Help Us Build the Altai Heritage and Conservation Center

Hello Readers,

We are kicking off the new year 2026 fresh, motivated, and goal-oriented. Today, I would like your attention on a fundraising project I am assisting. If you have ever been to Mongolia, particularly it's Western provinces, you have acquainted yourself with rare cultural locations, activities, some of the best animal training experiences you have ever witnessed. In order to preserve these traditions and make it more sustainable, but available to tourists, we are asking your support to help us purchase a new, community museum building for western Mongolia!

Located in the town of Sagsai in Bayan-Ulgii province, the Altai Heritage and Conservation Center will be situated at a key travel crossroads between the provincial center of Ulgii and some of Mongolia's most important (and most-visited) cultural and ecological zones, including Altai Tavan Bogd National Park and Tsengel Khairkhan mountain.

Famous for its cultural traditions (including the famous eagle hunting tradition), wildlife (including threatened and iconic animals like the snow leopard and argali sheep), and rich archaeological heritage (including the UNESCO World Heritage petroglyphs and mysterious frozen tombs of the Pazyryk culture), the region nonetheless lacks a modern and internationally-legible museum. In recent years, many important discoveries have been made in the region, such as the first direct evidence of domestic horses in Mongolia, and some of the oldest indications of mounted horseback riding in East Asia. However, while these discoveries proliferate in international information spheres, many remain absent from educational materials or community knowledge in the Altai.

Partnering with experts at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Kazakh Falconry Association, National Museum of Mongolia, NOMAD Science, and the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, the Center will display educational museum exhibits introducing visitors to the region's history and ecology - and exploring the interplay between pastoralism, hunting, wildlife, and tradition, and the challenges facing western Mongolia in a warming and globalizing world.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-build-the-altai-heritage-and-conservation-center?attribution_id=sl:c6b7695c-e267-4e18-91c8-5fa087ea7e15&lang=en_US&ts=1767451956&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp17_tb&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Schematic of the new Altai Heritage and Conservation Center. Drawing: E. Mazza