In The News

The Tahoe Baikal Institute's 12th Annual Environmental Education Exchange Between Russia and the United States to Begin July 24

July 19, 2002

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE C.A., -- A group of 17 university-level students and young professionals from Russia, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and the United States will arrive in California on July 24 to take part in the Tahoe-Baikal Institute's (TBI's) 12th annual Environmental Exchange Program. This exchange is the longest running annual environmental exchange between the United States and Russia.

During the 5-week United States program (participants will be returning from a similar 5-week program at Lake Baikal, Russia), participants will be introduced to top science, policy, and economic experts in California and Nevada; undertake a 2-week intensive research program at Lake Tahoe; and work on restoration projects in the Tahoe basin.

"The goal of TBI's summer exchange program is to train the world's brightest young environmental professionals at two areas on the cutting edge of environmental policy decision-making," said Tony Brunello, TBI Executive Director and TBI alumnus. "After 12 years of conducting TBI's Environmental Exchange Program with over 200 participants, we have seen how alumni have been able to directly apply lessons learned from Lake Baikal and Lake Tahoe watershed protection efforts to other locations around the world."

The 2002 Environmental Exchange Program will occur between July 24 to August 28 in the Bay Area, Davis, Sacramento, and the Tahoe Basin (see attached schedule for dates of major events).

This year's TBI participants come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds ranging from journalism and ethnography to soil science and aquatic wildlife biology. For example, Lidia Irildeeva (a Russian citizen of Buryat nationality) is currently studying in the United States for a Master's degree in Public Policy and has worked in Russia's State Duma with a Duma representative. Ksenia Chabanenko of Irkutsk, Russia is currently studying economics in Russia and will be researching oil and gas pipeline development in Alaska after the TBI program. Of the American participants, Elise DeLuna has been living in Lake Tahoe, recently completed her biology degree at Sierra Nevada College and was an Americorps volunteer at the League to Save Lake Tahoe. Eitan Trabin and Jason Anderson, are both former Peace Corps volunteers who recently completed their services in Kyrgyzstan and Slovakia, respectively.

A unique aspect of the TBI environmental exchange program is the 2-week "group projects" provided to participants which allow them to focus directly on their area of interest with local environmental management professionals. This year, five projects are being offered and will be led by the University of Nevada, Reno, the Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada, the Lahonton Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the California Tahoe Conservancy. Projects will focus on topics such as assessing the microbial communities in acid mine drainage at Nevada's Leviathan mine; surveying and evaluating Best Management Practices (BMP's); examining the way boat motors affect Lake Tahoe's water clarity and quality; monitoring vegetation at Meeks Meadow; and studying the effects of cattle and wild horse grazing.

In addition to the research and lecture side of the TBI program, participants will also have unique opportunities to see the Lake Tahoe watershed. For example, Lighthawk (a non-profit that provides environmental flight services) will be providing airplane flights around Tahoe to give participants a basin-wide view of changes around the lake. Marine Research and Education (a non-profit organization focused on environmental education) will provide a tour on their research vessel and an introduction to the Tahoe ecosystem. The California Tahoe Conservancy will also host several work days during which participants will take part in restoration projects around Lake Tahoe.