Notes From the Field

11/11/11

Notes From the Field: Sara Reid

The Sister Park project and the Pan American Partnership in Condor Restoration continues to grow as ongoing relationships are strengthened and new exchanges take place. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend the month of November visiting the Parque Nacional Quebrada del Condorito (PNQC) on behalf of Pinnacles National Monument as (PNM) an American Conservation Experience (ACE) Intern. I have received an enthusiastic welcome from our Sister Park and am pleased that the chances to share experiences and knowledge with our Argentine park partners are endless and mutually fruitful. Whether we are on the trail, in the office, sharing mate or making dinner, there is constant conversation and exchange of information related to our national parks and lived experiences in Argentina and the United States.

After hearing descriptions of the PNQC, it is thrilling to be in the park and see the landscape and resources with my own eyes. I realize all I can give is another description, but still I’d like to try and paint a mental picture of this impressive landscape. The PNQC encompasses 92, 328 acres, with an additional 290,190 acres of state hydrologic reserve bordering the park. From the park offices in the town of Villa Carlos Paz you climb from the valley bottom up to the Pampa de Achala at 6,500 feet. Pampa means flat grasslands, and this is what you find at the top of the Sierra Grande range where the PNQC is located. Native bunch grasses (Festuca sp. and Poa sp.) stretch as far as the eye can see, interrupted by outcrops of sparkling granite and quartz. In this respect the landscape is similar to Pinnacles, with very few trees, lots of rocks, and low vegetation. Interspersed in the grasses, especially in the rocky areas, one finds native bushes (Berberis ruscifolia, Heterothalamus alienus, Baccharis sp., and Mintostachys sp.) barrel cactuses, and small clumps of wildflowers that are beginning to bloom. Many small streams and the mighty Condorito River cut the landscape and create riparian habitats where one finds the two species of tree in PNQC—the tabaquillo (Polylepis australis) and the maitén (Maytenus boaria). The Pampa de Achala is a unique meeting place where Polylepis, whose range extends north through the Andes, and the Maytenus, whose range stretches south to Patagonia, can be seen growing together.

This area of Argentina is similar to California in that it has a long dry season followed by a wet season. The dry, winter season lasts from April thru September, and the wet summer season is from October to April. Currently, in the middle of the Argentine spring, the hillsides are turning green and brief storms are blowing through the Pampa de Achala, bringing wind, rain and lightening. During my first week here I have been stationed almost exclusively up in the park. Living in the park is similar to living in Pinnacles—you only get cell service in a few places, you are an hour away from town, you live with an extended park family, and two steps out your front door you are confronted with sweeping landscapes and natural solitude. Being in the park I have seen a lot of wildlife. Wild guinea pigs are constantly whistling and scurrying across the pampa. The Achala green lizard (Prystidactilus achalensis) is easy to spot sunning itself on the rocks, and one must step carefully to avoid the yarará (Bothrops ammodytoides), a small poisonous snake. The Achala red fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus subsp. smithersi) made a quick appearance, and more than once I have seen puma, or mountain lion scat on the trail.

The black-chested buzzard eagle is a common sight, as is the brightly colored loyca (Sturnella loyca subsp. obscura), and there are at least 11 endemic bird species and subspecies found in the park. Of course, one of the most impressive sights in the PNQC is the Andean condor, flying free over the canyons and rocky outcrops of the park. I will write more about this soon!