The Komsomolsky Nature Reserve is located in the Khabarovsk Territory. It was created in order to preserve the cedar forests of the Primorsky Territory.
Occurrence
At first they were planning to set up a reserve in another place. But those forests shortly before the discovery burned out, besides, the Baikal-Amur Railway began to be built in this region. Then it was decided to transfer it to the Gorin River. The reservoir, in the basin of which the Komsomolsky Reserve is now located, is a tributary of the Amur. The security zone covers an area of more than nine thousand hectares. The Komsomolsky State Nature Reserve was founded in 1963.
River topography
The relief of this area is rather low. The hills of the reserve belong to the Lower Amur mountain system. The highest point is Mount Chokketi.
Komsomolsky is divided by the river valley into two parts. On the right bank is the Choketi massif. Its longest ridge stretches parallel to the Gorin River, gradually falling. He spanned twenty-five kilometers. From the largest ridge to the river there are three more low spurs. Between them are valleys along the rivers Talandinka, Siutaru, Hankuk, Chenki. On the left bank, the reserve includes the basins of the Gorin River: Ulami, Baturin, and Puilya. The relief is not so different in height, but more uniform. In the north of the reserve is the Horan Duan ridge. Its length is about twenty-five kilometers, its height is about four hundred meters. The highest point is called Ulami North. Its height is five hundred meters. Dividing cliffs stretch southward from the Horan-Duan ridge, their length is approximately eight to ten kilometers. Their height reaches three hundred - four hundred and fifty meters. The river valleys on this side are quite wide. This is a wetland.
Lakes
In addition to rivers, the Komsomolsky reserve is rich in lakes. Which ones? Now we will tell. In the floodplain of the rivers there are a large number of small, shallow lakes with rich underwater vegetation. They have a muddy bottom with a lot of plant debris. The largest of the lakes is called Beach.
Its length is approximately two and a half kilometers with a width of one kilometer. The depth of the lake is about two meters. It is filled due to the Tokichen duct. The retaining lakes Chenkovskoye, Oksyan have flat bottoms, with a distinct fairway. The water here is colder. It is with this that the poor vegetation of these places is connected.
Flora
Komsomolsky reserve has a fairly rich flora and fauna. Most of all in the forests. The main wealth of the reserve is cedar forests, thanks to which it was created half a century ago. Mostly growing Korean cedar. In addition, flora representatives such as Japanese elm and Japanese ash grow here (which is very important, since this is the only place where they still exist, in other countries they are completely destroyed), Amur velvet, Chinese magnolia vine, Amur grapes. Many plants are listed in the Red Book.
Among these can be called pointed yew, water chestnut and famous as one of the most medicinal - the golden root (pink rhodiola). Sedges, willows grow near the lakes, and broad-leaved reeds and cattail grow in swampy places. Surprisingly, despite the rather cold climate, broadleaf trees grow well in these places. On the lake islands you can find Schwerin willows, fluffy alder, as well as poplar, named after Maximovich. In the undergrowth comes across euonymus, mountain ash, honeysuckle. Also among the thickets there are grasses more than two meters - cow parsnip, cocoa, bazulniki, ferns, fighters, ostrich.
Birds
In addition to the already mentioned plants, many other trees and herbs grow here. Some of them grow in only one place, and the Komsomolsky Reserve has become their home.
Animals are also represented quite widely. This is largely due to the fact that there are many reservoirs around where it is convenient for representatives of the fauna to go to a watering place. It is the abundance of water that attracts migratory ducks and geese. Here, constantly in the fall and spring during the migratory period, waterfowl stop. Among ducks, you can often see a pintail, scatterbird, goosebird and white-fronted geese. During the nesting period, you can sometimes meet a killer whale, large merganser, scaly merganser. Also in the reserve there are such birds as the scallop, oatmeal, spiny tail and mandarin duck, as well as the eastern goat. Often observed in these parts of the Amur or Japanese waxwing. In the meadows most of all such birds as the yellow wagtail, warbler, and Dubrovnik. At the mouth of the rivers you can often see a black-headed mint and spotted cricket. The green-headed wagtail lives on only one island.
Komsomolsky reserve: photo and description of animals
There are yellow-backed flycatchers, gray larvae, white-eyed brown-eyed, eastern vole, chipmunks, squirrels and many other rodents. It has a Komsomolsky reserve on its territory and large animals. From ungulates here you can find roe deer, wild boar or red deer. Well, the most protected species of animals: musk deer, sable, elk and brown bear.
In addition, here you can find reindeers, forest cats, Himalayan bears and fish owls, harzu and badger. There are black grouse and blue magpie, black stork and Steller's sea eagle. Almost all animals living in these parts are included in the Red Book.
Fishes of the Komsomolsky reserve
In the reservoirs of the reserve you can find forty-four of their species. Here spawning of fish such as carps, salmon. Freshwater salmon of such species as lenok, taimen, grayling, whitefish are constantly living in these rivers. The latter is listed in the Red Book. Much of the local fauna depends on whether the fish will spawn in these places. After all, animals of this region often feed on fish. This factor also means a lot to people living in these parts. Fish is the main income of the local population. From time immemorial, the natives of these places used it not only as food, but also sewed clothes from the skin of salmon, which well protected from frost and rain.
Climate, weather
The Komsomolsky nature reserve is located in a climatically temperate zone. Here you can feel the influence of the monsoon of the Far East.
The area has a fairly warm summer with frequent showers, which sometimes last a week or more, only occasionally interrupted. Winter is cold, frosty, with little snow. Spring comes very quickly and snow melts dynamically, which leads to the onset of summer. Autumn is beautiful, sunny.
Save the nature!
Flora and fauna are interconnected. To preserve birds and animals, it is very important to protect fir-spruce forests. Unfortunately, thoughtless logging and fires lead to a rapid decrease in the number of these representatives.
The increase in population and the expansion of land under development leads to a decrease in the number of suitable habitats for brown bears. As a result, this leads to a decrease in the number of individuals. The main area of elk is the islands, but their number has also decreased significantly. Almost their only habitat in the region is the Komsomolsky Reserve. The Khabarovsk Territory is constantly being developed, but the people who inhabit these lands must understand that nature will be favorable to them exactly up to the moment when they protect it.