The Tiger student volunteer team is back at the Sikhote-Alin State Biosphere Reserve. Director Dmitry Gorshkov was the first to greet them. The team did such a great job last summer while upgrading the Mys Severny (Northern Cape) eco trail that the reserve decided to continue the eco trail project together with the Amur Tiger Centre. Now the students will improve another eco trail, Blessed Lake.

Question: Mr Gorshkov, Mys Severny was the beginning of the project – the first achievement of the Tiger team. How did it make out over the past year?

Dmitry Gorshkov: The trail is doing fine. It’s a sheer pleasure to walk it! It’s getting prettier and prettier. Just think: you look at pristine nature while walking along a clean, comfortable path.

There are a few flaws, however. They’ve come to light now. As I told the first Tiger team last year, an eco trail is a living thing. It takes years to get it into proper shape. To improve what was overlooked last year and became visible in winter and spring is the duty of the students who are working at the reserve this season.

Question: What tasks do you have for the Tigers this year?

Dmitry Gorshkov: They have a big job ahead of them. We have arranged their assignments by priority. The speed will largely depend on the weather, though. Repairs on the Mys Severny trail will take some time. Next, the team will work on a parking lot at the Blessed forest warden post, install information boards and direction signs, and then blaze the new Blessed Lake trail. It will not need a lot of planking or bridges, unlike Mys Severny. The students will repair the old lookout tower and build a new one. They’ll also build two toilets and a washroom at the post.

Question: Will two eco trails suffice at the Sikhote-Alin Reserve or are there more ambitious plans?

Dmitry Gorshkov: There is an idea for the Blueberry Vale trail. Anna Gritsuk, our team leader, will determine the best route this summer, and we’ll wait and see. If student volunteers come here again next year, they will not only tidy up the Mys Severny and Blessed Lake trails. We’ll meet them with plans for Blueberry Vale.

Question: What impact does the Mys Severny trail have on the entire reserve?

Dmitry Gorshkov: We finished our work on it in late August last year, when the sightseeing season was over, so we had our first hikers this summer. They walked Mys Severny from beginning to end and were delighted. It’s a scenic and comfortable route, and we hope the number of tourists will grow from year to year, especially thanks to good media coverage.

Question: Who will teach new volunteers to build boarded paths and bridges and improve the terrain?

Dmitry Gorshkov: We’re a dedicated lot. We don’t change the instructor staff for years, so the same people as before will work with the students. Anna Gritsuk, with her ample experience of laying eco trails, has joined us again. And there are three men on the reserve staff who will work with the Tigers for the two months the team will spend here. They are forest guard Yevgeny Gulyayev, inspector Sergei Derevnin and carpenter Yury Rybchinsky.

Question: What does the reserve expect of the second summer of student work?

Dmitry Gorshkov: There is no end to improving the trail. A huge job is ahead of us, as I said. As for the results… The team must get through all the assignments. The two trails – Mys Severny and Blessed Lake – will be made safe and comfortable enough for families with young children to enjoy.