Between 2002-2003, the U.S. Forest Service funded a series of exchanges between professionals, trail builders, and representatives from the protected regions around Lake Baikal. At the same time, two organizations – the Federation of Sports Tourism and Mountaineering of the Republic of Buryatia and Earth Island Institute's Baikal Watch in San Francisco, United States – were awarded a joint grant from the Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation for an exchange program to share experience in trail construction. In the fall of 2002, specialists from the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, the U.S. Forest Service, and EarthCorps came to Lake Baikal. They met representatives of the protected areas, and discussed trail building and planning techniques used in the United States. Gary Cook, the director of Baikal Watch, made great personal contributions to the Great Baikal Trail project.