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 headwaters of the Barguzin River, at the junction of the South Muray, Ikat and Barguzinsky mountain ranges. Its territory is considered the standard of the north-eastern Pribaikalye. The need to preserve it was 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 upper reaches of the Barguzin River, as evidenced by official documents of the State Committee for Nature Protection of the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
Uncontrolled use of forests, land reclamation, plowing of virgin lands led to serious consequences, which manifested themselves in the form of long-term droughts and sandstorms. As a result, the Barguzin River, which is the most important tributary of Lake Baikal, has become shallow and polluted. Its pollution led to a deterioration of the ecological state of the eastern part of the lake.
The Dzherginsky reserve was created in 1992 on the basis of the existing Dzherginsky reserve. The creation of a conservation zone was supposed to fundamentally 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, remains the director.
Physical and geographical nuances
The territory of the Dzherginsky State Reserve is characterized by a significant dissection of reliefs and elevation above sea level. Protected lands are located at the junction of the three largest mountain ranges - Yuzhnomuisky, Ikatsky and Barguzinsky.
The protected area is covered by a dense river network. The main river is Burguzin, ice-bound for six months. Its value is very great, since it is the second largest tributary of Lake Baikal. In its upper reaches there are large alpine reservoirs - Malan-Zurhen, Amut, Balan-Tamur, Yakondykon, Churikto. On the territory of the Dzherginsky reserve there are mineral springs, in which water has healing properties.
The climatic conditions of the region can be characterized as severe, with sharp continentality and aridity. This is primarily due to the isolation of the Barguzinsky basin, which is surrounded by mountain ranges. Air masses from the north-east and south-west penetrate the region. The coldest month of the year is January. In mid-winter, temperature readings can drop to -51 degrees. The warmest month is July (+35 degrees).
Fauna
Among the animals of the Djerginsky Reserve there are representatives of six orders of mammals. Moose, wild boars, Manchurian deer, Siberian roe deer, and musk deer live here. Occasionally you can meet reindeer. Also in the reserve there are bears, lynxes, wolves, foxes, wolverines.
In the protected area there are large populations of northern pikas, squirrels, chipmunks and sables.
Among vertebrates of the Jerginsky Reserve, birds are most widely represented. Hazel grouse, black grouse, capercaillie, sparrowhawk, pintail, mallard ducks, common goggles, sandpipers and gray herons are very common.
In the reserve, the common muzzle and viviparous lizard are found. Amphibians also live here. Among the fish in the rivers there are lenoks, graylings, burbots, Amur shipovka and others.
Megdelgun spring
There are many picturesque and simply interesting places on the territory of the Jerginsky State Nature Reserve. Among them, the Megdelgun spring is worth highlighting. It is located in the east of the protected area, on the left coast of the Barguzin River. In a relatively small area, numerous outlets of thermal waters are concentrated, which form a small reservoir flowing into Barguzin. Mineral spring water has a hydrogen sulfide odor. This amazing place is of scientific interest. However, while the composition of the mud and water, as well as the temperature of the sources are not known. An interesting fact is that in the cold season the pond does not freeze. Not far from the sources are salt licks of natural origin.
Amut Lake
In the northeast of the Djerginsky reserve, between the moraine ridge and the northeastern slope of the basin is Lake Amut. The pond has a T-shape. The lake is 8 km long and 4 km wide. The western part of the reservoir is heavily indented by lines of ramparts, but the eastern part is a perfectly flat platform without obvious differences in depth.
Presumably, the lake has an ancient origin, as evidenced by sedimentary deposits of the platform. The area of the reservoir is 995 ha. The water in the lake is highly transparent (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 Jerginsky Reserve is the Barguzin River. Its source is a key emerging from under a cliff in the southeast of the region.
The river is of interest due to the many underwater exits of the springs and numerous rapids, so that it does not freeze in many places even in the most severe frosts. Taimen, lenok, grayling, burbot, char and minnow inhabit the pond.
Yurgon Waterfall
On the territory of the Jerginsky Reserve (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 flow from a narrow rocky hole into the lake, shrouded in a mist of tiny droplets of water. Below the lake there is a small pebble island. The place is beautiful and of scientific interest.
Kovyly River
The Kovyly River is the largest tributary of the Barguzin River in the reserve. Its name translates as "looping." The river really has numerous turns, some of which are so narrow that they form congestion from logs brought by the water flows during floods. In the middle course of the river, massive ice form, which reach 3.5 meters in height. They occupy a large part of the floodplain and form a massive ice field with a crystal forest, which appears as a result of evaporation and condensation of vapors in the form of bizarre crystal forms on trees.
But in the upper reaches of the river the rivers never freeze due to the emergence of thermal waters on the surface.
Kovylinsky Gate
In the Dzherginsky Reserve in the upper reaches of the Kovyly River in the area of its bifurcation are the Kovylinsky Gates. An amazing building towers in the middle of the valley. It consists of two stone colossus, formed from huge plates, the height of which reaches 20 meters and a width of 50 meters. Between the gates, the swift waters of the river erupt.
Aquarium Lake
Aquarium Lake in the Jerginsky 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 of it, coming out from under the rock. The water in it is very cold, but never freezes. The part of the reservoir into which the key flows also does not freeze. The lake is clean and transparent, 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 short distance you can admire graylings, whose bodies and fins are poured 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-Zurhen 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 consists in fluctuations in water level, over the past thirty years there have been observed changes in the level, reaching four meters.
Lake Balan-Tamur
Another reservoir 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. The maximum depth of the lake is 15 meters, but on average the depth does not exceed two meters. The area of the reservoir reaches 95 ha. The water level in it can vary significantly. In just a few hours, water can rise up to two meters. Equally rapid may be a drop in the level. It is worth noting that the reservoir has a high turnover of water. Since ancient times, the lake is very revered by the Tungus, which consider it sacred. In the spring, the elders of the clan come to the reservoir and pray in the hope of a rich harvest in the forest, heavy rains, rich hunting.
Naledi
In 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; for people, a small duct flowing into it is of interest. Winter ice forms on it, which reach a height of five meters. Such unusual objects are amazing. An interesting fact is that ice melts in the sun only by August.
Rock Stone Chark and Goose
On the left coast 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 complicated by rocks, to which water and winds have given bizarre shapes. Rock Goose really really resembles a duck or a goose. Its height reaches 15 meters and a width of 25 meters. A 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 again narrows in the middle region. As a result, the bowl has an ellipsoidal shape. The capacity is so large that it can accommodate a person. It is difficult to imagine how an object of such an unusual shape could be formed.
Caves
On the territory of the reserve, in the valley of the Jirga River, there are several caves. Both of them were examined by specialists. The first is reaches a height of 3.5 meters. 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 square meters. 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 arch.
In the valley of the Jirga River, specialists found another cave, which they have not yet had time to examine.
Graphite
The Ushkaki key in the protected area has graphite outlets. Shards of the breed can be seen in the vein.
Ghost island
The ghost island can be safely called a stunning phenomenon of the reservoir Malan Zurhen. 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 level. Perhaps soon the island will reappear on the surface.
Water hedgehogs
Another miracle of the Dzherginsky reserve is the water hedgehogs. A natural phenomenon can only be seen 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. This is nothing but the larch needles that have fallen into the water, which the waves roll into tight balls.
Reserve plants
On the territory of the Dzherginsky reserve, plants are represented by cultures of the alpine, mountain-tenge and mountain-forest-steppe zone. Shrub thickets are found on the slopes of the mountains, and in the valleys of rivers and lakes there are meadows in combination with willows and sedge swamps.
In the protected area, the habitats of eighteen species requiring protection and rare vascular cultures have been identified. Among them are mane - caragana , arctous alpine, finely 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 arrange a ticket for guests and the vehicle. Documents are received upon personal appeal of citizens. The employees of the reserve for tourists have developed numerous routes that differ in the length of the pedestrian crossing and the duration of the tour. We will give only some of them:
- Ecotropic route with a visit to the Jerg cordon and the lake, as well as the village of Maysk. The length of the crossing is 70 km for walking. The duration of the tour is 4 days.
- The route “Old Evenk Trail” is designed for 7 days. During the trip, tourists have the opportunity to see the village of Maysk, the Kovyli cordon, Lake Balan and Amut.
- A car tour called "The Way to Northern Baikal".
The choice of routes in the reserve is great. In addition, new excursion programs regularly appear, each of them is represented by two options - pedestrian and automobile. Accordingly, the tours differ in length and duration.
When planning a visit to the reserve, it is worthwhile to understand that the region is located in a zone of harsh climate. In winter, very cold weather is established here, but tourists are always delighted with snowy landscapes and intricate ice structures. In summer, the weather is more favorable for walking, though the warm season in the region lasts for so long. Visiting protected areas can be an interesting journey for wildlife lovers. Of course, the most interesting for guests are unusual ponds, thermal springs and other interesting natural objects, the main feature of which is uniqueness. Nowhere else will you find anything like it.