Watershed Workshop

Members of a history-making delegation of Russian and Mongolian government, academic and non-profit leaders, take time out for a group photo with DRI President Dr. Stephen G. Wells, center, and Assistant Research Professor Saxon Sharpe, far right.

DRI hosted the group for a tour and reception as part of a 10-day workshop called "Promoting Trans-boundary Water Cooperation in Russia and Mongolia's Selenga River: Lessons in Regional Watershed Management."

The workshop marked the first time officials from the two countries have worked cooperatively to protect the trans-boundary Baikal watershed since 2000, and it is the first time Lake Tahoe has been showcased to such high level delegates from Russia and Mongolia.

The workshop was aimed at identifying cooperative watershed management lessons that can be applied in the Lake Baikal watershed. The Baikal Basin is split between Russia and Mongolia and is roughly the size of France. The three countries came together to share lessons learned from lake Tahoe to manage better lake Baikal.

With a population of more than four million people, the region includes Lake Baikal, the world's oldest, deepest and most voluminous freshwater lake.

The Tahoe-Baikal Institute, organizer of the workshop, focuses on achieving excellence in resource management toward the preservation of mountain lake watersheds around the world through the creation and support of innovative, multi-disciplinary watershed-based education, leadership and partnership development, international exchange and science-based research.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev, made funding possible for DRI's work with TBI and the delegates.