In 1741, an expedition led by commander Vitus Bering discovered the Commander Islands. For a long time they were uninhabited. The first settlers were Creoles and Aleuts, who began to explore the islands in 1825. Today the village of Nikolskoye on Bering Island is the Aleut settlement, the only one in the Russian Federation.
From the history of the reserve
In tsarist times, the Komandorski Islands were suppliers of fur for the royal treasury. Uncontrolled demand for animals led to the mass destruction of fur seals, which significantly reduced their numbers. At the end of the XIX century, work began on the protection of rookeries, the first restrictions were imposed on the extraction of fur seals and sea otters. Control over their fishery was approved in 1911.
The situation significantly improved in Soviet times. In 1958, fishing was prohibited thirty miles around the islands. The first reserve of regional significance appeared on this land in 1980.
The name "Commander State Reserve" and the status of the federal, he received in April 1993. Since 2002, he received the status of "biosphere", which is under the protection of UNESCO.
Location
The Commander Reserve is located in the North Pacific Ocean. Its territory is bounded from the south by the Bering Sea. The Commander Islands are the western tip of the island Aleutian arc. They are the top of the underwater ridges and consist of 15 islands of different sizes.
Kamchatka, Commander Islands
Basically, these are freestanding small rocks. The largest of them is Bering Island. Its highest point is Mount Steller, whose height is 755 meters. Also, one cannot fail to highlight the picturesque island of Medny. It is a flat and low island.
The Commander-Aleutian arc consists of volcanic rocks. Volcanic activity has not been recorded on these islands, and earthquakes occur quite often. These are minor tremors (rarely reach 5-6 points).
Reserve "Commander": description
It is located on the Commander archipelago. This is the Aleut region (Kamchatka Territory). It also includes the coastal waters of the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the reserve is 3, 648, 679 ha. This territory includes 3, 463, 300 ha of marine water and 185, 379 ha of land.
The reserve is located in the south of Bering Island. In addition, it occupies the Ariy Kamen and Copper Island, which are located in a compact group east of Kamchatka.
The Komandorsky Reserve is divided into areas that are protected to varying degrees:
- reserved nuclei, where human activity and its interference in natural processes are prohibited;
- buffer zones where limited fishing and partial economic activity are permitted.
Climatic conditions
The Commander Islands are located in the icy southern part of the Bering Sea. It has pretty cool summers and relatively warm winters. Almost every month there are days when the islands blow at a tremendous speed of more than 108 kilometers per hour.
Goals and objectives of the reserve
The Commander's Reserve has special tasks:
- protection of natural territories and the marine area adjacent to it, for the preservation of natural objects in the natural state;
- conducting research, keeping records of nature;
- environmental monitoring, as well as environmental education;
- introduction of environmental management methods on the territory of the biosphere reserve that do not destroy the environment and do not deplete biological resources;
- promoting the protection of historical, cultural and ethnic heritage.
Due to the biological diversity of marine life, the ice-free water area in winter, the territory is a feeding ground for a large number of waterfowl, the presence of endangered, rare and endemic species of birds and mammals. Kamchatka Territory does not have a reserve of equal value.
Plants
The flora and fauna of the region includes 383 species of vascular plants and 158 species of algae. The eastern border of the territory passes through the Commander Islands, where 93 species of rare plants are common. There are no forests. The tundra predominates at any point of the Commanders. Only occasionally can one meet thickets of bushy mountain ash and willows. Under them grow Swedish derain, louiseleria recumbent, black crowberry, phyllodots Aleutian and blue.
Forbs in the reserve are represented by anemone of different colors, viviparous serpentine, three-leafed smoking cactus, wintering horsetail. Colorful anemone often suffers due to its beauty. These unusual flowers often break off, making bouquets, despite the fact that the plant is poisonous.
Other shrubs are found here: Siberian juniper, edible honeysuckle and blunt-rose hips.
In the meadows long-leaved sedge grows, the palmatokorenist is spinous, field horsetail, fluffy geranium, iris is bristly, the meadow is winding.
Animals
The Commander's Reserve has a wide variety of animals. Here 25 species of mammals, 25 - fish, 213 - birds are registered. There are six species of terrestrial mammals. This is the American mink, blue Mednovsky arctic fox, gray rat, red vole, house mouse, reindeer. They all inhabit the island of Bering.
The reserve is especially famous for the protected large rookeries of marine animals: sea lions and northern fur seals. These animals create joint rookeries - thousands of clusters on the shore.
Fur seals belong to the species of eared seals. This is the most numerous marine species that the reserve has glorified throughout the world. Northern sea lions (sea lions) are few in the Commander’s Reserve. Largs are seals, quite rare animals for islands. They live on coastal reefs and island cliffs. This is a marine animal of extraordinary beauty and grace with colorful coloring.
Anthurs - the so-called island seals belonging to the group of real seals. Sometimes this animal is called a “flower seal” because of its unusual skin color: large yellow and white spots in the shape of rings are scattered on a brown or dark gray background. Anthurs are rare animals, therefore they are under state protection.
Kamchatka (Russia) is mainly inhabited by marine life. This is a commander's toothed, a humpback whale, a blue northern whale and others.
An endemic population of blue fox (polar fox) is protected in the Commander’s Reserve. The life of these animals is full of dangers and a desperate struggle. About 40% of blue fox puppies die. Some of them break away from the rocks, others are killed by larger predators.
Birds
The Komandorsky Nature Reserve is a nesting site for sea and waterfowl, as well as stops for Anseriformes and Charadriiformes during migrations. Gyrfalcon, gray-winged gull, peregrine falcon, red-legged nestling nest on the islands.
About one million birds representing nineteen species constantly nest here. Most of all there are fools, thin-billed guillemots, common cleaners, hatchets. Silly women are named for credulity: they are not at all afraid of man. But hatchets, or dead ends, are called so because of the peculiar shape of the beak, which is very similar to a hatchet. They have a second name - sea parrots. In the mating season, the already bright color of these birds becomes even more amazing.
In search of food, these birds are able to dive to a great depth (up to 10 m). They remain under water for up to two minutes, catch fish, while they do not let them out already caught. They can simultaneously hold in their beak up to 12 fish.
Tourism
Today, a huge number of our compatriots and guests from abroad come to the Komandorsky Reserve to enjoy the extraordinary nature of these places. The nature reserve has organized hiking trails that help you to appreciate the diversity of fauna and flora. Routes run to the islands of Bering and Medny, introduce birds to the islands of Toporkov and Ariy Kamen.
In addition, here you can see historical places telling about the history of our country. In November 1741, the St. Peter packet boat, led by commander Vitus Bering, was thrown onto coastal reefs during a severe storm.
The islands, which were later called the Commander Islands, became part of Russia, as did Alaska and all the other islands of the Aleutian arc. And that same uninhabited island, called Bering Island, was the last refuge for the great commander and his faithful companions.
In 1867, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands were sold to the United States, and only an inaccuracy in the indication of geographical data in the agreement preserved the islands in question for Russia.
After archaeological excavations (1922), the camp of the famous expedition and burial site was discovered. The remains of the team and Commander Bering himself were reburied. Since then, Komandor Bay has become very attractive for tourists who want to bow to the fearless Russian explorers of the Second Kamchatka Expedition.
Reserve Mode
Despite the harsh climate, there are more and more people wishing to visit the Commander Islands every year. The most favorable months for visiting these places are July, August and September. Today, the reserve has developed several interesting routes. In addition, you can get a pass to visit the rookeries of marine mammals. Here you will see a huge number of animals and you can take stunning photos.
How to get there
The Komandorski Islands can be reached by plane, helicopter or by sea. From Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Bering Island you will have to cover 735 km. Sea tours to the Komandorsky Reserve are constantly organized.
