For 12 days 6 participants of the volunteer camp and employees of the “Finval” Research Centre worked in the area of the Vodopadnaya River on the Iturup Island preparing a plot for construction of a future biological station. The hot and sunny weather on the Island during the period of work helped rather than hindered; adding optimism to the difficult workdays. Probably that’s why a lot was done: access paths to the building site and the spring were completely prepared, a significant part of the site was cleared of bamboo, and stones for construction work were prepared. As an encouragement for the camp volunteers, the employees of the Centre arranged a marine mini-expedition on the trimaran “Finval” to the southern part of the island, where the volunteers could not only relax but to get a close acquaintance with the unique nature of the island.
Our extreme and long marine research expedition along the East Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands “The ring of fire” was completed with excellent results! Unique data on fauna and flora of the region was collected. The most vivid impressions were observations of pairing of rare southern right whales, the encounter of an unusual dwarf walrus far outside the area of the distribution of this species…For the first time in the last fifteen years it was possible to examine the nesting of Aleutian subspecies of the black brant on the Ekarma Island (the birds were brought to the island from the nursery in Kamchatka in the frame of the international project on restoration of this subspecies). New mini-discoveries are possible also after processing of many thousands of photos taken during the expedition…
Our safari-expedition to Africa “Stars of Namibia” was finished successfully. On the expedition car “Toyota Hilux” the participants of the expedition travelled approximately 4600 km about the country. Every day of the expedition was like a diamond…and each day- of a different colour! We were greeted by the cool rolling ocean with seals and plenty of birds on the coast, red dunes of the Namib desert; sunburnt Damaraland mountains, the Etosha pan with many diverse African animals and birds, fantastically beautiful aloe forest…
