Lake Baikal is an ancient, massive lake in the mountainous Russian region of Siberia, north of the Mongolian border.

On Friday at 11 a.m., area residents can join Dr. Tom Erlandson on a throwback Audubon Community Nature Center First Friday slideshow, “Exploring Lake Baikal.”

Considered the largest, deepest and oldest freshwater lake on the planet, Lake Baikal contains more of the world’s fresh surface water than all of the North American Great Lakes combined. Seventy-five percent of the life there is indigenous to the region.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared Lake Baikal a World Heritage Site in 1996.

Joining a team of Russian scientists, Erlandson spent five days aboard a research vessel in the lake, learning about its unique geology and biology.

Erlandson has a masters degree in entomology and a PhD in zoology and taught at Jamestown Community College for 27 years. Since retiring, he has written articles for Audubon Community Nature Center and Roger Tory Peterson Institute as well as co-authored Figure 8 the Lake: A Driving Tour of Chautauqua Lake. Erlandson was the administrator for the Ohio River Consortium for Research and Education and served as an environmental consultant for Forecon, Inc. Over the years he has shared his vast knowledge with the Audubon Community Nature Center through various presentations and workshops.

For First Friday, chairs are set up in a socially distant manner. Participants who come together may sit together. Face coverings are required.

The fee is $6 for Nature Center members, $8 for non-members.

Reservations are requested by Thursday by calling 716-569-2345 or going to AudubonCNC.org and clicking through “Register for a Program.”

Walk-ins are welcome if there is room.

The Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. Dawn to dusk daily area residents can hike, snowshoe and cross country ski the six miles of trails, view Liberty, Audubon’s non-releasable Bald Eagle, and enjoy the outdoor Nature Play Area, all for free.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, the 2021 Nature Photography Contest winners, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 – 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders enjoy free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.

All visitors, volunteers, and staff are required to wear face coverings while inside the building. COVID policy updates can be found at the COVID-19 Notice on that webpage.