Trail Log 1995-1997 - Lamar at Colorado State University

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The Baikalsk Cellulose Paper Plant was placed here in 1996, to make (hopefully) a super cellulose for aircraft tires, by Khrushchev, though that never worked out. Synthetic rubbers got better instead. In 1904, a railway track was laid across the ice, and 2,000 flatcars and 65 locomotives transferred to the front. Burhats are Mongols, living here since before the 13th century. The boundary between Russia and Mongolia (then part of China) was drawn in 1727. The Angara River runs through a series of colossal dams, built by Khrushchev in the 1960's. The Angara joins the Yenisey and then flows into the Kara Sea. If all its 336 tributaries dried up, its volume could keep the Angara River flowing 400 years. The pollution levels (owing to its size and remoteness) are still much lower than that lakes of Europe and North America. There are also coal-fired plants in towns like Slyudyanka, causing acid rain. Three tectonic plates intersect seismically. There is a seismically measurable earthquake every few hours, most too weak to feel. In 1861, a huge quake sank 310 sq. km. of the Selenga delta into the earth. There is a Limnological Institute in Irkutsk. The shamanist God Burkhan is offered vodka for protection. They did this regularly on the trip and make quite a joke of it. Lake Tahoe is said by many to resemble Lake Baikal, though Lake Tahoe is only 10,000 years old and has two endemic species. Lake Baikal is over 25 million years old and has 1,500 endemics. It has a limnological process that carries oxygen to the deepest parts of the lake, and so has more life at depths than one would expect. One shrimp, Epischura baicalensis strains out algae and bacteria resulting in especially pure water. The Baikalsk cellulose plant pollutes 200 sq. km. with a bacteria and has devastated bottomdwelling organisms. The Selenga River, a 1,480 km. long tributary, supplies half the water flowing into Baikal, and is laden with wastes from three Mongolian cities, as well as from Ulan Ude, the Burhat capital. The Nerpa is a river that presently rises nearby but does not now connect with the lake. It turns north to flow into the Arctic. Olkhon, the largest island, is quite dry, in the rain shadow of the Primorsky Range. Often there is no snow in winter. 4,000 people, 500 are Buryat, live on the island. There was a forced labor camp here in Stalinist times. end of notes from the National Geographic article.
Communism unraveled, and that, we think, was a good thing, but the nation that Communism did hold together unraveled, and that is a tragic thing, bringing enormous hardship, if also hope for a more democratic and prosperous future. Their unpainted houses with blue shutters are still hauntingly symbolic. Lake Baikal (and Siberia in general) is an environmental battleground. Afterward, a walk to the solar observatory. Aquilegia, columbine Maianthemum a Rhododendron, which looks like what we call Azalea. We took a considerable hike up to the telescope. Looked at the solar prominences in the telescope, which you could see well. Daurian redstart, a female, on the way back. Daur, the Daurs, a people of the Amur River basin, related to the Manchus, Manchurians. Lunch at Hotel Baikal, then to the Church of St. Nicholas. Then boarded the boat, the M/V Zaisan. It was built originally for towing logs. My briefcase got carried down on the smaller boat, and I had to spend some time finding where it was. The cabin is about 7 1/2 x 10 feet, with four in the cabin. I have an upper berth that is not easy to get into. There is a shower on board, two toilets. Victor's daughter is on board, Anna Kuzevanova, high school age. The small boat has a centrifugal force windshield in the center, a round glass that rotates to spin off the water in a raging storm. We put in for the night at Peschanya Bay (means Sandy Bay). Mew gulls I walked ashore with Mort, and climbed up to a gazebo overlook. June 22, Sunday. Large numbers of caddis flies on the boardwalk. I took a walk before breakfast, in some pines back of the buildings on shore. Eurasian nuthatch, nicely seen. After breakfast, the group took a walk ashore at Peschanya Bay. Elena Kossovich is quite good with the flora, and sharp with the mosses. Rosa acicularis Sorbus sibirica a Rowan tree, like mountain ash Rhododendron dahuricum. Looks like an azalea. Has pink flowers in May Dushekia fruticosa, formerly Alnus, alder. They have separated this one out.
Page 1 and 2:
Trail Log 1995-1997 Holmes Rolston,
Page 3 and 4:
1995 January 4, 1995. Wednesday. Ad
Page 5 and 6:
"Winnow" - the root is wind, vent,
Page 7 and 8:
Worker's Directory. He gave me a co
Page 9 and 10:
7 year. Leaving the hospital comple
Page 11 and 12:
9 Bougainvillaea. Many kinds, all w
Page 13 and 14:
11 Gerenuk - a very long necked ant
Page 15 and 16:
13 I took a bird walk on my own, as
Page 19 and 20:
15 francolins egret, unidentified e
Page 21 and 22:
17 2 males, old males 3 females, wi
Page 24 and 25:
19 somewhat better on the return tr
Page 26 and 27:
21 mahogany trees wild fig trees ga
Page 28 and 29:
Continuing, we crossed a long, flat
Page 30 and 31:
25 50 zebras 1,000 zebras on one si
Page 32 and 33:
27 impala giraffe and baby zebras c
Page 34 and 35:
29 Robin chat stone chat northern d
Page 39 and 40:
31 We drove back around in the lake
Page 41 and 42:
33 small park. Jane Goodall's resea
Page 43 and 44:
35 July 6. Thursday, continued. Met
Page 45 and 46:
37 July 10. Monday. Drove to Kruger
Page 47 and 48:
39 The guides go first, Jan up fron
Page 49:
But it was getting dark and we didn
Page 54:
43 Lions roaring as we got up in th
Page 57 and 58:
45 little egret giant kingfisher pi
Page 59 and 60:
47 At Skukuza, I separated from Joh
Page 61 and 62:
stand your ground. Be bold and nois
Page 63 and 64:
51 Red-billed woodhoopoe, with call
Page 65:
53 we found a rhino horn (pix), whi
Page 69 and 70:
55 giant kingfisher darter (anhinga
Page 71 and 72:
57 distance away to the four winds.
Page 73 and 74:
59 We were visited that evening by
Page 75 and 76:
61 the township with an enrollment
Page 77 and 78:
63 University of Cape Town. Lovely
Page 79 and 80:
65 the trashiest of all. Afternoon.
Page 81 and 82:
67 August 16. Wednesday. Day of mee
Page 83 and 84:
69 momentary. Went in to the Shelte
Page 85 and 86:
71 on the limousine down. December
Page 87 and 88:
73 birds than we thought we might r
Page 89 and 90:
lawn). A near relative is Araucaria
Page 91 and 92:
water supplies are put in a couple
Page 93 and 94:
track in the snow. We left about 11
Page 95 and 96:
4 coyotes in snow. 1 immature bald
Page 97 and 98:
Two coyotes came down the road in f
Page 99 and 100:
Spain, surprisingly, as there are i
Page 101 and 102:
Australia July 1 - August 19, 1996
Page 103 and 104:
July 10, Wednesday. Drove to Laming
Page 105:
We drove through the rainforest and
Page 109 and 110:
QUT. Elizabeth Saxon, sat beside me
Page 111 and 112: Eucalyptus trees here are often dea
Page 113: and barely survived. Antechinus stu
Page 118 and 119: floods and drought, much compacted.
Page 120 and 121: it later deteriorated. Wombat kille
Page 122 and 123: Seminar at 2.15 p.m Chris Mortenson
Page 126 and 127: Then to Murdoch University, lecture
Page 130 and 131: This cave is the pouch of the femal
Page 132 and 133: Huge streams pour off the rock in a
Page 134 and 135: ut not all that messed up. Turned a
Page 136 and 137: Trail Log 1997 February 22, 1997, S
Page 138 and 139: much better in the lower, protected
Page 140 and 141: To Tower Junction, then to Tower, l
Page 142 and 143: Back to the ranch. The coyote was a
Page 144 and 145: crows are unusual inside Yellowston
Page 146 and 147: as a bell in contrast to yesterday.
Page 148 and 149: I went up on a higher hill to try t
Page 150 and 151: Siberia and Lake Baikal June 15-29,
Page 152 and 153: Russia has an 80-year old system of
Page 154 and 155: In the dining car, there never seem
Page 157 and 158: Reached Zilovo, about 10.15, about
Page 159 and 160: City tour on a nice day. Population
Page 161: second oldest 2,000,000 years. It h
Page 165 and 166: Thalictrum foetidum Grimmia calcare
Page 169 and 170: Walk to Shaman Rock. From the rock,
Page 171 and 172: Viola rupestris Euphorbia alpina Pl
Page 173 and 174: Lychnis sibirica Schizonepetala mul
Page 175 and 176: wapiti, elk (American term), red de
Page 177 and 178: July 16-18, 1997, Tuesday through F
Page 179 and 180: Events in Ft. Collins area: July 28
Page 181: Camped at Sarto Creek, in flats nea
Page 184 and 185: Shuttle back to Missoula, arriving
Page 186 and 187: Polygonum viviparum, Alpine Bistort
show all

Trail Log 1995-1997 - Lamar at Colorado State University

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?