TBI History

The creation of the Institute in California -- and of a parallel organization in Siberia -- was unique among Russian-American partnerships when initiated. The idea and proposal originally came from US and Soviet students at a 1988 international youth conference in Helsinki, Finland, which they managed to present to Presidents Gorbachev and Reagan in person, Secretary General Perez de Cuellar, and Governor George Deukmejian of California.

As a result, a California Resources Agency delegation visited Lake Baikal in 1990 and negotiated an agreement with Siberian authorities calling for the creation of the Tahoe-Baikal Institute. The Institute was then established as an international non-profit venture, in cooperation with a parallel organization in Russia, founded in the city of Irkutsk (population 700,000), capital of the Irkutsk Region.

With generous support from Chevron Corporation, the Grateful Dead, individuals, foundations, and organizations such as the California Conservation Corps, the University of California, the California Tahoe Conservancy, the League to Save Lake Tahoe, and Direct Connection: US-USSR World Youth Communications, the first exchange took place during the summer of 1991. The nine-week program involved thirty-two Soviet and American students and staff spending four weeks at Lake Baikal and five weeks at Lake Tahoe.

Since TBI's creation in 1990, over 250 international students have graduated from TBI's 2-month summer exchange, over 20 international policy-maker (including three California Resource Secretaries) and student exchanges have been hosted, and over 40 projects in Russia, Mongolia, and the U.S. on environmental, economic, and cultural issues have been developed.

The TBI annual summer environmental exchange program focuses on environmental inquiry, research, and action bringing together future environmental leaders to the Lake Baikal watershed (in Russia and Mongolia) and to Lake Tahoe, California, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. In these settings, exchange participants explore and discuss major environmental challenges and apply scientific techniques to develop practical solutions. Participants explore the ecosystems, communities, and cultures surrounding both lakes, and meet with political, business, resource agency, and NGO leaders in both countries. Ecological fieldwork and research are key components of the TBI program, providing participants the opportunity to see how sound science can translate into practical policy and project implementation.