Nature reserves are not always located in the far corners of the country. To get to the national park Elk Island, Muscovites don't even need to drive far from the city!

Elk Island- a national park located in close proximity to a large metropolis. Consists of several forest parks: Alekseevsky, Mytishchinsky, Yauzsky, Losinoostrovsky, Losino-Pogonny and Shchelkovsky. A relatively small object compared to other reserves in Russia: its area is 116 km, but this fact does not diminish its importance.

About the reserve

Since the park is very popular, there are 3 zones: an area for sports, a walking area and a specially protected area, where entry is prohibited.

Losiny Ostrov is a specially protected area of ​​federal significance, so not everything that is allowed in other parks can be done here.

In addition to its recreational function, the national park is also engaged in:

1) Scientific activities

2) Security activities

3) Forestry activities

Where is

Located on the territory of Moscow and the Moscow region, at the intersection of the urban districts of Balashikha, Korolev, Shchelkovsky district and Mytishchi.

History

The history of Losiny Island began several centuries ago. In 1406, Losiny Ostrov was part of the Taininskaya palace volost, which stretched to the east of the Trinity road (now the Yaroslavl highway), and, according to many documents, was a favorite place for the falconry and bear hunt of Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the "Sovereign's Trap Route" was formed - a royal hunting farm with a special, reserved status. The tsar often, together with foreign ambassadors, liked to arrange here falconry and hound hunts for all kinds of game, as well as driven elk hunting.

This territory forms the historical core of Losiny Island. This area was called the Alekseevskaya Grove, and a hunting palace and ponds were built there. Unfortunately, the palace manor has not survived to this day, but the relief of the land and the garden plan have retained its features. Now it is the 38th, 39th and 40th quarters of the Alekseevsky forest park.

At the end of the 18th century, this forest area called "The Tsar's reserved grove" was transferred to the government department, hunting is prohibited here to all persons without exception.

Attention to Losiny Island began to diminish with the founding of St. Petersburg, which affected its condition: the wastelands began to overgrow with forests, reserved groves were cut down for the needs of the peasants of neighboring villages and villages. But in 1804, the protection of forest lands was reinforced again.

In 1805, Losiny Ostrov was included in the protected forests and a strict regime of protection was established here.

In 1822 the forest area was divided by glades into 55 quarters, along the entire border it is surrounded by a high boundary rampart.

The beginning of organized forestry on the territory of Losiny Island was laid by forest inventory in 1842, one of the first forest inventory in Russia, when the work was carried out according to the rules of "forest" science. The total area of ​​the massif was then determined at 6337 hectares.

From 1842 to 1912, several forest audits were carried out, the last of which divided Losiny Ostrov into four parts: a dacha park, a national park, a nature reserve and an operational part.

After the revolution, even during the years of the fuel crisis, the procurement of firewood on this territory was prohibited, and Losiny Island itself was included by the Moscow Council in the category of especially valuable forest areas. In 1920, Losiny Ostrov was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Petrovsko-Razumovskaya (now Timiryazevskaya) Agricultural Academy. From 1922 to 1925, the massif is under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Forestry Institute, then the Central Forest Experimental Station as a base for research work. In 1931, the territory is part of the forests of a 50-kilometer green belt around Moscow, later it is defined as intended exclusively for environmental protection and forest park purposes.

Even during the Great Patriotic War, forest planting did not stop in Losiny Island. The forestry business here is associated with the names of many enthusiasts: the forester D. N. Marinin and the landscape architect M. P. Korzhev, the forester and a great connoisseur of the Moscow region fauna V. G. Barkov put a lot of work into the preservation and augmentation of the forest resources of Losiny Island.

Many features of the natural Central Russian nature have been preserved in Losiny Island to this day. This is a kind of natural museum, where the whole variety of flora and fauna of the nearby Moscow region is presented.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of such a unique natural complex, and therefore the most important task today is to develop measures for its further conservation and rational use for educational and recreational purposes.

Flora

More than 500 species of vascular plants have been registered on the territory of Losiny Island. The trees growing in the reserve are typical for the area: 46% of the forest area is birch, 22% is pine, 16% is spruce, 13% is linden and 3% is oak.

Fauna

It is home to 6 species of birds listed in the Red Book. These are gray shrike, white-tailed eagle, osprey, red-breasted goose, great spotted eagle, black stork.

And also 44 species of mammals, 170 species of birds, 9 - amphibians, 5 - reptiles, fish - 19.

Peculiarities

One of the first national parks Russia.

Despite the fact that the reserve is located not far from the city, moose still live here, which sometimes go out onto the roadway.

The park is home to fearless squirrels that can be hand-fed.

20 years ago sika deer could be found in the recreation area. Now they were taken deeper into the reserve to avoid extermination by poachers.

Viewed: 22820

The first mentions of Losiny Island fall in 1406, when these lands were part of the Taininsky volost and princes and kings hunted them. In 1799, the territory national park transferred to the state treasury and the first topographic survey is made.

Losiny Ostrov is the first national park in Russia.

Generally creating was discussed back in 1909, but then this issue could not be resolved. And in 1934 the territory of Losiny Island was included in the so-called "green belt of Moscow". Played a very bad role in the history of the park Great Patriotic War 1941-1945... Huge areas of forests were cut down and used for the needs of the front, and in the post-war period, unauthorized seizures of land and grazing of livestock greatly damaged the environment.

In 1979, the Council of People's Deputies on the territory of Losiny Island was created nature Park, and on August 24, 1983 it was transformed into Elk Island National Park- the first national park in Russia.

To date, Losiny Ostrov has been transferred to the jurisdiction of Mosleskhoz, which, due to a small budget, practically does not follow it. And this has a bad effect on the nature of the park - trees are sick, stray dogs are destroying wild animals, the number of fires has increased.

Uniqueness Elk Island National Park is that this is the only park within the large metropolis in the world. where you can see wild animals and rare plants grow. For example, 10 km from the Kremlin you can see beavers, elks, birds of prey.

General information, climate and relief of the Losiny Ostrov National Park.

It is located on the border of the Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya ridge and the Meshchera lowland. The terrain is mainly flat, Through the territory of the national park there are Yauza and Pekhorka rivers... Considerable damage was caused to the channels of these rivers in the 1960s, when the Akulovskaya hydroelectric power station was built and peat was extracted from the swamps.

Climatic conditions are moderately continental in nature, which is typical for the region... The temperature in winter drops to -10.2 ° С. and in summer the air warms up to + 18 ° С. The average annual temperature is 3.8 ° C. The amount of precipitation that falls per year is different and ranges from 550-650 mm. Thanks to the Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya ridge, the winds mainly blow from the northwest and southwest.

Vegetation of the Losiny Ostrov National Park.

As we already know, in flora the national park is dominated by forests - about 89%. Moreover, the most widespread were coniferous forests - 38%, birch forests - 42% and broad-leaved forests slightly more than 16% of the total area. Of the trees, the dominant position is occupied by pines, spruces, larch, birch, oak and linden.
On Losiny Island herbaceous plants are widespread. For example, in pine forests, the common wolfberry, lily of the valley, peach-leaved bell and European swimsuit grow. In broad-leaved forests, you can see nettle-leaved bell, green-flowered and two-leaved lyubka, real nesting. In swamps and near water bodies, the marsh dremlik, spotted fingercorns, two-horned kokushnik and Fuchs have become widespread.

Talking about the flora of the Losiny Ostrov National Park, one remarkable object cannot be ignored - Alekseevskaya grove... This grove is almost more than 250 years old and the protected regime is preserved here in order to protect the centuries-old pine tree from cutting down.

Though Elk Island and is located in the area of ​​human activity, plants that would be included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation have not yet been recorded.

Fauna of the Losiny Ostrov National Park.

At all times it was distinguished by a wide variety of fauna. The latest inventory of animals shows here about 39 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, 5 species of reptiles, 9 species of amphibians and about 15 species of fish.
Yauza river creates excellent conditions for the habitation of many wild animals. These places are well suited for mammals - sika deer, elk, wild boar, muskrat, mink, fox, white hare, squirrel. Among reptiles, snakes, lizards, spindles and vipers are well distributed, and among amphibians, newts, toads and frogs. There are wonderful places in the river floodplain for spawning of many fish - crucian carp, perch, pike, roach, burbot and bream.

After analyzing bird migrations, the staff identified about 100 bird species that nest on Losiny Island. Of nesting birds can be distinguished crested grebe, red-necked, black-necked and small toadstools, spinning top, bittern, gray heron, black stork, gogol, lapwings, blackies, small plovers and snipe. Of the predatory The nesting birds are inhabited by the buzzard, wasp eater, marsh harrier, black kite, goshawk, hobby, common kestrel and red fawn.

The negative impact of humans has led to the disappearance of beavers, but over the past 10 years, their numbers have been restored.

Targets and goals.

The main areas of research are observation and collection of information on the state of forests, assessment of damage from human impact in recent years and the creation of forest edges along the Moscow Ring Road.

Elk Island

the first national park in Russia (created in 1983). It is located in the northeast of Moscow and its forest park protective belt, it starts from the Sokolniki forest park, 8 km from the Kremlin and continues beyond the Moscow Ring Road to Mytishchi, Korolev (former Kaliningrad), Shchelkov and Balashikha. The area is over 11 thousand hectares, of which 3 thousand hectares are within the boundaries of Moscow. It stretches 22 km from west to east, 10 km from north to south. It includes 6 forestries: Losinoostrovskoye and Yauzskoye - in the urban part of the park, Losino-Pogonnoye, Alekseevskoye, Mytishinskoye and Shchelkovskoye - in the regional.

The history of Losiny Ostrov goes back many centuries. Dense forests, stretching northeast of Moscow, were mentioned as part of the palace Taininskaya volost, which belonged to the great Moscow princes. It is known that Ivan IV the Terrible often hunted here. But Losiny Ostrov received its name only during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, for whom canine moose hunting was organized in these places; a falconry was created in the southwestern part of Losiny Ostrov, and this area became known as Sokolniki. Since the 17th century. the territory of Losiny Ostrov was intensively used. Since the 18th century. it is under special supervision: forest protection has been introduced, decrees have been issued several times on the conservation of valuable forests. In 1809 Pogonno-Losiny Ostrov (the main part of the park) and nearby groves were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Kremlin Building Expedition.

In 1842, active forest management began in the forests of Losiny Ostrov. On large areas, deforestation was carried out, coniferous crops were planted, swamps were drained, roads were laid. In 1912, an attempt was made to organize a national park in Elk Island, but this was prevented by the First World War. In the 1930s - 1940s, when the creation of the Moscow Nature Reserve was planned, Losiny Ostrov was planned as one of its 10 sites. But only in 1983 Losiny Ostrov was officially assigned the status of a national park.

Modern Losiny Ostrov is a natural complex unique in its size, diversity of forest communities, flora and fauna, preserved within the multimillion urban agglomeration. Here grow the oldest pine and spruce forests in the Moscow region, vast broad-leaved forests of linden with oak and maple, century-old floodplain black alder forests, birch and aspen forests. In the depths of the forest, small raised and transitional bogs have survived. A special attraction of Losiny Ostrov is the vast low-lying swamps along the river. Yauze with open shallow waters, thickets of reeds and cattails. On the territory of Losiny Ostrov there are the sources of the Yauza and Pekhorka rivers, numerous rivers and streams flow into them - Ichka, Budaika, Los, Nekhlyudov sleeve, Bogorodsky brook, etc.

The flora of the national park numbers over 700 species. In the herbaceous cover of coniferous forests, oxalis, blueberries or reed grass predominate, they are accompanied by a double-leaved mine, round-leaved wintergreen, European deciduous, lingonberry, etc. , buttercup anemone, goose onion, multiflorous kupena, aconite, etc. In the bogs among stunted pines and sphagnum mosses, cotton grass and marsh sedge, wild rosemary, cassandra, blueberries, cranberries, sundew and other marsh plants grow. In Losiny Ostrov, lily of the valley, a swimsuit are common, there are dense corydalis, wolf bast, yellow iris, lubki two-leaved and greenish, Fuchs fingernail and other plant species specially protected in Moscow and the Moscow region.

The fauna of Losiny Ostrov is exceptionally rich, which includes 45 species of mammals, 185 species of birds, 4 species of reptiles, 9 species of amphibians and at least 20 species of fish. As in the distant past, an elk remains its usual inhabitant, and a wild boar is not uncommon. Along with such widespread animals in the Moscow region as the mole, hedgehog, fox, weasel, hares (hare and hare), squirrel, the pine marten, ermine, mink, black polecat, hazel dormouse, and several species of bats live in the national park. Sika deer have been living in its forests since the pre-war years; beavers have recently been successfully re-acclimatized. Up to 125 species of birds nest in Losiny Ostrov, swans, geese, cranes stop during the flight, different types waders and ducks. In the depths of Losiny Ostrov, already rare in the vicinity of Moscow, the viper, the legless spindle lizard, and the gray toad still live.

Losiny Ostrov - a museum of wildlife under open air... A variety of landscapes are preserved on its territory, including such natural monuments as the 250-year-old Alekseevskaya (pine) grove, the 100-150-year-old pine massif “Grivka” and the coniferous forest “Kholudeevka”. Centennial linden forests (linden forests), especially on the territory of the Yauzsky forest park, and an oak grove in Losino-Pogonny forest park are distinguished by their high aesthetic and scientific value; some specimens of oaks classified as natural monuments reach 250 years of age.

Upper Yauzsky wetland complex, which includes the river. Yauza with its tributaries Ichka, Budayka, Pekhorka, etc., is also protected as a natural monument. Along the Yauza and Budaiki rivers, the Friends of the Forest and Yunost Maxima parks (total area of ​​180 hectares) were created (1988-92).

Visitors can also get acquainted with historical sights: traces of ancient settlements that existed in pre-Mongol times (X century), an old waterworks, which began to supply Moscow (since 1830) with Mytishchi water, etc. protected areas, the visit to which is limited. Recreation areas for Muscovites have been created in places adjacent to residential areas.

B.L. Samoilov, G.V. Morozov.

Moscow. Encyclopedic reference book. - M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia. 1992 .

See what "Losiny Ostrov" is in other dictionaries:

Elk Island- Elk Island. Losiny Ostrov, national park, on northeast from Moscow (partly within the administrative boundaries of the city). The area is 11 thousand hectares. Founded in 1983. Coniferous deciduous forests of spruce and linden prevail with the participation of oak, maple, on ... ... Dictionary "Geography of Russia"

The first national park in Russia in the north-east of Moscow and in the Moscow region. Founded in 1983. St. 11 thousand hectares. The protected grove has been protected since the time of Ivan IV the Terrible Tsar. From the 17th century. the territory of the park was intensively used; from the 19th century ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Elk Island, the first national park in Russia, in the north-east of Moscow and in the Moscow region. Founded in 1983. Pl. St. 11 thousand hectares. The protected grove has been protected since the time of Ivan IV the Terrible Tsar. From the 17th century. the territory of the park is intensive ... ... Russian history

National park"Losiny Ostrov" Category II (National Park) Coordinates: Coordinates ... Wikipedia

Losiny Ostrov is the first national park in Russia, located on the territory of Moscow and the Moscow region. The largest forest area in Moscow and the largest among the forests located within the city (Moscow part). View of a part of Elk Island ... ... Wikipedia

The first national park in Russia, in the north-east of Moscow and in the Moscow region. It was formed in 1983. The area is over 11 thousand hectares. Protected from the time of Ivan IV the Terrible "Tsar's reserved grove". Since the 17th century. the territory of the park is intensive ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Elk Island- Sp Losinyj Òstrovas Ap Losinyy Ostrov L nac. parkas RF Maskvos sr ... Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

Elk Island- Los other island ( natural area in Moscow) … Russian spelling dictionary

Nat. park on the territory of Moscow and Moscow region. Organized in 1983 on pl. 11 816 ha, of which approx. 9 600 (81%) are covered by forests. In the south and west, it adjoins residential quarters and industrial zones. The territory is crossed by automobiles (Moscow ring road, etc. Geographical encyclopedia

ELK ISLAND
national park

Location and history of Losiny Ostrov National Park

Losiny Ostrov National Park was formed in 1983 on the territory of Moscow and the Moscow Region with the aim of preserving natural complexes, as well as optimization of environmental management, development national culture and creating conditions for organized recreation.

Losiny Ostrov National Park is located northeast of Moscow, while a third of it is located within the administrative boundaries of the city, and its forests begin only 8 km from the Kremlin. From the north, west and south, multi-storey residential quarters of the city, industrial zones come close to the park, large highways and railways pass nearby. The Moscow ring road passes through the territory of the national park. As part of the park's lands forest land occupy 85%, including forest-covered - 9.6 thousand hectares (81%). Non-forest lands include bogs - 5%, water - 1%.

The nature of the Losiny Ostrov National Park

The territory of the Losiny Ostrov National Park belongs to the subzone of broad-leaved spruce forests of the Valdai-Onega sub-province of the North European taiga province of the Eurasian taiga region. Despite the fact that the Moscow region is considered to be well studied in floristic terms, a complete inventory of the flora of Losiny Island has not yet been carried out. To date, 505 species of higher plants have been recorded in the park. The flora is dominated by forest species, characterized by a relatively large number of weeds, invasive species, which is associated with the location of the park surrounded by settlements and the presence of highways and agricultural land nearby.

Species included in the Red Book of the USSR and the Red Book Russian Federation, has not yet been found here. However, in the park there are quite widespread species of herbaceous plants classified as rare and subject to protection in Moscow and the Moscow region.

Forests cover a little more than 80% of the area of ​​the national park. Coniferous forests account for 38%, birch forests - 42%, broad-leaved forests - a little more than 16% of the forested area. In general, forests dominated by pine occupy 21% of the forested area, spruce - 15%, larch - more than 1%, birch - 45%, linden - 12%, oak - about 3%. The northern and southern parts of the park differ in the nature of the vegetation. In the northern part there are forest crops and "landscape" plantings. In the southern part, the old pine forests derived from indigenous spruce forests. Pine forests with rich grass cover prevail. In the central part of the park, spruce forests were almost completely destroyed and FIX replaced linden and birch forests. Lip forests in the central part of the park are found everywhere. Birch forests, which are widespread here, do not have a dense undergrowth. In the western part of the park, small areas of pine forests with an admixture of linden, oak, and partly spruce have been preserved. Exclusively interesting object park - Alekseevskaya grove, on the territory of which the reserve regime was preserved for a long time. This is a unique forest area almost 250 years old, the main forest-forming species of which is pine.

Animals of the Losiny Ostrov National Park

Elk Island has always been famous for the richness of the animal world. Due to the large area of ​​the massif, the combination of a wide variety of habitats and the long-term restriction of forestry activities on its territory, even today, when it is surrounded on three sides by urban development, from the faunal point of view it remains one of the most interesting forests in the Moscow Region. In the last 10 years, thanks to the restoration of a large wetland complex in the upper reaches of the river. Yauza and the allocation of a large protected area (where economic activity was almost completely stopped and the attendance of people sharply decreased), a very interesting ornithocomplex of near-water and meadow bird species was formed here, magnificent spawning grounds appeared. The beaver was successfully re-acclimatized in the park. All this gives hope for the further replenishment of the fauna of the park at the expense of species that have disappeared from here in the recent past.

Over the past 30 years, a little less than 280 species of vertebrates have been soaked in the park. Of these, 45 species are mammals, about 200 species are birds, of which the fact of nesting has been established for 139 species. Reptiles are represented by 4 species, amphibians - 8, fish - at least 19 species.

The order of insectivorous mammals is represented by a hedgehog, a mole), common, small and medium shrews, and shrews. On the channels of the Verkhne-Yauzskie bogs, a desman was noted - an endemic to Russia, listed in the Red Data Books of the IUCN and the Russian Federation, however, the fact of permanent habitation of this species in the park has not been established. In Losiny Island, 8 species of bats have been recorded: the mustachioed and pond bat, brown long-eared bat, Natusius's bat, red, small and (the only find) giant nocturnal bat, bicolor leather. In the forests, the white hare is ubiquitous, and the brown hare along the edges and among the fields on the adjacent agricultural lands. The largest number of species is represented by rodents. The bank vole is the most numerous; the root vole, common and water voles, forest and field mice, squirrels, and muskrat are common. In the 70s, beavers were re-acclimatized on the Verkhne-Yauzskie bogs, which gradually settled throughout the Yauzskaya floodplain. Due to the relatively small area of ​​the park and its essentially insular position, the species richness of carnivorous mammals is small, and the number is limited. Only a fox and a weasel have adapted well to life surrounded by a highly urbanized landscape. The absence of the otter, the supposed extinction after an attempt to re-acclimatize the badger, the low abundance of the pine marten, European mink, ermine, and polecat are probably largely explained by poaching and disturbance of their habitats in previous years. Among the hoofed animals, the park is currently inhabited by elk, sika deer and wild boar. The number of elk ranges from 20-30 heads. Sika deer were first introduced to Losiny Ostrov in the 1930s. Their number, depending on the level of protection and winter feeding, either sharply increased to 60-70 heads, then decreased to a minimum, mainly due to the pursuit of stray dogs. By 1985, she had dropped to 13 goals, but is now gradually recovering. Wild boars appeared in Losiny Island in 1974 and now there is a relatively stable "population" of them, reaching 80-100 heads in favorable years. Among mammals, except for the desman, all bats, badgers and hazel dormouse included in the list of protected rare species of animals in the Moscow region are subject to special protection. Special studies of theriofauna in the national park have not been carried out, therefore, in the future, it is possible to find on its territory some species of insectivores, bats and mouse-like rodents that have not been noted so far.

The avifauna of the park has been studied in detail. On its territory nesting Grebe, Black-necked, Red-necked and Little Grebe, Bittern, Top, Gray Heron, associated mainly with the Verkhne-Yauzsky bog massif. Occasionally, no more than once every three years, a black stork is observed on migration - a species listed in the IUCN and Russian Federation Red Data Books. The Upper Yauz bogs are also the main habitat of anseriformes. By the end of summer and autumn, ducks concentrate here (sometimes up to a thousand or more birds), such cautious birds as the gray goose, the goose, the white-fronted goose and further whooper swan stop during the flight. Gogol nests in the park. In the early 1980s, a colony of black-headed gulls arose in the least accessible part of the Yauzskie bogs, among which river and black terns also settled. So far, the composition of the park's regularly nesting sandpipers is rather poor: lapwing, small plover, carrier, blackie, woodcock and snipe. On the meadows and bogs of Losiny Island, 4 species of shepherds nest, and if the prospects of habitat in the park do not cause concern for the crabs, moorhenes and coots, for the corncrake, which recently became a candidate for the IUCN Red List, due to the reduction in the area of ​​meadows, there are less and less suitable biotopes ... In Losiny Ostrov, 9 species of birds of prey nest or nest in the recent past (wasp eater, black kite, marsh harrier, goshawk, sparrowhawk, common buzzard, hobby, red falcon, common kestrel), and 17 species were noted along with migratory and migratory birds. This is the only reliably established nesting place of the red fawn in the Moscow region. It is here that the last of the peregrine falcon nesting sites known in the region (1968) was noted, on the Yauz bogs in 1974/1975. a pair of golden eagles overwintered safely. The last two species are listed in the Red Data Books of the IUCN and the Russian Federation. Chickens were found to be the most sensitive to the impact of urbanization. Of the 6 species that previously lived here, only quail and hazel grouse now nest. Of the pigeons in the park, the most common is the clintuch, which forms rather large settlements (up to 10-15 pairs) in old, abundant linden tree hollows. The most common among owls is the tawny owl, gravitating towards old lime trees. The long-eared owl adheres to shallow forests. Short-eared Owl, Passerine Owl, Upland Owl and House Owl are observed on nesting irregularly. A large number of woodpecker species are noteworthy (8). Here gray-haired, green and white-backed woodpeckers, rare for the near Moscow region, nest. As elsewhere in the forest zone, the greatest number of species is represented by passerines (89 in total, 76 nest). The nesting facts of meadow pipit, yellow-headed wagtail, common cricket, blackbird warbler, warbler's warbler, blue tit, whiskey, bullfinch, grosbeak, garden bunting, nutcracker deserve special mention.

Reptiles and some amphibian species were found to be the most sensitive to city influences. The snake and the viper survived only in very swampy and little-visited places. The spindle and viviparous lizard also almost completely disappeared from the recreation centers of the park. The garlic may have completely disappeared from the park. The common newt still continues to be found here and there in the recreational zone, but the crested newt has survived in very small numbers only near those bodies of water where people rarely visit in spring, during the breeding season. The most common are grass, muzzle, pond and lake frogs. Less common are gray and green toads.

Perch, pike, common roach, gudgeon, and other species characteristic of the Moscow region are common among the fish living in water bodies, rivers and the aqueduct that crosses the park.

Initial information about the national park was kindly provided by the administration of the resource www.biodiversity.ru

Losiny Ostrov natural park is the only one on the territory of Russia national reserve, which is located within the metropolis, just 15 kilometers from the Kremlin.

A bit of history

The territory on which the Losiny Ostrov park is located today once belonged to the palace Taininskaya volost. Ivan the Terrible also loved to arrange hunting in these places. The park got its name "Losiny Ostrov" during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, who also loved hunting and used to set hounds on elk here.

Already at the beginning of the 18th century, a forest guard was organized here. On large areas, deforestation, drainage of swamps, and construction of roads were carried out. Work was carried out on the laying of coniferous trees. Shortly before the revolution, they wanted to turn Losiny Ostrov into a national park. The plans were not implemented - the World War began. Losiny Ostrov Park was able to acquire this status only in 1983.

general information

Today this territory, 90% of which is forested, occupies 116 sq. kilometers. It includes three zones:

1. Specially guarded. The area is 54 sq. km. The area is closed to the public.
2. For sports and walking, 31 sq. km.
3. The recreation area is 31 sq. km. and borders on residential areas of the capital.

And the Yauza originates here. More than three ponds add a pleasant variety to Losiny Ostrov. The national park has a significant area of ​​marshland. The flat relief prevails here. The Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya ridge determines the north- and south-western wind rose over the forest.

Vegetable world

More than 60% of the vegetation is represented by deciduous trees, of which oak prevails. There are also birch groves. Linden is common. The rest of the forest is represented by pine, spruce and larch trees. Alekseevskaya grove, located in the complex, is more than 250 years old. Some of the pines in this grove are over 200 years old. The unique trees were preserved thanks to the protected regime. The grove is rightfully considered unique and adorns the Losiny Ostrov.

The park pleases visitors with an abundance of herbaceous plants. Lilies of the valley, bells, fuchs, marsh dremlik and many others grow here. At the same time, there are no flora representatives on the territory of the reserve, which are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Animal world

More than 40 species of mammals, 170 species of birds, 14 species of reptiles and amphibians inhabit Elk Island.

The park has become a haven for moose and wild boars, martens, hares and many others. The brown hare lives in the swampy meadows, the population of which is steadily declining due to the reduction of the range and the urban factor. More than 15 species of fish live in the waters of the Yauza.

Rest zone

There are always vacationers in the recreational part of the park, especially from the nearest residential areas. In the middle of the forest, you can find numerous benches for rest, a meadow with a nursery playground and a place for sports.

Sports equipment in the park can be rented. Excellent multi-kilometer trails attract cyclists, skaters and joggers to Losiny Ostrov. The national park is unique place for hiking. Here you can wander in the same as the one that is described in Russian fairy tales.

There is also a stable. Horse-riding enthusiasts adore Elk Island. The park is just created for leisurely horseback riding.

Walking along the trails, you can feed the squirrels. There are many animals here, and he is not afraid of people - he is ready to take food from his hand.

Winter gives the reserve a special charm. Skiing in untouched forest and the freshest air make this place popular even in the winter cold. Ice skating enthusiasts can satisfy their impulse on the frozen mirror of one of the reservoirs.

Service sanitary maintenance of the reserve daily removes more than 2.5 hectares of the recreational zone from various garbage, dead wood. Also, it is necessary to eliminate the consequences of illegal picnics, places of spontaneous dumps. More attention is paid to places of greatest concentration of people - playgrounds, reservoirs, popular walking routes. No matter how hard the sanitary services try, their work is not diminished. The situation can change only with an improvement in the quality of the cultural education of citizens.

sights

In the estate of the forestry of the reserve there is a cultural and educational center "Russian life". The expositions on display tell about the life of the Slavic people in the period of the 19th - 20th centuries. There is a large collection of clay folk toys.

There are also archaeological artifacts found during the excavation of burial mounds from the times of the Vyatichi. The place where these graves were discovered in 1989 was the Losiny Ostrov park. Photos of some of the items on display are presented below.

There is an elk station next to the huntsman's site. Here you can not only see moose or wild boars - you can communicate with animals and feed them from your hands. Just walking in the park, it is problematic to meet an elk. He is a very sensitive animal and, at the slightest noise, moves into the depths of the protected area.