected places30What natural monuments on Baikal do youknow?The Mysterious Ushkany Islands,The “Singing Sands” of Turali,The Stilted Trees, The Ininsky Gardenof Stones40 Where is the Bay of Aya located? Frolikhinsky Reserve50 What is a protected natural area?Specially protected naturalterritories – are places, where anyhuman activity is either limited orprohibited.In the world of plants10What coniferous tree sheds its leaves inwinter?20 How many years does a cedar live? 300–600 yaers30 What do people call the Baikal globe-flower? Siberian globeflower40What flower does bloom whenit's 18 years- old?PineLadies’ slipper50What antimicrobic and tonic plant is threatenedwith extinction in the Baikalo-Lenskyreserve?The Altai onion182

Section Value Question Answer10 What are the most ancient fauna in the lake? Sponges20 What large mammals are found in Baikal? SealsIn the world of animals30What animal is called the Siberian diamondor soft gold?40 Ares there red fish (salmon) in Baikal?50Reduction of numbers and shrinkage of thearea where this animal is found are caused byhuman interventions, destruction of habitats,fires, and tree felling in the largest national reservein Buryatia. Which animal do we mean?Sable10What industrial plant damages Baikal themost?Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant20 What is the ecology?Ecological problems30Do you know five rules forpreventing forest fires ?40 What is a waste and what is a garbage?50 What ecological traditions do you know?10 How many nationalities live in Buryatia? More than 100Peoples of the Baikal Country20 Why is a Buryat yurt eco-friendly?304050When did the first Russian settlementsappear on Lake Baikal?What dishes of Evenk national cuisine doyou know?What districts of the Republic of Buryatiahave “Semeiskiye” inhabitants?At the end of the XVII thSkulnin, silavun, sevenTarbagataisky, Bichursky,Mukhorshibirsky, Zaigraevsky183

Check what you have learnt!Do I know the national parks of Baikal well?A practical task: Write the names of national parks and reserves on the map of Baikal.184

I am a creator!A creative task. My Baikal and meBoys and girls, let's imagine that you have visited Lake Baikal with your family.Now, write a composition: what things did you do that Baikal will thank you for, and what didyou do that could make the Lake angry ?185

It’s Interestingand EntertainingPART

Anthem of the Republic of BuryatiaMusic by A.AndreyevWords by D.ZhalsarayevOur taiga, laky, steppe Motherland,You are full of kind sunshine.Flowering all across the land,Be happy our native country.Cowberry breath and bird cherry breath,And lilac wild rosemary tincture.I am not only breathe it in, but feast my eyes uponMy flat and forest land’s sweet smell.Take, my Motherland, your filial thanks,And treat me with sacred Baikal water,So as I will gain mysterious strengthFor my further difficult journey.Together with you we are a single whole,Your destiny became mine, too.I am making a kowtow, my native land,My beloved Buryatia!Oh, Motherland!

CONTENTS OF PART 5The first reports of Baikal 190European researchers of Baikal (18 th and 19 th centuries) 192Native scientists 197Chronology of Baikal research 199MIR Submersibles on Baikal 201Underwater ecosystem of Baikal 203Baikal in figures 210Topology of the Baikal coast 214Baikal legends and fairy tales 217Our love for Baikal: Poems about the Lake 227Bibliography and recommended literature 230

The first reports of BaikalThe oldest surviving references to Baikal ("Bejhaj") are in Chinese chronicles dating from 110BC. In The Secret Tale of the Mongols (12th–13th centuries) Baikal is called "Bajgal-Dalaj". Europeantravellers who made their way across Siberia to China in the 12th-13th centuries called it a “lakesea”.There is a detailed description of Baikal and its coast in the notes made by Russian Cossackexplorers from the western Russian provinces. A Cossack brigade of 74 people sailed in 1643 onwooden boats along the western shore of the lake as far as Olkhon Island under the leadership ofAtaman (Cossack captain) Kurbat Ivanov. Ivanov drew the first map of Baikal, “Sketch of Baikaland the Rivers that flow into it”, which was highly important for further exploration of the territoryaround the Lake. Later a group of Cossacks led by Maxim Perfilyev journeyed along the eastcoast of Baikal and created a number of fortified settlements, the largest of which was Barguzin.One settlement on the east coast of Baikal was named Maksimikha after the Ataman.A group of Cossacks accompanying the diplomatic mission of Erofei Zabolotsky, an envoysent by the Tsar to make a treaty of peace with the Mongolian khan, perished in a skirmish withlocal people. The Posolsky (“Envoy's”) Monastery still stands at the place of Zabolotsky's death.the Posolsky monastery190

In 1665 the Archpriest Avvakum crossed Baikal, which he called the "ocean-sea"and described it in his book, Life of Archpriest Avvakum. Conerning the Lake's faunahe wrote: “There are many birds, geese and swans, which settle on the sea, like snow.The fish in the lake are sturgeon and taimen, sterlets, omuls and white-fish and manyother kinds. The water is fresh, and there are a lot of seals in it, in this huge oceansea.Living in Mezen, I have never seen anything like it. The fish are very fat, so theycannot be fried on a pan, as it will spill over.”Nikola (Nikolay Gavrilovich) Milesku Spafary (1636–1707), a Russian diplomatof Romanian origin, who was also a scholar knowing several languages, led a Russianembassy to China from 1675 to 1678. On the way to China, in his travel diary, he gavethe first description of Baikal for geographical science: “Baikal can be called a seabecause … to go round it is impossible... its size at length and width is great … andits depth is great. And it can be called a lake because its water is fresh and not salty;the water is very pure, so that the bottom can be seen at a depth of many sazhens,and it is good to drink.”Spafary also listed all the rivers running into Baikal, and particularly the riversSelenga, Barguzin, and Upper Angara. He also described Olkhon Island. He laterpublished the book in Russian as A Journey through Siberia to the borders of China.(from Baikal in Questions and Answers. G.I. Galaziy, Irkutsk, 2004)191

European researchers(18th-19th centuries)The works of European researchers of Baikal have a special place in the history of Russian science.Study expeditions by Russian and foreign scientists and naturalists, cartographers, botanistsand naturalists, mineralogists, ethnographers and historians reflected the ideas of the Russianenlightenment scholar, Michael Vasilievich Lomonosov, of the importance of understanding thenatural environment and vast resources of Siberia.Travellers and researchers who visited Siberia in the 18th century included foreign diplomats,Swedish officer-prisoners of war, and the members of academic expeditions organized by Peter Iand his successors.The Englishman John Perry who worked in the Russian diplomaticservice published a book in London, The State of Russiaunder the Present Czar, which contains a description of thenatives of Siberia – the Tungus (Buryats).The diplomat John Bell travelled by land to China and, in his twovolumeNotes (1719–1720), described in detail the history of the Russianconquest of Siberia, the cities of Tobolsk and Irkutsk, the life, clothes andreligion of the Buryats, and their language: “They are a numerous peopleextending to the east and the south from Lake Baikal, very fair and sincere”.John Bell's books were translated from French into Russian in 1776.A Swedish officer, who was taken prisoner at the Battle ofPoltava, the nobleman Phillip Johann Stralenberg remained inSiberia for 13 years. On the instructions of the academician DanielGotlib Messershmidt he collected materials for a map of Siberiaand a review of its history. When he returned home he publisheda book, The Northern and Eastern part of Europe and Asia (1730).192

Daniel Gotlib Messershmidt was one of the first participantsof German expeditions to Baikal. He spent manyyears in Siberia (1720 - 1727) and collected a large quantity(10 volumes) of naturalist, ethnographic and cartographicmaterials. Messershmidt's report, Review ofSiberia or Three Tables of the Simple Kingdoms of Naturewas not published, but his materials were widely usedby later researchers.The archives of the Russian Academy of Science in Petersburg.Unknown painter who took a part in the expedition ofD.G.Messerschmidt.Johann Gmelin wrote a four-volume work, The Flora of Siberia,describing 1778 kinds of plants, most of which were a new discoveryfor the world of science, and amassed a rare collectionof minerals. In his diary Travels across Siberia (four volumes,Goettingen, 1751-1752) he described Siberian fortified settlements,fairs in Tomsk and Kyakhta, ways of life and religiousbeliefs of the local people.A portrait of Johann Jacob Haidthe middle of XVIII century. Mezzo-tinto. 29x18 cm.S-Petersburg., the archives of Academy of SciencePeter Simon Pallas lived in Siberia for 26 years and his writtenworks extend to 30 volumes. A five-volume account of the floraof Russia contains the description of 6522 plants. Pallas was one ofthe first European researchers to describe the Lake Baikal endemic– the Baikal oilfish. Pallas explored the areas between Irkutsk andthe borders of Mongolia, recording geographical, biological, andgeological facts as well as valuable ethnographic data about theBuryats and Mongols, their religion, way of life, and employments.He visited the settlements of Udinsky and Selenginsky, and the“datsans” (Buddhist settlements) of Gusinoozersky and Tsongolsky. Pallas was one of the first researchers to note the probableidentity of the Buryats and the Huns – his suppositions wereproved true many years later by archeological finds in Buryatiaand Mongolia (the remains of Hun settlements around Ulan-Ude).193

The St.Petersburg academician, botanist, professor of mineralogy,and ethnographer, Johann Gottlieb George spent manyyears near Baikal, in Tomsk, Irkutsk and Kyakhta, made a mapof the lake and its surroundings, described more than 730 plantvarieties in Baikal region, and made a considerable contribution toornithology, describing more than 60 types of birds.Gerhard Friedrikh Miller studied Baikal region together withGmelin. Miller carried out field research and collected a hugeamount of material on the folklore of the Russians and native peoplesof the region, and also on archeology and ethnography. Hisworks, Description of the Siberian Kingdom (1750) and History ofSiberia were published in St. Petersburg, and republished in Moscowand Leningrad in 1940–41.In 1820 an English sea captain John Cochrane made a journeyacross Siberia and Kamchatka with the permission of the Russiangovernment, which he described in a book published in 1824-25in London, A Pedestrian Journey through Russia and Siberian Tartary,which includes an account of the beauty of Lake Baikal.The renowned Finnish linguist and ethnographer Matias AlexanderKastren travelled to Buryatia in 1848, where he studied theBuryat-Mongolian language, family life and social conditions, andBuryat clothing (not merely its appearance but also its significancein Buryat social life).The French researcher Paul Labbe published a book in 1909, The Siberian Lamas, acquaintingEuropean readers with the religion of the Buryats the nature of the region, its plant and animallife, daily life, customs and wedding ceremonies of the Russians, Buryats and Cossacks. VariousBuryat clans are described in the book, and also the work of the Selenga Steppe Duma (a nativeparliament).194

Benedict Dybovsky (1833–1930), a Polish-Russian scientist,geographer, zoologist, physician and linguist, and a correspondingmember of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR did muchwork to improve knowledge of Siberia and the Far East of Russia.Dybovsky studied at the universities of Derpt, Berlin, Breslauand completed a thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Medicineand Surgery. He was sentenced to death for his part in the Polishrevolt of 1863-1864, but the sentence was commuted to 12 yearsof Siberian penal servitude. He was first deported to Chita regionand then to the village of Kultuk in Irkutsk Province.Dybovsky carried out research on Baikal with Victor AleksandrovichGodlevsky. His classic study of the Lake's microfauna(more than 100 kinds of freshwater shrimps and 2 varieties of thedeep-water Baikal endemic, the oilfish) represent the beginning ofsystematic study of the world of Baikal.Victor Aleksandrovich Godlevsky (1831–1900) was a Polishzoologist and scientist who was exiled to Baikal in 1865 for hispart in the Polish revolt.Together with Dybovsky he moved to Irkutsk in 1867 and formore than 10 years the scientists worked together studying theLake, its depth, the water temperature at different depths, speciesstructure and variety, and biological features of the fauna of Baikal.The work was mainly carried out in wintertime, when all parts ofBaikal could be reached across the ice.Dybovsky himself said that the success of their scientificresearch was due in large part to the technical abilities and physicalendurance of Victor Godlevsky. Godlevsky's remarks on thenatural wealth of Baikal deserved to be cited: “The wealth oflower-order animals to be found in Baikal is quite remarkable, interms of both the number of species and the number of individuals.The bed of Baikal teems with life that cannot be found insouthern seas: it is sufficient to turn a few stones along the shoreto enrich systematic zoology with new species.”Together with Dybovsky he studied about 200 bird species anddiscovered one species that was absolutely new to science – thefour-toed Siberian salamander.A number of animals have been named after Godlevsky,including Godlevsky's bunting – a bird which is now registered inthe Red Book of Buryatia.195

Ivan Dementevich Chersky (1845-1892) studied geology, paleontology, and tectonic processesinside the earth's crust.Chersky carried out a geological study of the Baikal shore and compiled a detailed geologicalmap, studied the Siberian post route from Lake Baikal to the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains,and also presented a Description of Collections of Tertiary Mammals Collected by the NewSiberian Expedition.Applying his skills as a a geographer, Chersky studied the streams and rivers flowing intoBaikal; as a geomorphologist he proposed the division of Siberia into a Western and Eastern part;and as a biologist he gave an account of the pink seagull.One of the tools that Chersky used for his studies of Baikal were horizontal lines etched on thesheer cliffs around the Lake. Called “Chersky notches”, the lines are still visible today and are usedby local people to gauge the water level in the Lake. Several landscape features are named afterChersky: a mountain near Cape Kotelnikovsky, a peak in the south of the Hamar-Daban ridge, anda hill near the source of the Angara, in the village of of Listvyanka.The massive heritage of scholarship left by the first European researchers on natural science,archeology and ethnography, their capacity to do such work in the severe Siberian climateand primitive living conditions , the versatility of their scientific interests and devotion totheir calling seems astonishing to people today.196

Native scientistsGleb Yurevich Vereschagin (1889-1944) was one of thefounders of limnology, which is the science of lakes.Vereschagin came to Baikal for the first time in 1916, anddevoted the rest of his life to its study.In 1924 Vereschagin designed a scientific station for the studyof Baikal's biology and from 1925 to 1929 he headed the Commissionfor the Study of Lake Baikal. The scientist managed thecreation of a biological station in the district of Bolshiye Koty,which was later transformed into the Limnological Institute of theSiberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.Staff at the station used a small vessel (9m long with a 9 horsepowerengine) to carry out studies of Baikal's tectonics, hydrography,and flora and fauna. The work by Vereschagin and his staffconfirmed that a considerable part of Baikal's endemic fauna andflora originated from the world's oceans.Biological station in Bolshye KotyMikhail Mihailovich Kozhov (1890-1968) was an outstandingSiberian scholar and creator of the specific discipline called“Baikal studies”. Kozhov carried out studies of sponges, epischura,lop-eared maxillopids, bullheads, Baikal oilfish and other fauna.He spoke out against construction of the Baikal Pulp and PaperPlant, which is now the main source of pollution in Lake Baikal.A street in the central part of the city of Irkutsk has been namedin Kozhov's honour.197

Grigory Ivanovich Galaziy (1922–2000) was an academician,doctor of biology, and the author of more than 400 works and8 monographs on Baikal. Working at the Limnological instituteof the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Science of the USSR,Galazy set up a research station on Baikal, which he headed for26 years.Galaziy's scientific work, the encyclopaedia entitled Baikal inQuestions and Answers remains a core reference for both Russianand foreign researchers of Baikal.In 1995 Galaziy was selected as a member of the Committeefor Protection of the Environment at the World Congress of Limnologistsin Brazil and was awarded the Alexander Humboldtmedal “For Study and Preservation of the Environment”.198

Chronology of Baikal research1640–1641 Arrival of an expedition under the Cossack leader, Kurbat Afanasievich Ivanov, onthe western coast of Lake Baikal.1667 The first approximate map of Baikal, in The Drawing of the Siberian Land, made byorder of the Governor of Tobolsk, Peter Godunov1701 The first accurate map of the Lake, in The Drawing Book of Siberia, by the TobolskCossack, Semyon Remezov1723–1727 The first scientific description of the Lake, presented by the German researcherDaniel Gottlieb Messershmidt, who was directly charged with the study of LakeBaikal by decree of Peter the Great.1771–1772 An expedition led by the academician Peter Simon Pallas described the viviparousBaikal oilfish. Another member of the expedition, the academician Johann GeorgeGmelin, gave a detailed account of the Baikal seal (nerpa).1773 A detailed map of Baikal was compiled by the navigator Alexey Pushkarev, entitled“Special flat map of the Baikal Sea showing rivers and rivulets flowing into itand also the Angara flowing out of it”.1855–1857 The first Siberian expedition of the Geographical Society led by the academicianGeorge Radde round Baikal.1908 Publication of a 31-page atlas of Baikal (scale: one verst = one inch).1916 Creation next to Lake Baikal of Russia's first nature reserve, the Barguzin Reserve.1916 Opening of a biological research station in the village of Koty.1925 Opening of a permanent Limnological Research Station of the Academy of Sciencesof the USSR in the settlement of Marituy.1925–1929 An expedition led by G.Yu.Vereschagin explored all principal areas of the lake.1959 Depth of the Lake was measured at 1620 m using a weighted cable lowered fromice.1961 Foundation of the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Department of the Academyof Sciences of the USSR, based on the Baikal Limnological Station in the villageof Listvyanka.1974 Depth of the Lake was measured at 1637m using echo-sounding measurementsfrom a boat.1986 Establishment of the Baikal and Zabaikalsky National parks and the Baikal-LenskyReserve.1991 Researchers dived to the deepest point on Baikal (1637m) in the "Pisces" deepwatersubmersible device.«Pisces» – a submarine device for deeppenetration surveys. The first deep penetration inBaikal at a depth of 1410 was arranged in 1977.199

1993 Publication of a scientific reference atlas of Baikal by the Russian Academy of Sciencesusing the findings of research carried out in 1961-1985.1996 Lake Baikal was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.1998 Deep-water drilling (600m) from an ice platform in the area of the Ushkani Islandsconfirmed that Lake Baikal is 15 million years old.1999 The Federal law “On protection of Lake Baikal” was passed (Federal Law № 94dated 5/1/1999). Environmental organizations based around Baikal inaugurated anannual “Baikal Day”, with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources of theRussian Federation.2001 Work began on reconstruction of the Baikal Museum in the village of Listvyanka.The exhibition area was enlarged by three times, six aquariums were installed, anda seal enclosure was created.2004 The first air-cushion amphibious vessel, the Hivus-10, began regular tourist operationson Baikal2005 The Murmansk-Vladivostok Expedition-Trophy off-roader rally used a route acrossthe ice of Lake Baikal for the first time . A 105th meridian ice camp was set upbetween the villages of Listvyanka and Tankhoi.2008 The President of Russia issued a decree ordering the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Oceanoil pipeline to be rerouted away from Baikal (400 km to the north).Lake Baikal was judged one of Russia's “miracles of nature” based on the resultsof an Internet poll.2009 It was decided to create Russia's first free economic zone for the tourism and leisuresector 180km from Ulan-Ude in the region of Buryatia adjacent to Baikal. A touristcomplex in the zone should launch in 2017.2010 The Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant in the town of Baikalsk resumed operations afterstanding idle for several years. Foul water will continue to be discharged into Baikaluntil August 2012.2012 An international scientific conference, entitled “Baikal – a World Treasure”, washeld at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on April 24. The conference discussedissues associated with the preservation of Baikal (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)and prospects for further studies to support sustainable development of the Lakeecosystem. The conference also took stock of results of the MIR-1 and -2 expeditions.200

MIR Submersibleson BaikalThe MIR is a deep-water manned device foroceanological research and rescue operations.The device can be lowered to a depth of 6 km,weighs 18.6 tonnes, is 7.8m long and 3.8 wide.Manufacturing cost per device in 1987 was 100million Finnish markas (about 17 million euros).The device was designed by engineers of theFinnish company Rauma-Repola.The principal aims of the expeditions of MIRson Baikal were:– visual study of the structure and developmentprocesses of the underwater ecosystem ofLake Baikal, behaviour of organisms at variousdepths, geological evolution and relief ofunderwater slopes of the Baikal trough;– draw the attention of society (in Russiaand worldwide), government structures anddecision-makers at various levels to the issuesof preserving Lake Baikal as a part of the world'snatural heritage;– demonstrate ability of the Russian scientificcommunity to implement large-scale researchprojects to a high standard.201

Installation of flagson the bottom of BaikalPaper cups:before and after deep penetrationOil in solidPlanarians on the bottomof BaikalBaikal sponginA new species of sponge foundin BaikalThe Mir studies revealed hitherto unguessed-at secrets ofBaikal. For example, it was found that about six tonnes of crudeoil is discharged into the Lake each year from tectonic faults.It may be asked: “Why doesn't this oil appear on the Lakesurface?” The oil is absorbed by microorganisms. How theseorganisms (worms and crustaceans) can live in places wherethe oil is discharged and how they process the oil is now oneof the key riddles of Baikal studies.The other breakthrough was the first-ever discovery of gashydrates in a fresh-water basin. Gas hydrates are characteristicof oceans and northern permafrost regions. Scientistsbelieve that gas hydrates could provide an alternative fuel inthe future.Gas hydrates are solid compoundsformed of methane and water at certainpressure and temperature.202

Underwater ecosystem of BaikalDear friends! The MIR Submersibles on Baikal let the scientists see a wonderful and rich worldof Baikal flora and fauna once more. We can't see many of them with an unaided eye. But withoutthem Baikal would be incomplete. We will tell you about lower and higher plants of underwaterworld, about hydrocoles of Baikal.Diatomic algaesDiatomic algaes have been famous since theJurassic period, they make about a quarter of allorganical substance of the planet. They are unicellular,individual or colony-forming organisms,and they refer to true algaes. Diatoms' cells or siliceousalgaes' cells are stripped of cellulose coverand surrounded with a hard siliceous shell outside.The thickness of the diatomic cell is 10 timesthinner than a human hair.In the shape of form diatomic algaes are dividedinto two groups: with an actinomorphic or a bilateralshell. Most part of kinds the shell consists oftwo parts. Color plastids of diatomic algaes are ofyellow-brown color depending on the set of pigments.An outside part of the shell is bigger, itreminds a cover which covers with its edges aninner, much less in size part of the shell.Diatoms propagate by dividing by halves, thusmaking two daughter cells out of mother one.Interestingly, that every daughter cell gets onyone fold of the mother's shell, and builds a secondone on its own. Mass propagating happens whenBaikal is covered by ice.Diatoms mainly live in the upper 25-meterlayer of the lit Baikal water, but during storms andstrong mixing of Baikal waters they descend togreat depths.Diatomic algaes are biofilters of Baikal water.At present more than 12 thousand kinds of thealgaes have been studied; they make a considerablepart of the lake's plankton.203

VolvoxVolvox – are green algaes, with the diameterup to 1 mm; they make colonies at the watersurface. They are referred to active colonialorganisms. The size of one colony which has afrom of sphere is 5 mm and it includes from 10to 200 thousand cells. The sphere's mass is asemi-fluid jelly-like substance. Every cell lookslike an independent protozoan, but togetherthey make a colony. The cells have a pear-likeform and two filaments connected by cytoplasmicbridges which jut out. Thanking to it volvoxrolls over in the water, that's why it got its name“rolling”.While propagating some cells of volvoxplunge into the sphere where they divide longitudinallymaking some new young colonieswhich further can jut out of the old volvox. Atmass propagating cells can cause water blooming,painting it into green.UlotrixAfter strong breakers Baikal coast is coveredby green lumps of jelly-like consistence,by algaes from the bottom. They cover Baikal'sbottom by separate girdles, by a 15-metre linefrom the coast to the depth. One can see thealgaes well from a boat at calm weather. Thenearest to the coast girdle of algaes is ulotrix,which is not endemic for Baikal. In summerthey cover coastal stones where they can takeroots, and in cold period they live at the lake'sbottom in the form of spores.Ulortix is referred to green algaes and thereare more than 25 kinds of them. Mainly theylive in fresh waters. An algae's body remindsunbranched threads. All its cells are the samebut the colorless one with the help of whichthe thread fastens to underwater stones, piles,snags. Inside the cell there is a girdle in the formof unended ring. The biggest part of the cell isoccupied with vacuole, an organoid containingcell sap. The cell's cover is cellulose.204

Star duckweed (Lemna trisulca)Star duckweed is a widely spread plant floatingin the thickness of water. It grows in stagnantreservoirs. While blossoming the plant floats tothe surface. Blossoming plants are egg-shaped,thicker and more solid than vegetative ones. In thethickness of water a star duckweed makes tangleswhere young fish can find food and shelter. It is anice plant, together with other water plants it coverswater surface with an emerald carpet.In autumn a star duckweed turns into a bud anddescends to the bottom for wintering. As all greenplants a star duckweed can undergo a photosynthesis,thus it can absorb carbonic acid and excretesoxygen.It consists of many semi-transparent leaves ofbright-green color at length of 1 cm connected inthree and more leaves. They grow in southern partof Baikal, in the Bay of the Small Sea, in the delta ofthe Selenga and other places on the lake.Batter dock (Potamogeton natans L.)A Batter dock or a water cabbage is a perennialplant of Potamogeton family. Its stalk is quitethick filled with aeriferous tissue, simple or a littlebranchy, round in section, 60-150 cm long withunderwater and floating leaves. Leafstalks arelong, can be flat, striated, grooved. Underwaterleaves stripped of leaf plate start growing inspring and up to the time of blossoming they felldawn. Floating leaves are numerous. Their ovalleaf plates are of brown-green color, contain a lotof calcium. The leaves' length is about 8-12 cmand width is about 4-6 cm. The leaves can beused for curing scurvy, or as a wound healing orresolvent means. The essence of fresh grass isused in homoeopathy. The roots are consideredto be eatable in cooked or baked forms.It blossoms in the middle of summer in theform of spicate inflorescence. In the batter dock'stangles fish and mollusks spawn and young fishfind their defence.A batter dock can be found in the Angara, onthe south-eastern coast of Baikal and rarely inDauria.205

MeakinThe name “Meakin” has its origins from latinwords – miros – numerous, phyllum –leaf. It'sa plant with long stalks (up to 150 cm) makinga thick lace of underwater tangles. Thanking tothese numerous soft leaves the plant got thename “feather-leaf”, and the Germans call it “amilfoil”.They call them feather ones for their similaritywith a bird feather. Meakin's branchy stalkscatch on sculls and they often come off.The plant has creeping roots, and its sproutscan grow very fast. The leaves are brown orgreen. The flowers are small, plain, pinky. Theyare collected into a spicate inflorescence risingabove the water up to 2,5 cm.The meakin's flowers are pollinated withthe help of wind, and they blossom from Julyto August. In autumn bearing ripen which isdivided into four nuts. When the meakin fadesits inflorescence will go down to the water.The plant enriches the water with oxygenvery well, it is a good forage for fish. In its tanglesthere are many small water organismscleaning the water from unicellular algaes.The plant grows on different soils: fromsalted to peat ones. It can be met under thenorthern cape of the bay of Frolikha.Canadian pondweed(Elodea canadensis Michk)The Canadian pondweed is also called awater pest. Its motherland is Northern America.On Baikal it was fixed at the end of 70sbeginning of the 80s. There is an idea that itappeared from the Irkutsk storage reservoir,and later it setteled all over the lake.The plant has very long branchy branches upto 3 m. The leaves are lightly-green, a little bitwavy with metalic shine. Its tangles make problemsfor navigation and fishery.The plant is a biological pollutant of waterreservoirs. Negative ecological consequencesof the plant's spreading appeared in Posolskand in the delta of the Selenga river.It resulted in changes of biocoenosis' structurealso in reducing of the number of mainfood fish.206

Quillwort hirsure(Isoetes echinospora)The quillwort hirsure is a smal water plant inthe form of tuft of curved green subulate leaves.The leaves grow from the thick roots. Interestingly,that in bosom of outer and mediumleaves there are oval sporiferous bags.There are white spores in them the surfaceof which is covered with short brittle spineletsor high dense warts. The plant propagates byspores. It grows in water reservoirs on sandy,sandy-silty soils at the depth up to 2 metresThe quillwort hirsure is a relict plant and it isregistered in the Red Book of Russia.In Baikal's basin the majority of the plant'slocations are in the northern edges of the lake(lake Frolikha, Verkhneangarsky bay, lakesKicherskoye, Turkuit, Strakhovskoye, Karachaevskoye,Verkhne-Kicherskoye, Kulinda), also it ismet in upper reaches of the Barguzin river (lakeAmut, Yakondylon).Demersal HydraThe majority of representatives of acoelomateslives in seas and oceans. A freshwaterpolip is an exception; it can be met in the baysof Baikal. In Greek “hydra” means “a monster”.Its body fastens to any surface with the helpof a sole. In the upper part of the body there isa mouth opening surrounded by 4-6 tentacleswith the help of which hydras catch their prey- water fleas and other animals including tadpolesand young fish. If the latters touch tentacleswhere there are urticant capsules, theyimmediately shoot with long threads with poison.The prey is pulled by tentacles to the mouthopening and swallowed. Indigested remains offood the hydra throws out through its mouth,“wincing” with all its body. Hydras can changetheir places gliding on soles or tumbling overits heads.207

Baicalia dybowskianaThe shell of Baicalia dybowskiana reminds asmall tower with its height up to 10–13 mm,which is 3 times exceed its width. A longitudinalback of this mollusk is clear, on its last sidethere are 8–12 ribs.The shell itself is delicate because of lowmineralization of Baikal's water. The mollusk'sbody is represented by a muscle leg placed onthe abdominal part of the body.Baicalia dybowskiana inhabits the depths of600-800 m deep. Baikal gasteropods have anability to eat organics filtered from water.Planarians(Rhimacephalus pulvinar)Planarians refers to flat turbellarian worms.There are more than 400 kinds of them onBaikal. On their abdominal part they have amouth opening. While swallowing their food agullet comes out. Through the body's coveringone can see a furcate intestine.In the coastal zone of Baikal the worms areof different kinds. They have a various colorand a variegated pattern. In the middle of theback there is a thin dark stripe. Under stonesat the water's edge their size is 0,5–2 cm, atdepths the size can reach 30 cm. Moving onthe bottom of the reservoir the worms look fora victim. Further they envelop it with slime andslowly suck it inside the body. Eating sick andweak animals, planarians act as an orderly.Planarians can be met at depths from 8–10m up to 100 m and deeper on silty and sandysoils. Its sizes are about 110 mm.208

Manayunkia baikalensisIt refers to Annelida polychaete worms. Thelength of the body is 7–8 mm, the length of tentaclesis 1 mm. In winters and summers in thedepth of Baikal one can meet millions of small“asters”. The manayunkia baicalensis look outof their cosy tubular houses, which they builtin the thickness of soil and crowned them withhigher small towers. The worms live in tubules,built of silty or sandy small parts joined with aspecial material. Their body consisits of manysegments, each of them has a pair of setas. Onthe front end there is an aureole of tentacles,looking like a fan, with the help of which theycan breathe and catch food.Manayunkia baicalensis inhabits sandy orsilty soils, stones, sponges. They eat smallinvertebrate and ground remains.Water flea (Daphnia)The water flea belongs to the planktoniccancroids of the superorder of cladoceran. It is0,2 mm up to 6 mm long. Outside the waterflea is covered by chitinous covering remindinga medieval knight.At the edge of folds there are spinelets,and at the back edge there is a tail covered byspinelets. At the ends of extremities there aresetas, which make “sculls” while swimming.They are also used for breathing and eating.Most part of the time water fleas spend inthe water thickness moving by energetic jumpsdue to flapping of its feelers which are coveredby special feathered setas. That's why theirusual name is “water daphnia”. A she-water fleaoviposits its eggs in the bag on the back.Mainly water fleas inhabit ponds and bigpuddles, where they eat different bacterias andphytoplankton. Also they can be met in Baikal,in its shallow places.209

Baikal in figures• Water-collection basin 570 000 km 2• Baisin total area 300 000 km 2• Length of the Lake• Greatest width of the lake (beam from Ongureny villageto Ust-Barguzin)• Least width• Average width• Coastline636 km79,5 km25 km47,8 km2000 km• Water surface area (including islands) 31 500 km 2• Number of tributaries about 500• Maximum depth• Average depth• The depth of the southern trough1642 m758 mа) maximum 1446 mб) average 843 m• Depth of the central trough:а) maximum 1642 mb) average 854 m• Depth of the northern troughа) maximum 903 mb) average 576 m• Height of Lake surface above sea level• Areas of gulf and bays:454 mа) Barguzin 791 km 2b) Chivyrkujsky 268 km 2c) The Small sea 1019 km 2• Total area of 22 islands 716 km 2• Olkhon Island:а) Length 71,7 kmb) Maximum width 14 kmc) Area 700 km 2d) Height above sea level (Mount Zhima) 1274 m210

• Ushkany archipelago :а) Area of Big Ushkany 15 km 2b) Height over the Lake 216 m• Average-annual change of Baikal's water level in ordinary circumstances• Seasonal fluctuations of the level• Long-term amplitude of fluctuations of the level• Number of the capes on Lake Baikal: 174а) Northwestern coast 101b) Southeastern coast 73• Hours of sunshine (northern part of the Lake)• Hours of sunshine (southern and central parts of the Lake)• Duration of the cold season in Baikal region82 cm60–120 cm2,23 m2000–2400hour/year1900–2000hour/yearup to 7 months• Evaporation of moisture 19,1 km 3• Precipitation 12,8 km 3• Average annual outflow from the Lake 61 km 3• Annual variation in air temperature (islands, coast)• Annual variation in air temperature (mountain ridges)• Maximum wind strength• Average air temperature in the winter• Average air temperature in the summer• Thickness of earth’s crust under mountain ridges around Baikal• Least distance to base of earth's crust in the centre of the Baikal trough• Thickness of neozoic deposits in the trough50–70° Сup to 100° Сup to 50 m/sec-25° С+17° С45–55 km34 km3–8,5 km• Seismicity (number of earthquakes per year) more than 2000• Frequency of earthquakes above 7 richter points• Frequency of earthquakes above 8 points• Frequency of earthquakes above 9 points• Frequency of earthquakes above 10 points• Depth of earthquakes epicentres1–2 per a year5–10 years50–100 years150–200 years12–22 km• Greatest height of the ridges surrounding Baikal (Barguzinsky ridge)• Thickness of mountain-valley glaciers2840 mAbove 1000 m211

Baikal in figures• Foothill plain (abrasion relief, extending from the coast at a depth of10-12m).• Average incline of the northwestern Lake bed• Maximum temperature of hot springs• Thickness of multi-year frozen layer on watersheds• Calm weather in June-July (wave height less than 0.5m)• Wave height up to 1.5 m60%• Wave height above 2m 17%• Wave height above 3m 3%• In the autumn waves can be as high as 5m• Speed of wind currents at the surface• Speed of circulating currents on depths (50 m.)30–65° С80–82° Сfrom 0 to500-600 m80% of time80% of all summerstormsto 1,4 m/sec56 cm/secа) 250 metres 30 cm/secb) 675 metres 12 cm/secc) 1000 metres 8 cm/secd) 1200 metres 6 cm/sec• Monthly average speeds of circulating currents at the surface• During storms2-3 km/dayUp to 8-12 km/day• Time for replacement of deep water by surface water from 11 to 20• Water exchange period in northern trough• Water exchange period in the central trough• Water exchange in the southern trough• Whole Baikal• Total quantity of water in lake Baikal• Duration of the ice cover• Ice thickness when the Lake fully freezes• Rate of growth of ice thickness• Width of mill cracks• The size of blocks formed by cracks225 years132 years66 years356 years23,6 х 10 13 litres4–5 months5–20 cmFrom 1 cm to 5 cmFrom 40 cm to 1m10–30 km• Complete disappearance of ice in the May 12-16• In the north June 9-14212

• Time of full ice cover• Total number of the organisms living in Lake Baikal(species and subspecies) 2635• Number of endemic species 1800• Biomass of omul in Baikal• Seals number• Biomass epishura and cyclopsStart of January26 000 tons50 000–100 000(various data)1,8 million tons• The catchment basin area 570 000 км 2• Biomass epishura and cyclops• Geological age (Cretaceous to Late Eocene)• Age of deposits (The Tompudinskaya moraine)• Age of deposits (The Relskya moraine)• Black-earth silts on the first Baikal terraces• Peat bogs of the Chivyrkuisky Bay• Summer thaw depth• Winter freeze depth• The area of the mountainous tundra zone 20%• The mountain forest zone 45%• The mountain steppe zone 35%• Density of autotrophic phytoplankton• Number of higher plant sub-species on Baikal (to V.V.Lamakin) 79• Number of higher plant families on Baikal• Bryophytic plants• Diatomic Algae species• Chlorococcales species• Ulothrichales species• Freshwater shrimp species• Gastropods species• Oligochaeta species• Number of Planarians species• The length of the non-freezing area at the source of the Angara1,8 million tons70–35 million years39 000 years26 000 years7 000 years10 000–12 000 yearsfrom 0,5 to 3 mfrom 1 to 5 mup to 1 mln. cells27 species15 species509 species99 species45 species255 species83 speciesMore than 100speciesMore than40 species15–20 km213

Topology of the Baikal coastThe Academic ridge – An underwater elevation, crossing the Baikal trough diagonally from theisland of Olkhon to Cape Valukan, peaks of which form the Ushkany Islands. Discovered by GlebYurevich Vereschagin in 1932.The Angara – A river, tributary of the Yenisei. The name's origins are connected with the characterof its valley at the source, having the form of cleft or a gorge, through which the Angara flowsout of Baikal.Babushkin – A town on the southeastern coast of Baikal, named after a revolutionary, Ivan VasilevichBabushkin, who was killed here in 1906.Baklany – Used to describe a stone, island, or bay where many cormorants are found (Russian“baklan” = “comorant”).Vydrinaya – A tributary of Baikal. The river already had this name in the 17th century, when NikolaiSpafary, on his way to China in 1675, wrote: “The river Vydrinaya takes its name from the largenumber of otters and beavers found in it” (Russian “vydro” = “otter”) .Goryachinsk – A health resort in Buryatia with hot springs, discovered in 1753 (186 km from Ulan-Ude).Davshe (Davsha) – A bay, river, or settlement. “Davshe” in Evenk means “meadows, a wide opendistrict”. The central part of the Barguzin reserve is located.Dulan – A settlement in Kabansky District, on the southern slopes of the Gulf of Proval. “Dulaan” inBuryat means “warm”.Zasechnaya – A bay where I.D.Chersky scored a horizonal notch at a height of one metre aboveBaikal's water level on June 26, 1880. Chersky made such notches at many places on the Baikalcoast in order to track changes in the Lake's water level over time. The intersections are nowunder state protection as belonging to the history of science.Zmeinaya – The name of a bay. The word means “grass-snake”. Grass-snakes in Baikal region areonly found near to hot springs, so springs and the bays near to them are sometimes called“zmeiniye” or “kuliniye (from the Evenk “kulinda”, meaning ”many snakes”).Izhimey – The name of a cape on Olkhon Island. “Ezhin” in Buryat means “the owner, the master”.Mount Zhima, which forms the cape, is the highest point on Olkhon Island. Baikal's greatestdepth (1637m) is located 8-10 km to the south of the cape. The Buryats view the mountain assacred and many legends and traditions are connected with it.Kaltusnaya – A river in a waterlogged valley. “Kaltus” in Evenk means “a bog, a damp place”.Кotokel – A lake near Baikal. “Koto” in Evenk means “a palm tree, a knife, a club”, which is used toclear a track through scrub. The name has also been connected with Russian “koty”, which are atype of footwear worn in cold, damp weather, often by gold prospectors.Kotelnikovsky – The name of a cape, which is known for its hot springs (water temperature is about70 degrees). In January 1724 the academician D.G.Missershmidt learnt in the Irkutsk Chancellery“that there is a hot spring by the Baikal-sea, at Kotelnikovsky, about 20 sazhens from the coast ofBaikal”. F.K. Drizhenko writes in his navigation directions that “travelling by steamship near CapeKotelnikovsky, the place of the springs can be seen from the large amount of evaporation aboveit.”Kultuk – A gulf at the southern end of Baikal and a village in the Barguzin Gulf. In the spring of 1647Ivan Pokhabov “built the fortified settlement of Kultuk on Baikal-lake”. In Turkic “kultuk” means“a corner, a gulf”.214

Keltegey (Kheltegey) – A cape and group of islands in the Chivyrkuisky Gulf. In Buryat the word“helegy” means “a slanting hillock”. The cape and the islands seem to lean to one side.Мaksimikha – A village and a bay. Old Buryat traditions recount that a Don Cossack explorer,Maxim Perfilyev, settled on the bank of the Barguzin Gulf and married a Buryat woman. The Cossackdied, and his widow was known as “Maksimikha”.Small sea – The channel between the north-western coast of Baikal and Olkhon Island. Its southernpart is called Olkhon Gates. “Small Sea” in Buryat is "narin-dalaj" (“narrow sea”).Upper Izgoloviye, Lower Izgoloviue – Capes on the Svyatoy Nos peninsula. An “izgologiye” is acape on a river island, facing upstream.Оimur – A village on the bank of the Proval Gulf, and a small river in a boggy valley. “Оimokhо” inBuryat means “to ford a small river”. Or the name may come from the Buryat word for “a woodlandtrack”.Olkhon – The biggest island on Baikal. It is partially forested, and its name comes from Buryat: "oy"is "wood", and “khon, khan” is a diminutive suffix.Peschanaya – A bay on the western coast of Baikal, exactly 100 km from the source of the Angara.It is one of the most picturesque places on Baikal's shoreline. “Peschanaya” means “sandy”.Posolskoye (Posolskaya) – A village and a railway station. They are named in honour of ErofeiZabolotsky, a Russian envoy to Mongolia and China who was killed here in 1650. The Posolskymonastery was founded at the place of his death in 1661.Proval – A gulf, named due to the earthquake in the northern part of the Selenga delta (January12-13, 1862) when an area of the coastal steppe (about 200 sq. km) was swallowed up by theLake. “Proval” means “fall, collapse” in Russian.Sarma – The name of a river and of a village. “Sarma” in Buryat means “a crossing on bulls”. Thename is obviously connected with a crossing of this rough river. A strong local wind near to theriver Sarma's mouth is also called “the Sarma”. It blows from the Primorsky ridge over the Lake ata speed of about 40 km/s, from the west and north-western, most often in October-December.Svyatoy Nos (Sacred Nose) – A peninsula connected to the mainland by a low, marshy isthmus.The peninsula has the profile of a huge nose.The Selenga –The largest tributary of Baikal. The name comes from the Evenk word “sele”, meaning“iron”.Snezhnaya – A tributary of Baikal. Its river basin and the northern slopes of Khamar-Daban havelarge amounts of precipitation, particularly snow (“Snezhnaya” = “snowy”).Тankhoy – The name of a bay, a port, a village and a railway station. “Тokhoy” in Buryat means “acurve, a bend”. Since 1969 Tankhoy has been the centre of the Baikal national park.Тuraly – The name of a cape on the northeastern coast of Baikal, between Khakusy and Shiraldybays. The singing sands of Turaly are located on the southern side of the cape (“Тuraly” in Evenkmeans “musical, singing”), though a large part of them are now flooded.Uda – the right tributary of the river Selenga. The name "Uda" is believed to derive from a tribe, theUde, which lived in the western part of Trans-Baikal region along the Orkhon and Selenga riversin the 12th century. The name may also come from the Mongolian word “ude” meaning "midday".Frolikha – The name of a bay, a lake and a river on the north-eastern coast of Baikal, to the north ofAyaya Bay. The name is from the Russian surname, Frolov (a Cossack explorer).Khakusy – The name of a bay and a cape on the northeastern coast of Baikal. This sandy bay has anoval shape, with dark coniferous forest and vast fields of reindeer moss against a background ofdome-shaped outcrops of the Barguzin ridge. The Evenk word “akushi” means "hot".215

Khamar-Daban – A mountain ridge in Baikal region. In Buryat “hamar dabaan” means “a nose, alifting”, and describes a high and difficult mountain pass or a mountain. There is another explanationof “hamar dаbааn” as deriving from a term meaning “a cedar mountain”. “Khamar-Daban”was originally the name for a small pass near Cape Shaman, which had a profile similar to ahuman nose. The name was later used to refer to the mountain system around the pass.Khuzhir – A village on Olkhon Island. In Buryat “khuzhar” means “saline soils, a place where saltcomes out of the ground”.Shaman Stone – A stone rising from the water at the source of the Angara. In Evenk “saman” means“sorcerer, healer, priest”.216

Baikal legends and fairy talesNow we will tell you some legends that were collectedin the book by Lazar Eliasov, called “The Magician ofSiberian tales”. These legends and stories of ancientstimes are a folk chronicle: different legends werepassed down from generation to generation abouthow life appeared on the earth, where people comefrom, how different events happened, what the role ofa particular historical people was, and why there areso many names and for different things in the world.How Baikal was madeOld people tell this story about how Baikal was made. Theysay that there is very little soil on the Earth. Everybody knowsthat if you dig a hole for a few sazhens or even less, you come tosand, clay and stone. The deeper you dig, the less soil there is,and the more stones and other materials , which you cannot findon the surface. And further down, in the depths of the earth,there are only stones, and even further there is only water. Thereare many different stones in the ground, and there are stonesthat make water boil and gush, when it is poured on them. andmany such stones can be found in the depths of the earth, manymore than on the surface. About one thousand years ago, deepinside the earth, these stones and the water met. And the waterboiled, when they met. Where should the steam go? It ran invarious directions and pushed the earth, and the earth movedlike a wave and swayed. The water seethed and seethd in thedepths, then suddenly the water and the steam broke throughto the surface and covered the low places. It couldn't go any further,as there were mountains all around, and that is how LakeBaikal was made. The lake never becomes less, because it is fedfrom under the earth, and they say that its water is connectedto the Arctic Ocean. Long ago old men said that sometimesthe pieces of a boat that was destroyed in Baikal were found inthe Arctic Ocean, and boats that sank in the Arctic were foundfloating in Baikal.217

On Baikal's originSome people say that Baikal is a lake, but most call it a sea. There are legends,which explain the name “Baikal”. The Buryats call it “Baigal”. According to the legendof the Kabansk Buryats, the earth shuddered, a crack was formed, and red flames of fireblazed from it. burning everything around them. People prayed to the gods to stop thedisaster, but the sky did not hear their prayers. So they began to ask “Bai, gal!” (“Fire,stop, please!”). And the fire began to subside when it heard these words. In the place,where it blazed, there was a huge basin, which filled with water. So this huge expanseof water was called “Baigal”.Where did the name “Baikal”come from?The Russians heard long ago that somewhere in the middle of Siberia there was a hugelake. But nobody knew its name. When Russian merchants and later Cossacks crossed theUrals and came to the rivers Ob and Yenisei, they heard that, further to the east, people livearound a lake, where the water boils by day and by night. Those Russians also heard thatthe lake was rich in fish, and animals roamed the coast, and these animals had great valueand had nothing to compare with them anywhere else in the world. So the Cossacks andmerchants hurried on towards the sea-lake, and travelled for miles and miles without sleepingor feeding their horses, losing track of day and night, because they wanted so much tobe the first to reach the lake and see its nature and find why it is waters ceaselessly boiled.The merchants and Cossacks journeyed for years and many of them died on the way,but the survivors eventually came to the Shaman Stone. It blocked the road and screenedthe sunlight, and there was no way around it to right or left, because of the high mountains,so high that if you looked towards their peaks, your hat would fall off and still you wouldnot see the top of them. The Russians stood before the Shaman Stone and saw that theycouldn't reach the sea, even though they could hear it roaring and breaking against cliffs.The merchants grieved and the Cossacks mourned, thinking they had come so far for nothing.They retreated, laid out their tents and began to think how to get round the ShamanStone or round the mountains. But they couldn't come round the mountains, or the seawould swallow them. So the merchants and Cossacks stayed to live so near to the sea-lake,but without any chance of reaching its shore.They stayed there a long time until, to their good fortune, an stranger came to themwho called himself “Buryat”. The Russians asked him to guide them to the coast, lead themaround the sea and show them the land, where they had not yet been. But the Buryat saidnothing, and went off into the forest. The Russians did not make him stay but let him go withGod's blessing. The merchants and Cossacks felt sadness once again, understanding thatthey would die there and none of them knew how many days and months they had beenthere already. They even though of gathering their last strength and attempting to go back,but suddenly the Buryat returned and brought his son with him. He said:“I cannot get round Baikal with you – I'm too old to go round the Shaman Stone, mytime is past. Take my son – he has clear eyes and the legs of a deer.” And the old man wentback to the taiga and his son led the Russians by a new way, brought them to the coast andsaid: “Baigal”.The Russians asked him what it was, and he replied: “In our language it means a place offire – before there was a burning fire here, which made the earth collapse and the sea floodin. Since then we call our sea 'Baigal'”.The Russian liked the name, so they began to call the sea “Baikal”.218

The legend about an omul barrelAccording to the old byryat legend earlier winds-giants – Kultukand Barguzin, old friends – bossed fish lands. They liked visitingeach other, and played with each other and had some fun together.And for their fun they had a wonderful toy – an omul barrel: whereit flew there omuls flew in very big amounts as if they wanted toget into that barrel. This made them have fun a lot. But onceour hercules fell in love with Sarma, a mountain epic-heroine, themistress of the Small sea.She had a very severe character comparing with the ones of Barguzin'sand Kultuk's. Also she was much stronger than they were.They both would like to have a wife like Sarma. And they bothwanted to marry her. But Sarma answered that she would marrythe one who would bring a magic barrel to her first. “I would alsolike to have a lot of omul in my Small sea”. The hercules decidedthat it was a triffling matter, though they didn't want to yield. Andthe barrel got in a very bad condition: it flew and creaked all thetime.At last they managed to catch the barrel, but all over suddenthey stood frozen: no one couldn't make the barrel free – theirforce was equal. But as soon as they decided to fight again, thebarrel somehow disappeared from their hands and it went downthe water...It turned out that Baikal himself took it away to finish thequarrel. And Sarma didn't marry anyone. Till nowadays the giantswindsquarrel with each other who is better, thus arousing waveson the lake.219

The Beauty AngaraA ballet, based on this legend, was written andperformed in the State Ballet and Opera House ofBuryatia in the 20th century. The composers wereLev Knipper, Bau Yampilov, the choreographer wasMikhail Zaslavsky, the set was by Aleksandr Timin,and the main roles were taken by Larisa Sakhyanovaand Petr Abasheev. In 1972 the ballet was awardeda state prize and there have been more than 500performances at the Buryat State Ballet.Long-long ago in our region there was mighty, grey knight, called Baikal.Nobody could equal him in strength and wealth. When he grew angry, hiswaves reached to the mountains and rocks began to crack. Many rivers andstreams were his servants.Old Baikal had only one daughter and hername was Angara. She was the most beautifuldaughter in the world. Her father loved hervery much, but he was strict with her and kepther secluded, deep in his waters, never lettingher out. Angara was very sad and dreamt offreedom.Once, a gull from the Yenisei arrived on theshores of Baikal. The gull landed on a rock and began to tell of the free lifein the Yenisei steppes. The gull told of Sayan and his handsome and gloriousson, Yenisei. Angara heard the gull's story and felt even more sad. Later,Angara also heard about Yenisei from mountain streams and her sadnessgrew even greater.She decided to see Yenisei, come what may. But how could she break freefrom her prison, and the high walls of the palace? She began to pray:Oh, Tengerian Gods,Have mercy on this imprisoned soul,Be not hard and cruelTo me, stranded and helpless.Understand that my youth is being deniedBy my father Baikal.Give me strength and courageTo break free from these walls.220

When Baikal found out that his daughter wanted to run away he lockedher up even more securely and started to look for a husband for Angaraamong his neighbours, because he didn't want his daughter to go far awayfrom him. Old Baikal decided to marry her to the rich and brave Irkut. Hesent his servants for Irkut. When Angara heard of this, she cried bitterly.She begged her father not to marry her to Irkut, whom she didn't love.But her father was firm, and locked Angara away even more deeply andlocked her door with crystal locks.Angara cried again for help. And the mountain streams and riversheard her and decided to help. They started to wash away cliffs and rocksalong the shoreThe wedding night approached and on the night before the wedding,when Old Baikal was sleeping soundly, Angara broke her crystal locksand escaped from her prison. And the brooks and rivers cleared a way forher on the Lake shore. And at last the way was ready. Angara broke loosefrom the walls of stone and rushed to her beloved Yenisei.Old Baikal was awoken by bad dreams. He quickly got up, heard thenoise and realized what had happened. In fury he ran out of his palace,took a rock and threw it after his escaping daughter with a curse.But it was too late. His stone missed Angara, who was already faraway, but it still lies at the place where Angara broke free, and is calledthe Shaman Stone.Old Baikal still wants his runaway daughter back. And if we move theShaman-Stone then Old Baikal will burst his shores and catch up withAngara, flooding everything in his path.221

Where did the Selengatake her name from?It was a long, long time ago. So long time ago that nothing hasremained from those days, except for a report that is passed fromgrandparents to grandsons, and from fathers to sons. In those timethe biggest Tungus clan was wandering on the shore of Baikal,where the Angara begins, not far from where Irkutsk is today. Theywandered across the taiga until they met another tribe. People canalways find a common language, and here it was particular easybecause the two tribes were related. The other tribe were Tungusfrom the Chilchigir clan, who led a nomadic on the northern shoresof Baikal, where the town of Nizheangarsk stands today.The Baikal Tungus got to know the Chilchigirs. And the ChilchigirPrince told them: “Our ancestors, maybe grandparents or greatgrandparentslived here, where you Baikal Tungus are living now.But a misfortune occurred. Our grandfathers went onto Baikal tohunt for seals, but the ice was fragile and their block of ice separatedand drifted away from the shore. They drifted for a very longtime. They crossed the Lake on the block of ice and landed on theother side of Baikal.They couldn't get back, so they had to live in the new place.They found it hard, but they survived and started to hunt again.What else could a Tungus do? Once, while they were hunting theyfound a big river. The hunters went up the river and found anotherriver which flowed into it. Our ancestors explored those rivers fora long time, but they met no one. Those places were deserted,though very rich in birds and animals. But there's no place likehome, and our home is here, where the Shaman Stone protects us.If the Stone is moved, then everything will be flooded.”The Baikal Tungus listened to their relative and asked: “What'sthe name of that big river?”222

“Have a little patience,” the Chilchigir Prince replied. “You willsoon understand.”He looked at them all, saw that he had their attention and continuedhis story:“We lived on the other side for a long time, we got used to thebig river, but we had trouble like our grandfathers. When we werefishing, a terrible thunderstorm began. Our boats were destroyed,and we barely managed to get to the shore that our ancestors hadleft a long time ago.”The Baikal Tungus were curious and they asked about the bigriver's name one more time. The Prince replied that the river hadno name, because people haven't reached that river yet, and onlypeople could give names to rivers.“Where does it flow into?”“Into Baikal” the Prince replied.And then the Baikal Tungus understood that the big river flowsabove Baikal, and rivers like this are called “solonga” in Tungus.Later the Buryats and Russians distorted the word and called theriver “Selenga”The name has remained to this very day. What I have told you isthe truth – I have heard it many times from the Tungus.That's how Selenga got its name, very simply. Nowadays peoplestill give names to nameless rivers based on various things.Each river has its own name.Both the Evenks and the Buryats have similar legends, but thisone seems to be the most full and make the most sense. Magayfirst hard it from a hereditary Baikal Cossack, Ivan Zasadin, at thetime of the Civil War.This is one of the variants that was recorded from Magay's words in February1948. Egor Ivanovich Sorokovnikov-Magay was born into a Buryat-Russianfamily in the village of Taloye (Tunkinsky District) in the Republic of Buryatia. Hisfather's ancestors were Buryats, from whom he took his second generic name,“Magay”, which is a name from legend. His father was a hunter, a violinist, andan expert on fairytales. Egor Ivanovich received most of his repertoire from hisfather. In the 1930s he was admitted as a member of the Writers' Union of theUSSR. Shortly before his death he was awarded the title of Honored Artist ofthe Buryat Republic.223

Buryat Folk Fairy talesHow lions died out in SiberiaA long time ago there were lions living in Siberia. They were shaggy andovergrown with long hair and they were not afraid of the cold.Once a lion met a wolf and asked:– Where are you running to as if you were crazy?– I am scared that I will be killed !– And who has put such fear into you?– A man who sneezes loudly. He sneezed once and killed my brother,the second time my sister, and the third time he wounded my leg. You see,I am limping.The lion growled, so that the mountains shook and the sky wept.– Where is this man who sneezes loudly? I will tear him to pieces! I willthrow his head over the distant mountain and his legs to right and to left.– Don't even think of it! He won't spare even you! Run for your life!The lion took him by the throat:– Show him to me or I will strangle you!And they started off. On their way they met little shepherd-boy.– Is it him? – asked the lion.– No, it isn't. He has not grown up yet!They came to the steppe. On a hill there was a tired old man, who wastending a herd.– Is it him? The lion bared his teeth and grinned.– No, it isn't. He is already too old.They went further. And suddenly they met a hunter on a fast horse. Hehad a weapon over his shoulders. The lion didn't have time to ask the wolfa question, because the hunter took his gun and fired a shot. The lion's longhair caught fire. The lion ran off and the wolf followed him. They stopped ina dark ravine. The lion rolled on the ground and growled madly.The wolf asked him:– He sneezes strongly, doesn't he?– Shut up! You see, I am naked! I have only my mane left and the tuftsof hair on my tail. I am shivering with cold.– And where can we run to escape the loud-sneezer?– Go to the forest!The wolf disappeared into the furthest forest, but the lion ran to a hotcountry, to a desert.224

A mouse and a camelOnce a very big and very foolish camel argued with a small but veryclever mouse.– I will see the sunrise before you! – said the camel.– No, I will see it first! – answered the mouse.– Really? But you are not bigger than my eyelash. I am a mountain incomparison with you! You can't compete with me!They argued the point again and again, and eventually they decided tosee who was right.They waited for the morning.The camel thought to himself:– I am a hundred times bigger than this mouse. So, I will see the sunrisea hundred times quicker. And as the earth is round, wherever the sun risesfrom, I will see it in any case.The foolish camel! He did not know that the sun always rises in the east.The camel turned to the south and began waiting. And the little mouseclimbed onto the camel's hump and started looking to the east:– There is the sun! I have seen it before you! How foolish you are! – themouse shouted, and jumped down to the ground.The camel turned round and saw that the sun had already risen. Itseemed to be laughing at him. He became angry terribly – with the mouse,of course, not with himself. He chased the mouse, wanting to trample her.But the clever mouse managed to hide in the ashes of yesterday's fire.Since then the camel always lies down and rolls in ashes every time hesees them. He smears himself from head to feet and feels very pleasedwith himself, because he think s that he is quits with the wretched mouse.So the little mouse was cleverer than the big camel. That's why the Buryatscall the first month of the year “the month of the mouse”.225

A horse and a red deerIn ancient times the red deer had four eyes. He was proudof it, and he also thought that he was the fastest animal on fourlegs.Once the red deer met a horse and said to him:– You can run very well, but nevertheless you are not so fast:you never will catch up with me!– You are wrong! - said the horse, - I will catch up with you!– And how will you do it? – asked the red deer.– I will put a man on my back and tell him to ride me. Then Iwill catch up with you.The red deer laughed and said:– You will not catch up with me whatever you do! Especiallywith a man on your back!They made a bet and set the time of the race. The red deerwent to pasture and gather strength.And the horse went to a man and said:– Sit down on me and ride me! We will race with the reddeer!– All right! – answered the man.The horse and the red deer met in the open field on theappointed a day and they raced.First the red deer was ahead, but the man began goading thehorse, so the horse caught up with the red deer and left himbehind.The red deer wept bitterly in shame. And he cried so hardand so long, that he sobbed out two of his four eyes. Since thenall red deer have marks below their eyes. These are traces of thecry-eyes.A hare and a snowThe snow said to a hare:– I have a headache.– You are thawing, and that is probably why you have a headache,- answered the hare. He sat down on a tree stump andwept bitterly:– I am so sorry for you, snow. .. I hid myself in you and hidfrom the fox, the wolf and the hunter. And how will I live withoutyou? Any raven and any owl will see me and peck me todeath. I will go to the master of the forest and ask him to saveyou for me.But the sun was high and was shining hot. The snow thawedand ran from the mountains.The hare pined and cried louder. The master of the forestheard the hare. He listened to his request and said:– I will not argue with the sun and I can't preserve snow. ButI will change your white coat for a grey one. In the summer youwill easily hide among dry leaves, brushes and grass.The hare was delighted with this. Now he always changes hiswhite winter coat for a summer one.226

Our love for Baikal: Poems about the LakeBaikalI. SeveryaninI've dreamt of Baikal since my childhood,And at last I've seen Baikal.We sailed over it and the mountain ridges flashed,And the cedars looked down from the cliffs.I remember many different storiesAnd many songsOf this lake-like sea,Of this Holy Baikal.We sailed from one pier to the next.Evening came. It was cold. The time was in May.We took a train and went away.We went to China in that blue train.Many times my soul has pined,Wishing to come back again.I still do not know Baikal:To see it is not to know it.Baikal is beneath me now.N.DamdinovFrom the mountain-topI try to encompass the smoothnessOf its glittering, fairly-tale immensity.Here from the cliff I can see,Where Chersky once stood,Over there a breath of wind,Brings a leisurely wave to life:Probably the BarguzinRuffled the water,And waves rush to the foot of the cliffsLike a flock of swans.They are without number,without end Numerous, endless amid the silence.The carefree wave-song murmurs unceasingFor millions of yearsAmid the dumb silence of mountains.And the song does not seem too long,I could listen to it forever.I've forgotten about tomorrow,I can't worry about my descendants!Holy Baikal, darkening with rage,Punish me like a boy...227

D.UlzituevThe Baikal SongD.ZhalsaraevYou said: “How beautiful Baikal is!”If I am as you say,This virginal beauty was gifted to meBy the flowering earth.This song is washed by my wavesAnd taken up by the cedars.You said “Baikal is crystal-clear…”.If I am as you said,The purity of crystal waters were made blueBy the transparent vault of heaven.This song is washed by my wavesAnd taken up by the gulls.You said “How powerful Baikal is!”.If I am as you said,This fairy-tale riot of strengthWas given me by Great Geser`s breath.This song is washed by my wavesAnd taken up by the cliffs.You said “The bottomless depths of Baikal”.If I am as you said, I owe my depthTo the golden soul of the people.This song is washed by my waves,And bursts forth from my heart.HomecomingOh, Baikal,The eyes of my mountain land,I have returned to youFrom far away!The light-chestnut horses' legsGallop and gallopAcross you.Huge clouds sail over you.Exiled in great citiesI pined for yourLow, saddle-like, springing waves,The dashing strength ofTuneful Russian wordsUnexpectedlyPowerfullySuddenly wells up inside me.Baikal, I bring youA low bow of reverenceFrom Mother Volgaand fair-haired birch trees!The ground rose to meet meOn all sides;I have brought my heartTo you, my wind and mountains!A blue haze shinesIn the foggy distanceAnd ships sail peacefullyAcross it.Again the gulls are flyingOver the glassy water.The blue arch of heavenIs reflected in the face of the deep.…On roads and highwaysI often dreamtOf seeing Baikal first quiet,Then threatening.And now I see it: the water is blueness.Islands of white cloudsAre reflected in its surface.A blue haze shinesIn the foggy distance… The road calls me again,But to part with the Lake is suchsorrow!228

E. GolubevBaikalI was born and raised in backwoodsIn secret woods of the Urals,Where nightingale's song was heardIn a night above the Kama,Where standing on a ridge,Passing through thick mist,You see shine of oriental lakesAnd Western Russia's margin.I thought the best placeAll over the world is the Urals,But when I saw the Baikal-The first time I doubted it.…The train was going, passing byMargin, woods and stopped.I see a glorious lake-The sacred Baikal.I look down- there's blue lakeI look up- there's blue sky,Only white clouds aboveFloat quietly,Only gulls fly aboveStark water.Only in the skyThere is a golden Sun limb.And it looks, can't see enoughIn the mirror of the waters,Grey mountains, majesticBig round dance.High giantsStark graniteThe blue of this abyss,As a mystery, it keeps.In the foggy distanceBlue mirage is shiningAnd peacefully are goingThe ships on it.Again the gulls are flyingAbove the glassy water.The blue arch of heavenIs reflected in the face of water.…In the roads and waysI frequently dreamtSee the lake first quiet,See the lake then horrified.And have seen: the water is blueness.Islands of white cloudsAre reflected in surface.In the foggy distanceBlue mirage is shiningBut the road is calling,And it is a pity to part with the lake!Having dreamt about frredom,Baikal will break out,Frothing its waves,Splashing at the cliffs.It will hit with big waveInto the chest of capes.The giants don't standLike a granite wall.It urges onto the mountain the cloudsWith a thuderstorm,But the the thunderstom is weak,Like an old man's hand.229

Bibliography and recommended literature1. Abaev N. V, etc. Ecological traditions in the culture of the people of Central Asia. – Novosibirsk.1992. – 120 p.2. Babueva V. D. Material and spiritual culture of the Buryats. – Ulan-Ude. – 2004. – 228 p.3. Belikov V.V. The Evenks of Buryatia: past and present. – Ulan-Ude. – 1994. – 38 p.4. Greater encyclopaedic dictionary of Siberia and the Far East. - Krasnoyarsk, v. 1, 2011 623 p.5. Budaeva T.B. Ethno-ecological traditions: past and present. – Ulan-Ude. – 2003. – 192 p.6. The Buryats // editor L.L.Abaeva, N.L.Zhukovsky. – Moscow. – 2004. – 633 p.7. Galazy G.I. Baikal in questions and answers. – Irkutsk. – 2004. – 304 p.8. Goldfarb S.I. The World of Baikal. – Irkutsk. – 2010. – 632 p.9. Grachev M. A. The current state of Lake Baikal's ecological system. – Novosibirsk. – 2002. – 153 p.10. Gurulev S.A. What is in your name, Baikal? – Novosibirsk. – 1982. – 120 p.11. Damdinov D.G. Traditions and legends of ethnic Buryatia. Toponomy and cultural science. –Ulan-Ude. – 2009. – 170 p.12. Dorzhiev T. Z, Namzalov B.-TS. Baikal. The living natural world. – Ulan-Ude. – 2001. – 156 p.13. Fauna of Buryatia: (structure and distribution of land vertebrates) [Text]: school-book for a specialcourse / Ts.Z.Dorzhiev, G.M.Habaeva, B.O.Jumov; Ministry of Education of the Russian SovietSocialist Republic, Irkutsk State Pedagogical Institute - Irkutsk: 1986. – 201 p.14. Zhukovskaya N.L. Categories and symbols of the traditional culture of the Mongols. – Moscow.1988. – 196 p.15. Imethenov A.B. Baikal's natural sanctuaries. – Novosibirsk. – 1991. – 159 p.16. Maladaeva O. K, Babikov V. A. The natural world of our native land. – Ulan-Ude. – 2006. – 95 p.17. Neronov J. V, Pronin I. I, etc. Fish and fisheries in Buryatia. – Ulan-Ude. – 2003. – 35 p.18. Rasputin V.G. The land around Baikal. – Irkutsk. – 2008. – 416 p.19. Plants and animals in land ecosystems [Text] / Buryat State University, Institute of Ecology. -Ulan-Ude: Publishing house of BSU, 2003. - 178 p. - (The Baikal ecological bulletin; v. 3).ISBN 5-85213-744-820. Fish of Lake Baikal and its basin //Pronin N.M., Matveev A.N., etc. – Ulan-Ude. – 2007. – 284 p.21. Taiga footpath: verses for children / I.I.Molchanov-Sibirsky; illustrated by N.V.Shabalin. - Irkutsk:OGIS, 1948.22. Tulohonov A. K Worlds of Baikal's depths: results and reflexions. – Ulan-Ude. – 2010. – 80 p.23. The flora and fauna of nature reserves. – Moscow. – 2000. – v. 91 – 180 p.24. Ecological research concerning Baikal and Baikal region. – Irkutsk. – 1992. – part 1. – 224p. –part 2. – 120p.25. Eliasov L. Magician of the Siberian fairytale//Baikal № 3. – Ulan-Ude: the Buryat book publishinghouse, 1968. – pp.147-148.230

Reference books26. Baikal: its nature and people//An encyclopaedic directory// editor A.K.Tulohonov. – Ulan-Ude. –2009. – 608 p.27. The Baikal ecological bulletin. – Ulan-Ude. – 2003. – 179 p.28. Greater encyclopaedic dictionary of Siberia and the Far East. – Krasnoyarsk. – v. 1. – 2003. – 623 p.29. Red Book of the Republic of Buryatia: plants and fungi. – Novosibirsk.-2002– 340 p.30. Red Book of the Republic of Buryatia: rare and vanishing animal species. – Ulan-Ude. – 2005. –328 p.31. Treasures of the culture of Buryatia. – S-pb. – 2008. – 320 p.Imaginative literature32. Angabaev S. Legend of the sable land. – Ulan-Ude. – 2000. – 232 p.33. Baikal legends and traditions // editor L.E.Eliasov – Ulan-Ude. – 1984. – 256 p.34. Buryat national fairy tales//made by B.S.Dugarov. – Ulan-Ude. – 2002. – 455 p.35. Buryat national fairy tales about animals. – Novosibirsk. – 2000. – 304 p.36. Buryat national fairy tales: magic and everyday. Everyday. – Ulan-Ude. – 2008. – 188 p.37. Dugarov B. S. The string of earth and sky. Poems. – Ulan-Ude. – 2008. – 360 p.38. Zhalsaraev D.Z. Soul of the earth// Collection of poems. – Moscow. – 1982. – 230 p.39. Тakhteev V.V. A sea of riddles: stories about Lake Baikal. – Irkutsk. – 2001. – 160 p.40. Buryad shulegey baglaa // assembled by Ts.-A. Dugarnimayev and others. – Ulaan-Ude. – 1983.– 351 p.41. Khabarai gerel // assembled by V/K/Petonov. – Ulaan-Ude. - 1990. – 156 p.42. Bednarz Klaus, Ballade vom Baikalsee. Gebundene Ausgabe.- Europa-Verlag.1999, 383 p.43. Bronmark, Christer and Hansson, Lars-Anders. The Biology of Lakes and Ponds (Biology of Habitats).- Oxford University Press, USA. - 2 edition. – 2005. - 596 p.44. Bull, Bartle B. Around the Sacred Sea: Mongolia and Lake Baikal on Horseback. – CanongateU.S. – 2001. – 224 p.45. Heike Mall und Roger Just, Baikal - See und Region. Broschiert.- Reise Know-How VerlagRump, 2007, 528 p.46. Hirschmann, Kristine. Extreme Places - The Deepest Lake. - KidHaven Press. – 1 edition. –2002. – 48 p.47. Matthiessen, Peter, Baikal - Sacred Sea of Siberia Taschenbuch - Sierra Club Books.- 1995.48. Minoura, Koji. Lake Baikal: A Mirror in Time and Space for Understanding Global Change Processes.- Elsevier Science. – 2000. – 348 p.49. Thielke, Gerhard / Resch, Jurgen, Lebendige Seen - Living Lakes - Lagos vivos.–Verlag Stadler, Konstanz ,2000, 192 s.50. Venable, Sondra. - Protecting Lake Baikal: Environmental Policy Making in Russia's Transition. –VDM Verlag. – 2008. – 196 p.231

E-resources1. http://az-kozin.narod.ru / antology.html2. http://baikalstyle.ru3. http://www.baikal-asia.com / baik23.html4. http://tonkosti.ru / Национальные_парки_Республики_Бурятия5. http://www.magicbaikal.ru / info / reserves.htm6. http://ru.wikipedia.org / wiki232