American partner, Earth Island Institute, was found in 1982 as a non-profit organization and its main goal is providing organizational support in developing innovative projects for the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the global environment.

Earth Island Institute is a head management organization ("umbrella-style" organization) and it runs more than 30 regional and international projects. Its annual budget is about $000.00. It is filled by 30% - donations of the members, 55% - private foundations, 15% - government sources. In last years more than $000 was received as sub-grants from Agency of International Cooperation of the USA for our work in Russia under the patronage of such groups as IREX-Span, Education Developing Academy and Save the Children foundation.
For doing this work in 1990s Earth Island established project Baikal Watch, and its goal is to help the restoration of Baikal's native flora and fauna and its great Siberian environment. Through the network of Russian and international environmentalists Baikal Watch has helped to draw attention to the problems of Lake Baikal. During doing this work a lot of tourists and tourist organizations were involved and the idea is to develop ecotourism as an alternative solution to less eco friendly industry in this region.
Earth Island Institute has accomplished a great deal toward the promoting and the developing of ecotourism in Russia. A few of its most important accomplishments include:

· Organization and support of more than 100 eco-tours and for dozens scientific and professional exchange programs to the Eastern Russia. These projects have left more than $800.00 in profits in the hands of the local communities and organizations, including money for financially strapped national parks and nature reserves in Siberia. (Earth Island Institute didn't receive any profit from these tours).

· Informational support and training to ecotourism guides and other specialists from all over Russia (here in the USA Baikal Watch was visited by more then 20 Russian organizations and focus of these visits is establishing ecotourism efficiently but productive for Russia)

· The publishing and the publishing support for books, television and radio programs, newspaper articles, etc about Siberia and East Russia including the photo-album-journal (now published in 10 different languages) by our members, journalist Peter Matthiessen and photo artist Boyd Norton.

· Baikal Watch has been responsible for leading and advising groups ranging from the World Bank, Parks Canada, the US State Department, and the Forest Service of the USA, National Park Service and other governmental and NGO groups in their expertise and financial support of ecotourism in Baikal Region. (As result of this work each of these groups has invested millions dollars in ecotourism and other related projects, also a lot of work has been done in East Russia).

· Support for, and the coordination of, conferences and other programs for many of western organizations who are willing to work in Russia - from the World Bank to small groups like Sustainable Environmental Development, Sierra Club and Tahoe-Baikal Institute. These projects have created model ecotourism programs in the Baikal Region and have helped to establish long-term partnerships between Russian and American groups.

Russian partner - The Federation for Sport Tourism and Mountaineering of the Buryat Republic (FSTMBR) and organizations-members: Support Center of Regional Tourism of the Buriat Regional Department of Baikal (Ulan-Ude city), Green (Irkutsk city), Ustie (Bol'shoe Goloustnoe vilage), "SHTAO" (Severobaikal'sk city), "Podlemorie" (Ust'-Bargusin vilage) and others.

The FSTMBR contains 250 active members. Through members support, and ecotourism practice the FSTMBR is able to get financial aid and create teams that are intensively developing and establishing coordination, training, and other opportunities for members and colleagues in the government and business.

In addition to eco-tours with Earth Island Institute, FSTMBR members organized many tours with partners from other countries. They work with German company Hauser Ekskursionen. Last summer two Baikal trail tours were organized for elderly German tourists. In 2002 season FSTMBR is going to organize 4 tours from Germany, one of them will be group of journalists, and also group from American company Mountain Travel Sobec. As result of this work German partners intend to invest money in creation of new parts of the trail.

Now FSTMBR concentrates its efforts in bringing more eco tourists to Baikal, including during the winter. Also in addition to working on Great Baikal Trail project FSTMBR successfully works in two nation-wide projects: "Selenga-national River" and "Munko-Sardik- national mountain".

FSTMBR plans to get additional international support for this project for building new parts of the Great Baikal Trail.

Annual budget of FSTMBR in 2001 was about $000.00. It is filled by 32% - foundation support (mainly USAID), 49% - earned by ecotourism, 10% - earned by steeplejack works, 4% - government sources, 5%- private and members donations.
From the start of the project partnership was expanded by involving the Forest Service of Lake Tahoe, Tahoe-Baikal Institute, "USDA International Forest Stewardship Exchange" and community members.

Project scheduled for one year.

Grant sum - $604.00.