Saludos de Mexico!
Trip Start
Mar 23, 2007
1
3
Trip End
Ongoing
Jalpan de Serra,
Mexico
Friday, December 21, 2007
La Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra Gorda
The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve covers the entire northeastern third of Querétaro state, and encompasses roughly a million acres of mountainous terrain and the last remaining tracts of well-conserved forests in central Mexico. Unlike most reserves, the vast majority of this land is privately owned and nearly 100,000 people live in its scattered mountain villages. This means the Reserve´s conservation relies on the willing participation of local landowners, which is exactly what Biosphere Reserve´s seek to do- blend sustainable human use with natural area protection
Chavo Pantalones
. Most of the people living here make less than US$6 per day which results in enormous pressure on the Reserve´s natural resources. Forests are cleared to create pastures and cornfields, firewood is harvested for cooking, and plants and animals are hunted for food. Nonetheless, extensive tracts of wilderness still exist including old growth cloud forests covered in bromeliads and orchids, high elevation pine-oak forests full of rivers and waterfalls, semi-deserts where cactus and wild oregano bloom, and tropical forests that are home to jaguars, trogans, and ancient cycads. With fifteen vegetation types this is the most ecosystem-diverse protected area in Mexico.Nuestro Trabajo
Conservation of the Sierra Gorda has always been grassroots. Over 20 years ago, our boss Pati started the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda, an extremely successful and progressive family-run NGO, to protect this region. She is a true visionary and has built a conservation movement through sheer willpower and spirit. In 1997, when the area was declared a Biosphere Reserve, Pati was named the director, and Grupo Ecológico received co-management responsibilities with the federal government. Their work in environmental education and reforestation has expanded over the years to engage numerous communities in sustainable livelihood activities including beekeeping, artesania, ecotourism, and most recently payments for environmental services
View from the high ridgetop of Cuatro Palos
. We are working with cutting-edge conservation strategies like selling carbon credits on the voluntary market (international organizations pay local landowners to reforest their degraded farmlands in order to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and offset their business emissions), and helping landowners design management plans to receive payments for biodiversity protection and hydrologic recharge. With our friend Beto we monitor wildlife with remote-triggered cameras (that detect heat and motion), and have captured some great shots of jaguars, pumas, ocelots, coatamundis and others. As it is in conservation work, we´re surrounded by energetic and dedicated people incorporating sustainable practices into community life in the sierra. As one colleague put it, everyone in the group "can agree that they are working to protect life." It's an endless job, and an inspiration to see it being done well. El pueblo
Jalpan de Serra is a town of about 8,000 people in the lowest, hottest valley of the mountainous reserve. It is the regional capital, so is full of stores, restaurants and hotels making it much more cosmopolitan than you might think. Every Saturday there is live music or entertainment in the plaza, and fireworks frequently wake us up at night, or early in the morning (we still don't quite get that one). Jalpan wasn't more than a small village when Junipero Serra, representing the kingdom of Spain and the holy conquest of Catholicism, arrived in the 18th century to build one of his five ornate missions. Jalpan later grew wealthy from its location along the Tampico-Queretaro trade route-a long, steep, unlikely route-that existed to transport Mexican textiles to Europe. In the early part of the last century the hacienda owners and trade merchants wore fancy clothing ordered from Paris and the town was quite well-to-do
16 Septiembre, Independence day parade
. When the hacendados lost their land in the agrarian reform the town fell on harder times and was suffering neglect, until in recent years when a resurgence of wealth has arrived via remissions from the US and wealthy Queretanos seeking a quieter life in the sierra. La Casa
We live in the old central part of Jalpan, about two blocks from the big, ornate Franciscan Mission, built around 1740. The house we live in used to be part of a compound stretching a square city block. As is the style in much of Latin America, our house is built right to the street, with a large enclosed courtyard. We have a big open air kitchen shaded by a large zapote amarillo tree nestled into the courtyard, from which we hang our hammock. We´re surrounded by bountiful fruit orchards: lemons and limes, oranges and tangerines, papayas, mangos, palms and bananas, growing over the walls and providing needed shade, perches for chickens, and fruit through much of the year. Our back yard was conspicuously missing such a lush scene. Other than the zapote, the garden had two stumps, a couple old papaya trees giving their last fruit, and weeds growing waste high. En route to restoring our own orchard and garden we´ve unearthed garbage bags full of second-rate artifacts buried up to several feet deep: ancient tools, broken glass, old batteries, chicken wire
September in the Sierra
. We now have three terraced garden beds ready to be planted in the new year. We'll eat home-grown fruits and veggies when you visit. El Perrito
Chavo Pantalones-Listos Lenth de San Antonio came to us in July, about 8 weeks old, hungry and tick-infested, from a ranch in the most remote corner of the reserve. He left his canine family and followed us heroically as we hiked over 10 km to set up wildlife cameras in the tropical forest, determined to disperse even beyond exhaustion. We brought him home, cleaned him up, and gave him a name; we started playin' and haven't stopped. He's bilingual and knows how to catch. He fetches for chicharones. Watching him grow and learn is now our favorite hobby. So much for studying Spanish, playing the guitar, or reading. Often we walk to the reservoir and swim. He helps us dig in the garden, clean the house (his favorite tool is the dust pan), and keeps us safe from frogs, opossums, and the neighbor´s cat. He probably has the best life of any dog in town. Chavo has gained great fame, accompanying us to stores and restaurants, entertainment in the plaza, riding in the back seat of the work truck. Kids we don't know call out "Ey Chavo!" when we pass by. Some people are terrified of him, expecting him to bite
Buffy and Chavo on a hike
. A dog on a leash must be bravo-aggressive and dangerous. Why else would a he be restrained? Most are impressed with how clean, smart and "noble" he is. They marvel that a dog will sit or lie down on command, and they´ve certainly never met a dog who understands English. Showing other people that a puppy can be trained, well-behaved, and trusted is our "secondary project", a cultural exchange demonstrating the best of what dogs can be. So there´s a taste of life in Mexico for you...if you really want to know you´ll have to come visit and see for yourself!
We can be reached by phone:
(52) 441-296-1672
And receive mail care of:
Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda
Carlos Septiem Garcia No. 46
Colonia Cimatario, Querétaro
QRO, Mexico 76030
Love to all,
Ben and Buffy
