In the vastness of our vast country there are many reserves and protected areas. In our article we will talk about one of these places. Dzherginsky reserve is one of the natural protected areas of Buryatia. It is located on the territory of the Kurumkansky district in the north-east of the Baikal region.
Location
The Dzherginsky State Reserve is located in the upper reaches of the Barguzin River, at the junction of the South Murai, Ikat and Barguzinsky mountain ranges. Its territory is considered the standard of the northeastern Baikal region. The need to preserve it became the reason for the creation of the reserve.
History of Creation
By the nineties of the twentieth century, a catastrophic ecological situation had developed in the basin of the upper reaches of the Barguzin River, as evidenced by official documents of the State Committee for Nature Protection of the Buryat ASSR.
Uncontrolled use of forests, melioration, plowing of virgin lands led to serious consequences, which manifested themselves in the formlong-term droughts and sandstorms. As a result, the Barguzin River, which is the most important tributary of Baikal, became very shallow and polluted. Its pollution has led to the deterioration of the ecological state of the eastern part of the lake.
Dzherginsky nature reserve was established in 1992 on the basis of the already existing Dzherginsky nature reserve. The creation of a protected area was supposed to radically change the current situation. The main goal of creating the reserve is to study and preserve the natural complex of the Ikat Range and the sources of the Barguzin River. Since its inception, Dorzhiev Tsyrenzhal Zayatuevich, Honored Ecologist of Buryatia and Candidate of Geographical Sciences, has been the director.
Physical and geographical nuances
The territory of the state reserve "Dzherginsky" is characterized by a significant dissection of relief and elevation above sea level. Protected lands are located at the junction of the three largest mountain ranges - South Muysky, Ikatsky and Barguzinsky.
The protected area is covered with a dense river network. The main river is Burguzin, which is ice-bound for half a year. Its significance is very great, since it is the second largest tributary of Baikal. In its upper reaches there are large alpine reservoirs - Malan-Zurkhen, Amut, Balan-Tamur, Yakondykon, Churikto. On the territory of the Dzherginsky Reserve there are mineral springs, the water of which has healing properties.
Climatic conditions of the region can be described as severe, with sharp continentality and aridity. This is primarily due to the isolation of the Barguzin basin, which is surrounded by high mountain ranges. Air masses penetrate the region from the northeast and southwest. The coldest month of the year is January. In the middle of winter, temperatures can drop to -51 degrees. The warmest month is July (+35 degrees).
Fauna
Among the animals of the Dzherginsky Reserve there are representatives of six orders of mammals. Moose, wild boars, red deer, Siberian roe deer, musk deer live here. Occasionally you can see reindeer. Also in the reserve there are bears, lynxes, wolves, foxes, wolverines.
There are large populations of northern pikas, squirrels, chipmunks and sables in the protected area.
Among the vertebrates of the Dzherginsky Reserve, birds are the most widely represented. Grouse, black grouse, capercaillie, sparrowhawks, pintails, mallards, goldeneyes, shorebirds and gray herons are very common.
In the reserve there is an ordinary muzzle and a viviparous lizard. Amphibians also live here. Among the fish in the rivers there are lenok, grayling, burbot, Amur spiked and others.
Megdelgun source
There are many picturesque and simply interesting places on the territory of the Dzherginsky State Natural Reserve. Among them, it is worth highlighting the Megdelgun spring. It is located in the east of the protected area, on the left bank of the Barguzin River. Numerous exits are concentrated in a relatively small area.thermal waters, which form a small reservoir that flows into the Barguzin. The water of the mineral spring has a hydrogen sulfide smell. This amazing place is of scientific interest. However, the composition of mud and water, as well as the temperature of the springs, are not yet known. An interesting fact is that in the cold season the reservoir does not freeze. S alt licks of natural origin are located near the springs.
Lake Amut
In the north-east of the Dzherginsky Reserve, between the moraine ridge and the north-eastern slope of the basin, there is Lake Amut. The reservoir has a T-shape. The lake is 8 km long and 4 km wide. The western part of the reservoir is strongly indented by the lines of ramparts, but the eastern part is a perfectly flat platform without obvious changes in depth.
Presumably, the lake has an ancient origin, as evidenced by the sedimentary deposits of the platform. The area of the reservoir is 995 hectares. The water in the lake has a high degree of transparency (more than five meters). Lenok, grayling and burbot live in the reservoir. Local Tungus consider the lake of the Dzherginsky Reserve sacred, and therefore make offerings to it.
Barguzin River
The main object of the Dzherginsky Reserve is the Barguzin River. Its source is a key emerging from under a rock in the southeast of the region.
The river is of interest due to its many underwater outlets and numerous rapids, thanks to which it does not freeze in many places even in the most severe frosts. Taimen, lenok lives in the reservoir,grayling, burbot, char and minnow.
Yurgon Waterfall
On the territory of the Dzherginsky Reserve (the photo is given in the article), in a beautiful canyon on the Yurgon River, there is a picturesque waterfall. It reaches four meters in height and its width is three meters. Streams of water fall from a narrow rocky hole into the lake, shrouded in a fog of tiny water droplets. Below the lake there is a small pebble island. The site is beautiful and of scientific interest.
Kovyli River
The Kovyli River is the largest tributary of the Barguzin River in the reserve. Its name translates as "winding". The river indeed has numerous turns, some of which are so narrow that they are blocked by logs brought by streams of water during floods. In the middle reaches of the river, massive icings are formed, which reach 3.5 meters in height. They occupy most of the floodplain and form a massive ice field with a crystal forest, which appears as a result of evaporation and condensation of vapor in the form of bizarre crystal shapes on trees.
But in the upper reaches of the water, the rivers never freeze due to the release of thermal waters to the surface.
Kovylin Gates
In the Dzherginsky nature reserve in the upper reaches of the Kovyl River, in the area of its bifurcation, there are the Kovylin Gates. An amazing structure rises in the middle of the valley. It consists of two stone colossi, formed from huge slabs, which reach a height of 20 meters and a width of 50 meters. Between the gatesthe rapid waters of the river break through.
Lake Aquarium
Lake Aquarium in the Dzherginsky Reserve is one of the most picturesque places. The reservoir is a pre-estuary extension of the Shergikan River. The width of the lake in different places is from three to five meters, and the length reaches 50 meters. A key comes out from under the rock into it. The water in it is very cold, but never freezes. That part of the reservoir into which the key flows also does not freeze. The lake is distinguished by its purity and transparency, which is why it is called a natural aquarium. There are many interesting places in the Dzherginsky Reserve, but an unusual reservoir can rightly be called one of the most attractive. In its clear water, from a close distance, you can admire the graylings, whose bodies and fins shimmer with mother-of-pearl, which is most likely due to the mineral composition of the lake and the refraction of sunlight.
Lake Malan-Zurhen
Lake Malan-Zurkhen is located in the western part of the glacial Amut basin. The reservoir has an elongated shape and reaches a length of three kilometers. In winter, its surface is covered with ice, and in summer the water temperature in it reaches 15-18 degrees. The peculiarity of the lake is the fluctuations in the water level, over the past thirty years, there have been changes in the level, reaching four meters.
Lake Balan-Tamur
Another body of water in the reserve is Lake Balan-Tamur. The river Barguzin flows into it and flows out. The bottom of the reservoir is dotted with a large number of large granite blocks, reaching a diameter of five meters. Maximum lake depthis 15 meters, but on average the depth does not exceed two meters. The area of the reservoir reaches 95 hectares. The water level in it can vary significantly. In just a few hours, the water can rise up to two meters. The drop in level can be just as fast. It should be noted that the reservoir has a high water turnover. Since ancient times, the lake has been very revered by the Tungus, who consider it sacred. In the spring, the elders of the family come to the reservoir and pray in the hope of a rich harvest in the forest, abundant rains, rich hunting.
Frozen
On the territory of the reserve you can see the real wonders of nature. One of them is ice. Among the reservoirs of the region there is Lake Churikto. In itself, it does not stand out in any way; for people, a small duct that flows into it is of interest. In winter, ice forms on it, which reach a height of five meters. Such unusual objects amaze the imagination. An interesting fact is that ice melts in the sun only by August.
Rock Stone Cup and Goose
On the left bank of the Barguzin River on the hills of the Ikat Range there are rocks of an unusual shape. The ridge itself is quite old and is composed of rocks, which have been shaped by water and winds into bizarre shapes. Rock Goose is really very reminiscent of a duck or a goose. It is 15 meters high and 25 meters wide. Stone Cup is located in the same area. It is a bowl formed in a boulder. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the so-called vessel, starting from the bottom, expands, and then narrows again in the middle region. As a result, the bowl has an ellipsoidal shape. The container is large enough to accommodate a person. It is difficult even to imagine how an object of such an unusual shape could have formed.
Caves
On the territory of the reserve, in the valley of the Jirga River, there are several caves. Both of them are examined by experts. The first one is 3.5 meters high. It is relatively small and has an elliptical shape. The second cave is located near the first. Immediately behind the entrance is a spacious hall with an area of 20 sq. m. The cave has a flat floor covered with leaves and moss. Inside it is quite light due to the presence of a hole in the vault.
In the valley of the Jirga River, experts have found another cave that has not yet been explored.
Graphite
Ushkaki spring in the protected area has graphite outcrops. Shards of rock can be seen in the key.
Phantom Island
The Phantom Island can be safely called a stunning phenomenon of the Malan-Zurhen reservoir. He suddenly appeared in 1974, and then in 1982 just as suddenly disappeared. Now the island is flooded. Scientists suggest that this is due to significant fluctuations in water levels. Perhaps the island will resurface soon.
Water urchins
Another miracle of the Dzherginsky nature reserve is water "urchins". A natural phenomenon can be seen only on Lake Balan-Tamur. On the entire western coast of the reservoir, there are balls at the bottom and in the water, the diameter of which reaches 5-30 centimeters. Their color varies from black to dark green. This unusual phenomenon is explained very simply. It's nothing but falleninto the water larch needles, which are rolled into tight balls by the waves.
Plants of the reserve
On the territory of the Dzherginsky Reserve, plants are represented by cultures of the high-mountain, mountain-taiga and mountain-forest-steppe belt. On the slopes of the mountains there are shrubs, and in the valleys of rivers and lakes there are meadows in combination with willows and sedge bogs.
In the protected area, eighteen species in need of protection and rare vascular cultures have been found. Among them - maned caragana, alpine arctous, small-serrated mertensia, Redovsky's rhododendron.
Visit to the reserve
The protected area is closed to outsiders, but you can visit it if you wish. To do this, you need to issue a ticket for guests and a vehicle. Obtaining documents occurs at the personal request of citizens. The workers of the reserve have developed numerous routes for tourists, which differ in the length of the pedestrian crossing and the duration of the tour. Here are just a few of them:
- Route along the eco-trail with a visit to the Dzherga cordon and the lake, as well as the village of Maisk. The length of the crossing is 70 km for walking. The duration of the tour is 4 days.
- The route "Trail of the Old Evenk" is designed for 7 days. During the trip, tourists have the opportunity to see the village of Maysk, the Kovyli cordon, Balan and Amut lakes.
- A car tour called "The Way to Northern Baikal".
Choicetrails in the reserve is great. In addition, new excursion programs regularly appear, each of them is represented by two options - pedestrian and automobile. Accordingly, tours differ in length and duration.
When planning a visit to the reserve, you should understand that the region is located in a harsh climate zone. In winter, very cold weather sets in here, but tourists are always pleased with snowy landscapes and intricate ice structures. In summer, the weather is more favorable for walking, although the warm season in the region lasts for so long. Visiting protected areas can be an interesting journey for wildlife lovers. Of course, unusual reservoirs, thermal springs and other interesting natural objects, the main feature of which is uniqueness, are of the greatest interest to guests. You won't find anything like it anywhere else.
