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Bolshoe Goloustnoe Village
The "Peschanaya Bay Sennaya Bay" Trail
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Member of project
1. Jonathan Tardif (Canada)
2. Lee Simon Johnson (England)
3. Matthew Robinson (USA)
4. Peter J.A. Bogaert (Belgium)
5. Stephen O' Callaghan (Ireland)
6. Shawn Bedell (USA)
7. Maksimova Aleksandra (Irkutsk)
8. Ogorodnikova Tanya (Irkutsk)
9. Henk Birnbaum (Bolsoe Goloustnoe)
10. Vorotinchev Viktor (Bolsoe Goloustnoe) |
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The trail runs directly along the shore of Lake
Baikal. Its extent is about 10 km. The trail's path contains a
hilly relief, expressed in the frequent ups and downs. The steepness
of the slopes in some places is as much as 45 degrees. The trail
traverses two sandy bays, neither large in size (one of these,
Grandmother Bay, has been declared a natural monument),  which
are popular among vacationers. Several problems have arisen connected
with this fact: waste disposal, topsoil erosion, insufficient
firewood for campfires, etc. Approximately 50% of the trail runs
along a ridge 20 to 50 meters above water level. On this ridge
the trail winds through sections of rocky outcroppings. The recreational
load on this section on average consists of up to 1000 people
per season.
This section of the trail has all the major characteristics
of the Pribaikalski landscape: steep slopes, rocky outcroppings,
midsized bays, and frequent ups and downs. It is close to two
tourist bases, and because of the large amount of unorganized
tourism, the section is in considerable demand. Several points
of the trail are entirely without plant cover, which not only
aggravates the erosion but also weakens the trail tread.
On the first and last day of the project, the
participants stayed in Bolshoe Goloustno e
Village in bed-and-breakfasts. While working, the volunteers resided
for free on the territory of the Pribaikalski National Park in
the cordon of the Sennaya Bay.
Participants were brought from Bolshoe Goloustnoe
and back on the cutter Yaroslavets.
The following types of work were carried
out on the trail:
The trail was reinforced by increasing its width
to 0.5 meters for 8 of the 10 km section.
1. In places where erosion was increasing, especially
on slopes close to the water, the slopes were reinforced by using
large stones. The length of the trail: 3 km.
2. Two kilometers of new trail was worked over
and cleared in order to redirect traffic, with the goal of decreasing
erosion and growing plant cover on the old sections.
3. Drainage ditches were established on steep
parts of the trail, which will help decrease erosion and facilitate
the growth of plant cover.
4. 12 people took part in the work, of whom 4
represented Russia and 8 represented far-off lands: England, Belgium,
and the USA. In all the work comprised 144 person-days or 864
person-hours. All the work was done on a volunteer bases.
Director of the Project Hank Birnbaum
Coordinator of the Project Victor Vorotintsev
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