Category: Tien Shan 2015

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From our snow leopard volunteering expedition in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan (http://www.biosphere-expeditions.org/tienshan)

 

 

You will be glad to know that our visit to the mountains has resulted in a site for camp 1. You can see the location of base camp on this map, as well as the grid lines we will be using during the survey (more below also).

You will also be glad to know that the weather was great and the mountains as beautiful as ever. And that the bread tastes the same, as does the fermented horse milk 😉 The ominous tunnel we have to take through the mountains is also there with much-needed repairs being done to it and delays. We’ll have to see how this pans out when you all arrive, but be prepared for a long break on the way to base camp.

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You will also have seen the publication of last year’s report with our commitment to further research and local involvement, which is just what you are about to do. Remember that science is not safari and that results can take a long time. The great thing about your involvement is that we have a long-term source of help in the field as well as funding. And long-term commitment is what is needed. Thank you to all of you for this!

So, after a brief stint in Bishkek for last minute shopping and to collect Kathy, another member of the Biosphere Expeditions staff, we’re now off again to set up base camp.

So as we prepare at this end, please can you do some more preparation too. In addition to studying the dossier, have a look at the “Methods & equipment” playlist. The bits that are relevant to the expedition are first and foremost our cell survey methodology, followed by GPS, compass & map, Garmin etrex 20, PBLs, camera trapping and binoculars. Enjoy!

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From our snow leopard volunteering expedition in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan (http://www.biosphere-expeditions.org/tienshan)

It’s 06:00 in the morning. Writing this, everyone else is still fast asleep, but very soon it will get busy at the NABU offices. Volodya, the expedition scientist arrived two days ago and preparations are now in full swing. Soon we will be heading out for a reconnaissance drive to the southern side of the Kyrgyz Alatoo range, investigating this year’s conditions on the ground and finding a good spot to set up base camp for slot 1. From what we’ve heard, it has been extraordinarily wet in the mountains over the last few months, most probably there will be snow cover higher up.

A couple of days ago we collected the base camp equipment from storage – a garage outside the city of Bishkek. It’s a good thing we have the truck, kindly supplied by our local partner NABU. Since then every single item has been unpacked and checked. Emma, the expedition cook, joined us on Tuesday, just back from a trip to Russia. We’ve started working through our shopping list at one of Bishkek’s biggest markets. Besides many other kitchen items, we bought a new cooker, but not before Emma gave it a thorough check. After more shopping at innumerable hardware stores and supermarkets, we went to a private supplier to check a yurt we are planning to buy.

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The placement interviews went well. So far four local people will join the expedition slots – one Kyrgyz student in the first slot, two more in the second and one in the third slot. We continue to receive applications and more interviews will be held in the remaining days before our departure from Bishkek.

I’ll be back in touch once we return from our mountain reconnaissance drive.

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From our snow leopard volunteering expedition in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan (http://www.biosphere-expeditions.org/tienshan)

It is sunny and warm in Bishkek. I arrived two days ago on a clear morning just after sunrise. From the plane approaching Bishkek airport from the north, I was had fantastic views over vast flat steppe stretching out all the way to the bottom of the snow-covered Kyrgyz Alatoo mountain range, rising south of the city. For now, having temperatures climbing up to 31 degrees mid-day, I’ve almost forgotten about down jackets and long-johns stashed away in my bag.

Kyrgyz Alatoo range rising just behind Bishkek
Kyrgyz Alatoo range rising just behind Bishkek

I’ve settled in at the NABU Kyrgyzstan office close to Bishkek centre, warmly welcomed by our partners on the ground. Over the last two days we’ve all been busy with gathering the expedition equipment, which has been stored in various locations. I’m still busy with updating inventories and writing shopping lists. NABU’s snow leopard patrol (Grupa Bars), a group of four staff I will introduce you to later in detail, has returned from a camera collection trip to the Ala Archa National Park on the northern side of the mountain range. 21 camera traps will now all be prepared to be set up again within our study area. The SD cards will be checked for results over the next couple of days.

Sign to NABU offices
Sign to NABU offices

I met with the Director of the local mountain rescue services yesterday to discuss emergency procedures and communication lines – all part of Biosphere Expeditions’ safety procedures. Quite a few local placement applicants have been invited for an interview, most of them to be held tomorrow. Offering placement opportunities for local students is part of Biosphere Expeditions’ capacity-building programme (see www.biosphere-expeditions.org/placements). Depending on how the interviews go, one or two local people will join the expedition teams in addition to the team list that has been sent out to everyone.

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From our snow leopard volunteering expedition in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan (http://www.biosphere-expeditions.org/tienshan)

Hello everyone, this is the first diary entry for this year’s snow leopard conservation expedition to the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan. My name ist Malika and I will be the leader for the first three groups starting on 8 June.

Over the last few days I’ve been busy with preparing paperwork, data sheets, equipment and finally making it all fit into three huge bags now making their way to Bishkek. I’m at Frankfurt airport as I write this, about to board a plane heading east towards Instanbul before catching a connecting flight to Bishkek.

Our partners on the ground at the Bishkek NABU office are ready to help me set the scene once I arrive. Quite some more shopping and preparation needs to be done before the first group of citizen scientists arrives and we are all looking forward to it. We will be working out a day-to-day plan within the next few days (which will be attached to one of the next diary entries for your preparation, along with my local phone number once I have verified the SIM still works). Dr. Volodya Tytar, the scientist on this expedition will be joining us on the weekend. Together with him and the NABU Grupa Bars (snow leopard patrol), I will be looking for this year’s base camp sites

That’s it for now. I’ll be in touch again from Bishkek with more details soon.

Malika Fettak

Expedition leader

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