Onshore oil fields on the North of Sakhalin Island are developed by Rosneft since 1928. Wearing equipment, obsolete technology, outdated operational practice lead to significant pollution of the environment, especially of the water objects, located close to oil fields, and of the airspace because of the associated gas burning. The company undertakes inadequate measures for minimizing of the pollution and introduction of the modern technologies. Besides, state control over the pollution is very week and insufficient. Therefore a public ecological monitoring over onshore oil production takes on a big importance for supporting of ecological balance of fragile north nature. For that it is very important to investigate pollution sources of the environment from oil fields. It will helps to reveal the facts of violations of environmental norms, rules and standards, ecological legislation and to stimulate Rosneft to use the best available technologies at the oil production, to reduce pollution and to clean up the polluted areas. Finally it will serve to ecological interests of all population of the Island, will help to preserve unique biodiversity and rich biological resources of the Sakhalin North.

Old onshore oil fields are concentrated basically in the northeast part of the Sakhalin Island. Polluted waters from them are being discharged into the rivers running into closed sea lagoons with high biological efficiency and low ability to auto purification from oil and other pollution. Actually, northeast lagoons store for mineral oil and other harmful substances, which have being discharged in the rivers and streams by Rosneft during decades. In a combination with very cold climate all of these make given ecosystem very vulnerable to pollution from the oil industry side.

Having the big stocks of fish and other biological resources, lagoons of Northeast are actively used by local population for amateur fishing and hunting on waterfowls, and by indigenous peoples and private enterprises - for industrial fishing. On the coast of these lagoons and in the estuaries of the rivers flowing into them, the big population of Steller's Sea Eagle lives. It is a rare endangered species listed in the Red Books of the most various status. The given population of Steller's Sea Eagle migrates to Japan for wintering, on the coast of Hokkaido Island and it is a subject of studying and pride of the Japanese scientists and the public there. Here a lot of other rare and disappearing species of birds nest, many of which also migrate to Japan for winter. Steller's Sea Eagle eats fish, and the majority of other species of birds are closely connected to lagoons in the food relation. Undoubtedly, that the harmful substances acting into lagoons with the rivers, are collected in organisms of fishes, mollusks, crabs, birds and finally - people living here.

We often receive messages from local natives that the fish "smells as oil, medicines, has ulcers on a body" and other unusual for a fish smells and signs of an abnormal physical condition. Therefore it is important to carry out laboratory studies of such of fish regarding the contents of various polluting substances - mineral oil, heavy metals, phenols etc.

On the preliminary data, in Noglikskiy and Okhinskiy Districts on the Sakhalin North the level of oncological diseases is very high, much higher than in the average Sakhalin. However, the exact official data on a level of diseases by a cancer is kept by authorities unknown for wide public. Local residents are sure, that they are sick of a cancer more often than others because of active oil and gas development on land owing to what there is a pollution of water objects, air environment, ground, food products. In this connection, we take as very important to collect a trustworthy information about dynamics of oncological diseases, to compare the average data on the region and Russia with amount of diseases on the North of Island and to try to find the reasons of a high level of cancer diseases.

Since May till July we gathered the main part of the information on dynamic of oncological diseases increasing in the Northern and Southern districts of the Sakhalin Oblast.

In June and September 2007 we conducted two inspections of the Rosneft objects and revealed serious facts of the environment pollution (oil spills from wells and pipelines) and violations of the environmental legislation. As a result of the first check Prosecutor has brought prescriptions and obliged Rosneft to clean the polluted territory. Also Prosecutor instituted two criminal cases on the fact of pollution of Piltun spawning river and on the fact of oil embezzlement from derelict wells. On the second check state bodies are conducting investigation at present time. Rosneft intensively cleans polluted areas.

During the project we released two press-releases and two photo-reports. Press-releases with the pictures were fully published on the most attended Sakhalin Internet-portal www.sakh.com , information passed through information agencies "Ostrova", Interfax and Itar-Tass, articles were published in local newspapers and plots were issued on TV.

As a results of repeated checks of state bodies in 2007 Rosneft was drawn to administrative liability as a fines on total sum about $11500. Rostekhnadzor undertakes measures on exaction of a damage to environment in a sum about $36500.

We have prepared a report "On situation in oncological disease in Sakhalin Region and about ecological factors which influence on population's health" with diagrams about condition of oncological disease in districts of Sakhalin Region. The report will be directed to appropriate state bodies for undertaking of measures and will be widely covered in local press.