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14 March 2011
Russian Hydrologists Study U.S. Watershed-Management Practices
Washington — Two iconic lakes in the United States and Russia — Lake Tahoe in the American West and Lake Baikal in Siberia — may not seem to have much in common other than their spectacular setting. The 495-square-kilometer Lake Tahoe, in an alpine setting on the California-Nevada border, is a recreation and tourism center, while the 31,494-square-kilometer Lake Baikal remains mostly undeveloped except for some industrial plants nearby.
Yet both lakes confront similar economic and developmental concerns such as waste management, water contamination from nearby mines, and the need to encourage tourism development that is environmentally sensitive.
In an effort to find solutions to such shared problems, a 15-person delegation of Russian hydrologists recently visited Lake Tahoe and two other lakes on a U.S. government program designed to showcase the American approach to watershed management. The California-based Tahoe-Baikal Institute, a nonprofit American organization that works to preserve threatened lake ecosystems around the world, organized the program.
The Russian delegation included scientists from water-research institutes in Irkutsk, St. Petersburg and Moscow that are affiliated with the Russian Academy of Sciences. Researchers and students from Perm State University in the Urals and Lomonosov Moscow State University also participated.
The three lakes visited by the Russian guests during their January 29–February 12 program confront very different natural and human pressures.
As one of the world’s largest, clearest and deepest alpine lakes, Lake Tahoe is a magnet for millions of visitors annually and an ever-increasing permanent population. The Russian delegation learned about issues such as water-quality regulation, river restoration, flood projects, local environmental issues affecting the Tahoe watershed, invasive species and the reintroduction of native species.
Pyramid Lake, which lies north of Lake Tahoe in Nevada, is situated entirely within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian reservation. For most of the last century Native Americans have been fighting for the water rights needed to maintain the lake’s historical water level.
Lake Mead, a man-made lake astride the Nevada-Arizona border that was formed by construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, is a primary source of irrigation and drinking water in the American Southwest. During the visit to Lake Mead, the Russian delegation examined its use as a recreational destination, the management of the Colorado River’s water supply, and the threat posed by invasive species, especially the quagga mussel, an invader from Europe first discovered in the lake in 2007.
Jennifer Smith-Lee, executive director of the Tahoe-Baikal Institute, said the Russian scientists were particularly interested in seeing the laboratories and technologies used by their American counterparts, especially for water-quality monitoring programs. Another area of interest was ecological restoration.
“At times they were absolutely astounded by the amount of time and effort spent on protecting water quality or restoring rivers, streams, wetlands and habitats for endangered species,” she said.
A major point of emphasis at all three lakes was the U.S. integrated-management strategy that fosters collaboration among scientists, policymakers, government officials and community leaders, rather than a science-only focus.
“Although we were aware that these [Russian] hydrologists would most likely want to focus only on learning about the hydrological characteristics of the lakes and river systems visited during the trip, we knew in advance that it was important to include meetings and discussions with local resource managers, policymakers and community advocates,” Smith-Lee said.
The visit was conducted under the auspices of the Environmental Working Group of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission. The commission was created in 2009 by President Obama and Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev to improve coordination between the two nations in various fields.
Established in 1990, the Tahoe-Baikal Institute works to promote multi-disciplinary watershed protection and management techniques, and to promote sustainable economic development, especially eco-tourism.
Among the organization’s main activities is its Summer Environmental Exchange program, which for the past two decades has brought together U.S., Russian, Mongolian and other international students and young professionals. Participants spend five weeks each at Lake Tahoe and Lake Baikal to develop research projects and conduct ecological restoration work.
More such scientific collaboration may be one of the results of the program for the 15 Russian hydrologists — not just internationally, but within Russia itself. Smith-Lee said the participants, coming from four separate areas of Russia thousands of kilometers apart, had forged strong bonds and were eager to foster collaborative relationships among their institutions.
The Russian scientists and representatives of the Tahoe-Baikal Institute drafted preliminary plans for a reciprocal visit to Russia in 2012 by U.S. researchers and hydrology students.
The professionalism of the Russian scientists left an impression on their American counterparts.
“Many of the [U.S.] presenters who spoke to this group … are very eager to continue correspondence and possible collaboration with them in the future,” Smith-Lee said. “I think the program was a source of inspiration to everyone involved — the participants, the coordinators and the partner agencies we met with.”
More information on the Tahoe-Baikal Institute is available on its website.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
