Kamchatka 2008 blog

Markus Eichhorn appeared on Radio 4's science program Material World
yesterday to discuss the Kamchatka expedition. You can podcast it at the
link below. Markus' section is the second half.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/thematerialworld.shtml

A big thank you to Lowe Alpine, who have kindly stepped in at short notice to supply our expedition rucksacks with a generous discount. They will also be providing some of the clothing for the group. Lowe Alpine are specialists in packs and clothing for mountain and extreme conditions. For details of their products see www.lowealpine.com.

Many thanks to Lyon (www.lyon.co.uk), who have supplied the expedition with nine Petzl MYO XP head-torches! These normally retail for £55 each so we are extremely grateful to them for their generosity. Lyon are suppliers of specialist equipment to outdoor professionals, especially rescue services, but also to climbers, cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts. They also provide training and assessment services.

Dr Eichhorn will be appearing on the Material World program presented by Quentin Cooper on Radio 4, on Thursday 12th June at 4:30pm. He will be discussing the expedition, including the implications of the research for conservation and our understanding of forest processes. For more about the program or to podcast it see:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/thematerialworld.shtml

During the first two weeks in the field, we will be joined by a group of
undergraduates from Vitus Bering Kamchatka State University, led by Prof
Svetlana Artemenko and Dr Natalya Stupnikova. They will be participating
in the initial training week in the area around Esso village and will
assist in setting up the base camp and the initial forest-mapping phase
of the expedition. This will be a great opportunity for both the British
and Russian undergraduates to receive training and also to promote links
between the two universities.

Sadly, Samuel Kemp has been forced to withdraw from the expedition due to family problems. We wish Sam all the best and he will be missed. In his place, we will be joined by Olga Mutin from Komsomolsk-na-Amur.

The expedition has been receiving quite a bit of local media coverage recently. Markus Eichhorn appeared on BBC Radio Nottingham on 28th May on the morning show at around 7:50am, where the discussion mostly focussed on bears. On the same day there was a feature on BBC East Midlands news, which you can see here:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3ca8WQUcRPY

A further appearance on BBC Radio 4 is already being lined up - more to follow!