Russian

Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation

Federal State Budget Institution
“State Nature Reserve “Wrangel Island””

Address:	689400, Kuvaeva street, 23, Pevek city Chukotka Autonomous Region
Fax/Tel.:	(427-37) 4-15-35
Tel.:	(427-37) 4-15-12
E-mail:	islandwrangel@mail.ru
Director:	Alexander Gruzdev;
E-mail:	gruzdevar@mail.ru

HOW TO GET TO THE NATURE RESERVE

New book of famous Russian photographer Sergey Gorshkov "Wrangel Island" was published.
With the discount code arctic30 everyone will get 30 % discount from the prices. Same code works with single books and the package of both English books.
The code arctic30 must be filled in the check out before paying and one will get the discount automaticly.
Remember to mention the code arctic30 for your followers on Facebook etc., that is how they will get the 30 % discount.

News

Tourism to Vrangel Island in figures.
More than 1500 foreign tourists visited the island during the last six seasons. Mainly tourists came from Germany, Australia, Switzerland, the USA and France. However, the number of Russian tourists does not cede: there are 139 our compatriots who preferred Arctic. Just to list few countries the tourists come to Vrangel Island from to enjoy Russian exotics, there are Luxemburg, Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zeeland, Singapore, Taiwan.

Ecological tourism is becoming more and more popular
More than 1500 foreign tourists visited the island duriThe 27th of September is the International Tourism Day.
The summer tourist season in the Reserve has started July 16 and lasted till August 29. This year 6 tourist boats have moored to the pier of the Reserve. More than 300 tourists from over the world Russia inclusive have explored endless ices of Arctic with great interest.
In total, the tourist program of the Reserve offers 9 ecological excursion routes across the island.
On-ground tourist groups, within the framework of the prima cruise ships, experienced and enjoyed the route “Somnitelnaya Bay – Tundrovy Peak – Drem-Khed” by all-wheel drive vehicle “Trekol”. Such a kind of tourism is notable with close contact with the nature without interfering into it. The tourists could sight musk buffaloes – coevals of the mammoth who continued inhabiting the island even 6 thousand years after the official date of their extinction, snow goose regular nesting spot, admire the beauty of the Red Book snowy owl, catch on video playing blue fox littling. The most delighting for that cold summer was the blossoming tundra.
While crossing ice fields the tourists rather often faced the symbol of the island – the polar bear, - in its natural living place. The curious Arctic animal was many times caught on cameras by the tourists impressed by its size and beauty. The Pacific walrus, fjord seal, bearded seal, for which the sea ice is a favorite recreation place, were also met while floating the sea.
Now the tourist season is closed but next year the island, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, will open it again for those who appreciate the fragile beauty of the Arctic nature.

Save Polar Bear
The International Scientifically-Practical Conference “Polar Bear Universe” and the 10th session of the Russian-American Committee took place in Egvekinot settlement of the Iultinsk Region of the Chukotka Autonomous Region within the framework of the inter-governmental agreement on protection of the Chukotka-Alaska Polar Bear Population.
Scientists reported on the up-to-date achievements in the field of the Chukotka-Alaska Polar Bear Population research. The reports on analyzing new biological data of the population state, its quantity and habitation areola borders change due to the climatic fluctuation were debriefed.
< Presented at the reports biological, satellite, meteo- and hydrological data and ice maps allowed identifying in details the red-book animal habitation areola borders in the Chukchee Sea and adjoining equatorials, their number and other parameters.br> Alexander R. Gudsev, Ph.D.Biology, the Director of the Reserve, also participated in this work.

Tourists arrive at the Reserve Bays
The reserve started to receive the first in this year touristic boats (in particular, the first run of “Professor Khromov”). Tourists from different countries (New Zeeland, the Netherlands, Australia, the Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the USA, Slovenia and Russia) have visited Vrangel Island North Reserve.

Save your planet – you will never have another one.
Last week Vrangel Island Reserve held several events dedicated to the Egologist Day and International Environment Defense Day. On the 6th of June “Save your planet – you will never have another one” event took place in the information center of the Reserve. The meeting started with the history of these special days appearing and gradually faded into an ecological game. Attendants answered different questions and participated in different competitions. A little bit later Olga Procopenko, an ornithologist, Pavel Kaurov, an ecologist and Julia Makarenko, a third-year student, joined the event as specially invited guests representing North Biological Problems Institute (FEB RAS, Magadan). They take part in an expedition to study synanthropic population of eiders and other birds in the vicinity of Pevek and Apapelguino settlement. Olga Prokopenko fascinatingly told about the life of the feathered representatives of the Anseriformes, about eiders and about the expedition itself in her presentation “Arctic Birds and Their Live in Pevek”. Pavel Kaurov shared interesting facts about ecological concerns in Arctic, in particular, in Chukotka and the way these concerns affect the flora and fauna.
Artamonova Ekaterina, the Head of Ecological Enlightening Department of the Reserve, held an event “Learn your region, love and care it”, dedicated to the International Environment Defense Day and Ecologist Day, in the children garden “Golden Key” on the 8th of June. From that event children got to know where those Days originated from and their purpose, what ecology was and about care for nature. The children participated in different interesting and useful competitions and games addressed to the environment protection and Red Book animals and plants.

International Day of biological diversity
The 22th of May is International Biological Diversity Day. However this unique Day has a sad tinge, for only in Russia there are more than 65 animal specious which are extinct or close to being extinct, let alone the rare floral forms. The scientists say the major cause of the extinction is human activity in the earth which upsets the biological balance. People treat the planet recklessly, have consumer attitude to its resources. Early or later such an attitude will bring to tragic consequences. Peopling new territories, meliorating natural water reservoirs, cutting forests, manufacturing, hunting rare floral forms – all this irrevocably affects the nature. Upsetting biological balance is equally dangerous for the flora, fauna and human population. It is high time that we cared for the ecology and took improving measures. Treat the nature carefully.

Museum night
This year the Museum Night has come a week earlier – on the 12th of May and coincided with two ecological dates – Ecological Enlightenment Day and World Day of Migrating Birds. The state natural reserve “Vrangel Island” also participated in this Night. Ekaterina Artamonova, the Head of the Ecological Enlightenment Department, told about the migrating bird of Chukotka and Vrangel Island, about the difference between sea and tundra birds, owl male and female, about the harm of domestic waste, in particular, plastic. As well a documentary record on the realm of birds was demonstrated. That record was a unique one as the birds were shot at flight without any special effect. It took three years and five hundred specialists from all over the world to make that movie with the help of flying devices.
As a part of that event there were an excursion to the depository, narrating on and demonstrating the museum collection documents, plunge-into exhibition dedicated to the reindeer-breeding people, their traditions, dances, holy-fire gaining and evil spirits ward off by knocking at the tembrel named yarar, a concert of lyric verses and songs by Soviet and Russian authors performed by Tatiana Dolzhikova, Alexandra Chigrina and Irina Mishina.

The second spring ride to Arctic island
Apart from inspectors guarding and monitoring the Island all the year round, the research scientists start their work only in spring. On Friday, April 27th Uliana Baby, a research scientist of the reserve, and Basil Baranyuk, the snow goose major scholar, started off for Island to continue monitoring the only remaining is Eurasia colony. The snow goose has been monitoring since 1969, and the current season is the 49th. This is a unique population research.
The work in the island is humming since the beginning of the spring: in the middle of March Gennady Fedorov, Vladimir Mazanov and Yuri Balantsev, the employees of the Security Department, and Pavel Kulemev, a new employee, as headed by Alexander Grusdev, the Reserve Director, started off for the Island. This season Pavel is to monitor the population of the hoofed, and count fin-footed to the possible degree. All of them will stay in the Island till October. In March and April generic dens have already been revised. There are so many plans whereas the season only seems to be long. During this half a year the scientists by means of joined efforts collect information on the key objects of the monitoring such as the polar bear, snow goose, moskus buffalo, sea bird colonies, water courses, phenological observations and many others.
Anastasia Petukhova, the Methodist, also joined the group to monitor the condition of historical-cultural and touristic objects. In the hunter house at Somnitelnaya base, where Ivan Petrovich, an island aborigine, lived, it is planned to create and equip an informational center to enable tourists and guests to see the housekeeping and day-to-day life of the island inhabitants in the middle of the XX century. In 2018 there are totally seven touristic boats to anchor in the island aquatic area.
May our colleagues have a successful field season this year.