Roman and Sveta have been married for over thirty years and as well as also being a member of the “Friends of the spoon-billed sandpiper” in Meinypil’gyno, he, like Sveta, is crucial to the annual expeditions, organising all of the logistical transport and collection of expedition equipment from Anadyr in early spring so that everything is in place for the team once they arrive in May. In addition to this, Roman also makes sure that all of the quad bikes, necessary for surveying and egg collection, are in full working order and carries out repairs when necessary. If that is not enough, none of the expeditions to search for and survey new breeding sites would be possible without Roman and his “kerzhak” (a big foot truck), which along with his intricate knowledge of the area, are required to make the long and sometime dangerous journeys to remote locations.