My last camp VTP

Hello, today I will tell you a story that happened about two years ago. To start this story, I Will tell you that I was participating for 3 years in a socio-environmental volunteering called "Live your Parks" which seeks to encourage young people between 15 and 29 years to participate in socio-environmental issues, care, protection, and value in the Protected Wild Areas of our country, generating a real commitment of people with the environment and nature.

This existing program throughout the national territory helped me a lot in being the person I am today. It gave me the possibility of knowing the career that I am currently studying, it opened many doors for me, it allowed me to grow, it allowed me to develop my own skills and abilities being a happy, whole person with great convictions.

My last camp I had through this "VTP" program was in the Maule region in the "Los Ruiles" national reserve in February 2019. This experience is very special and important to me because on this occasion a work was carried out to conserve the Ruíl which is an endemic species of the area that is in danger of extinction. That is why, together with the support of CONAF, forest engineers and volunteers, it was possible to monitor the regeneration of native species, the extraction of invasive species such as pines, which compete directly with Ruíl, was carried out, with the aim of controlling this phenomenon and that the Ruíl can be conserved and protected in a better way.

In this camp I met very beautiful people with a very pure and enriching energy. I was able to connect again with nature and the environment, managing to contribute a grain of sand to the conservation of this natural heritage. They were 10 very exhausting camping days, which had many joys, sorrows, difficulties, among other things. However, it was an experience that marked all the volunteers and park rangers who work in that place, because a very special harmony and connection was generated with the national reserve, with the park rangers and with the volunteers.

I hope you liked my experience; I hope that you can also achieve your goals and learn from those experiences of life. See you on the next blog!!

My future job

Since I got to know nature and started to practice Trekking. I had the possibility to know different places and mountains of the Region Metropolitana, even many nationally Protected wilderness areas. In those places I’ve met very talented and intelligent people from different careers, but, above all, I have great affection and respect for park rangers, because they have taught me to take care of and see natural areas in a different way.

Even, I would like to work as park ranger in the “Huerquehue National Park”, because I feel a special and very important connection with this place.

Since then, being a park ranger is the job that I most desire to be able to develop as a future Forestry engineer, carrying out environmental education activities to different visitors and tourists, raising awareness about the importance of taking care of nature.

Furthermore, A job I've never done and would like to do in the future it is with the researcher Claudia Cerda in research on ecosystem services, that is, ecosystem services are all the direct and indirect benefits that ecosystems provide for free, managing to satisfy some needs of human beings, allowing the social and economic value of the contribution of ecosystems to society.

Furthermore, to be a professional who uses applied geomatics and landscape ecology to be able to develop projects together with different professionals, be able to contribute to the knowledge and improve the coexistence of human beings with nature, which has suffered many anthropogenic damages and that we must take charges today to avoid a massive extinction of flora, fauna and human beings.

Free Topic

The place of the city that I like the most in Santiago, Chile, is Cajon del Maipo, this place is located in the commune of San José de Maipo

The Cajón del Maipo is characterize mainly because it has the great Maipo River basin, which is enclosed by hills, cliffs, and massifs. In this place we can find different natural lagoons, mountains, and rivers. The natural beauty is unique due to its mountainous formations, allowing visitors to practice different sports and experience adventures, such as, Trekking to Waterfalls, Rafting, Picnic with family and friends, besides, you can camp and see the beautiful starry sky calmly and quietly, due to the fact that it is located far from the city center and car transport, being a perfect place to meet and relax in the middle of the forest.

The Cajon del Maipo is a very special place. I remember that 3 years ago I met with different friends and we do a beautiful Trekking, which has an approximate duration of 1:30 hrs. This Trekking is of medium difficulty, but you need to have suitable shoes to get to this place. This is one of the places I remember the most because at the end of the trail you manage to reach a waterfall that is approximately 30 meters long and is very refreshing.

¡Highly recommended to all of you!!

Unfortunately, The Cajon del Maipo is threatened by a hydroelectric project called “Alto Maipo” that is destroying, polluting, and diverting the natural course of the Rio Maipo. Even, this project is seriously threatening the provision of drinking water for the city of Santiago.

I hope that we can continue to enjoy this beautiful place and that this project can be banned, so that future generations can appreciate this beautiful corner within the Region Metropolitana.

An event in the past

This experience happened in the Winter of 2019, in July. Me with 2 friends, We organize, plan and go to the National Park “Huerquehue”, which is located in the region of the Araucanía, near the city of Pucón.

The 3 of us really wanted to meet this National Park in Winter, because, We knew this Park in the summer of 2018. We had a unique and unmatched experience, where volunteer work was carried out inside this protected wild area and We was promoting care for the environment and contributing with “a grain of sand” to conservation.

Furthermore, this National Park in the Winter is very beautiful, because, It has a completely different beauty from summer, mainly for the season’s snow.

When We arrived in Huerquehue with my friends. We were talking with the Forest Ranger to be able to enter and enjoy the National Park.

We began the trekking; our great adventure was approaching to the Frozen Lake that was at approximately 1:30 hrs. In the first moments of the trekking it was raining and snowing a lot. It was an experience with a lot of energy, sensations, joy and with a very pleasant company. However, when there were about 20 minutes left to reach the lake. I began to feel an intense cold on my feet, and I was scared. Therefore, I went down the track very fast, while I was trying to generate heat in my body and feet.

When I got to a place without snow, I started to feel the toes of my feet and the fright gradually subsided.

It was an experience that had everything. It was a very beautiful, but it was not possible to reach the goal. Quickly I will return and enjoy the beauty and the Frozen lake of this wonderful place.

A country I would like to visit

Brazil, "Visit and Love us"

When I met this country, it was mainly there for a study purpose, because I studied thanks to a scholarship at the University of São Paulo. With the passage of time, I began to meet and discover this country and its people.

I was totally amazed by the richness of its culture, language, and history. Brazil has many places, all of them are astonishing and full of knowledge. It has a very extensive cultural and natural heritage due to its large territory, being the 5th largest country in the world with 8.5 million km2.

In January, at the beginning of this year, I arrived in Brazil and traveled a little for its cities. Due to the Covid-19, I was locked down in the city for two months.  There were no flights to return to Chile, and I even had to cancel different trips which I had planned to see new cities and places in Brazil.

Nevertheless, If I had the chance to go again. I would like to visit some of the many places, such as beaches, cities, architectural displays, such as the iconic ‘Christ Redeemer statue’ and Pão de Açucar in Rio de Janeiro, among others. 

However, the place that I would like to visit in Brazil  the most  is The Amazon and The National Park "Chapada Diamantina" which is a very interesting and magical place with a waterfall, long rivers, mountains, and such others. Furthermore,  this National Park has celebrated places and routes, such as, Cachoeria de Fumaça, Poço Encantado, Morro do Pai Inacio, Gruta da Pratinha, Grutal Azul e Gruta Lapa Doce. I would love to meet those places as soon as possible.

What do you think? Would these places in Brazil be among your "favorite places"? I hope you are well! I will be waiting for your comments. Warm regards.