Description of the attraction
In our country, the largest number of nature reserves and complexes are of regional importance, thereby being the property, as a protected object, of the Russian Federation. For example, the system of natural complexes of the Leningrad Region has 38 territories at its disposal, which were officially established from 1976 to 2007. The largest number of regional nature reserves have been created to protect rare and small biological species, as well as communities, hydrogeological, geological and unique landscape objects. It is here that scientific, environmental, educational, environmental and recreational work is carried out.
Natural reserves of regional importance are managed by the Committee for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of the Leningrad Region. Timely management of these objects has been transferred to some extent to special organizations.
For the purpose of successful and progressive development of regional natural complexes, in 2004 the Government of the Leningrad Region approved the development of a specialized program for the purpose of supporting and developing some specially protected areas located in the Leningrad Region until 2010. The main task of the program was to preserve the territories through long-term work on the development of regional systems.
One of the most beautiful natural reserves has become the State Natural Complex Reserve called "White Stone". This reserve of regional importance was opened in 1979. This protected object is located in the Luga region, a few kilometers from the village of Oredezh, next to which the border with the Novgorod region passes. The total area of the "White Stone" is 3 thousand hectares.
The purpose of creating a nature reserve was the preservation of the bog system, which is especially characteristic of the southern part of the Leningrad Region, as well as the protection and reproduction of upland game. The Government of the Leningrad Region was appointed as state control over the reserve.
The largest territorial part of the reserve is occupied by an extensive system of bogs, the eastern and western sides of which are cotton grass-sphagnum and shrub-pine bogs. The most important part of the bog system includes bog-hummock and ridge-hollow complexes with sphagnum mosses and shrubs, such as podbel or cassandra. In some places there are plateaus consisting of brown sphagnum with cotton grass and cloudberries. In the northern part of the bog, as well as in its central part, there are reed-sedge and sphagnum bogs, among which an impressive 2 m boulder rises, which gave the name to the bog system. The boulder is made of gray coarse-grained granite and reaches 6 m in length. On small bog islands, spruce and birch forests are widespread with unusual oak forest species, such as spring rank, liverwort, slipper. It is this area that especially attracts the largest number of forest birds, which is why in the middle of the swamp you can hear the sound of a variegated woodpecker, as well as the singing of chaffinch, wren, chiffchaff and willow warblers. You can also see the nests of wood grouse, golden eagle, gray crane and great curlew. The nearby forests are inhabited by a badger, squirrel, vole, white hare, wild boar, elk, and shrew. Of no small interest are the birch-black alder bogs located along the perimeter of the bog, as well as populations of a rare pond frog, which is found only in the southern part of the region in small foci.
Specially protected objects of the nature reserve include capercaillie and grouse lek, birch and black alder swamps, marsh system, forest sedge, Lindbergh sphagnum, pond frog, real slipper, gray crane and ptarmigan.
Hunting, driving or stopping cars, picking mushrooms, berries and various medicinal plants is strictly prohibited on the territory of the reserve.
Today, active investment in the nature reserve is encouraged, as well as monitoring of these places.
