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Baños, Ecuador
The San Martin Ecological garden is a wondrous place surrounded by the immensely beautiful mountains of Ecuador. The staff is friendly, welcoming, and work continuously to make visitors comfortable. They care for over 66 endangered or threatened species indigenous to the surrounding cloud forest. They also provide visitors with a unique experience to get up close and photograph these animals that are rarely, if ever, seen in the wild. The San Martin zoo provides a genetic bank for the species that are quickly disappearing from the wild. It is a gem that endows visitors with an unforgettable and life changing experience.
The city of Baños contains a deep well of culture that engulfs visitors upon entering. There exists a balance between traditional and modern that one notices immediately. Everything is hand made with delicate skill and sold along the streets. There are no McDonalds, Burger Kings, or Pizza Huts; the foods are flavorful, original and worth the time that is spent to prepare them, and the most expensive meal costs less than fast food with five star quality. Don’t be surprised if you are randomly visited and sang to during your meal, or the local pet comes in to greet you. The local bars are cultural centers in their own right. Since Baños is the gateway to the tropical rainforest, it attracts adventure travelers from around the world. By the time you leave you will feel like you are leaving family and most definitely want to come back.
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Wild Spots
Foundation
Cloud Forest Photo Documentation
Project
Banos, Ecuador
March
2012
$1850 per person*
To hold a space,
send Dr. Barker an email asking to hold a space
(specify which week in March)
.
Project
Description:. Cloud
Forest Photo Documentation Project combines the opportunity
to photographically document the flora and fauna of Ecuador’s Amazonia Cloud Forest Ecosystem. Participation is open
to those interested in saving threatened and endangered species, tropical Rainforest habitats, Biogeography,
and man's influence upon the ecosystem.
.
Participants will be exposed to the ecology Amazonia, the geography
of the region, the cloud forest ecosystem, biodiversity, and man's impact upon the Upper Amazon Region. During the mornings,
participants will photograph and/or donate physical and intellectual energies to assist in improving the San Martin Zoological
Garden, a local zoo that has approximately 100 animal species and is in great need of physical maintenance, establishment
of docent programs, development of management skills, and on-going programs that will provide better care and protection of
the animals. Our course this time will be the complete photographic documentation of the species housed at the zoo and identifying
their Latin taxonomic name.
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The Zoological Center is the only repository in the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest for hurt and injured animals.
Consequently, there are several endangered animals that are always being nursed back to health. The need for medical services
is great. . The rural nature of Baños
provides an ideal setting for learning Andean culture and language. Located at 6,000', it is one of two primary entrances
into the Amazon Basin and is far removed from the large metropolitan centers of Quito and Guayaquil. It is a perfect setting
for the student who is interested in Ecuadorian Sierra cultural, ecology of the cloud forest, and biodiversity.
.
Weekly
Trip Itinerary March 2012
- Day 1 Meet at Miami Airport, upon arrival in Quito late afternoon, transfer to the Ambassador Hotel, overnight with early departure Sunday morning.
- Day 2 San Martin Zoological
Gardens in Baños... a 3-4 trip through the Valley of Volcanoes, traveling over the Andes Mountains to the cloud forest
city of Baños.
- Theme 1: Orientation
- Theme 2: Wildlife/Nature Photography * Acquire images through photographic documentation of these mammals.
- Theme 3: Biogeography of the Amazonia Cloud Forest * Articulate the relationship between biogeography and biodiversity in the tropical cloud forest ecosystem
- Theme 4: Taxonomy & Classification *Comprehend the taxonomy of mammals
- Theme 5: Biodiversity *Participate in saving endangered animal species
- Day 3 .7:00-11:00 AM Photo census course *Acquire images through photographic documentation of these mammals. 11:00-2:00PM Baños Sunday Market *Students will understand the relationship of Ecuadorian cultures to Biodiversity2:00-5:00PM Data Collection and Field Analysis
- Day 4 .7:00-10:00 AM Photo Census Course *Acquire images through photographic documentation of these mammals. 10:00-8:00 AM Trip to a local village market * Students will understand the relationship of Ecuadorian cultures to Biodiversity;2:00 - 5:00PM Data Collection and Field Analysis
- Day 5 .7:00-10:00AM Photo Census Course *Acquire images through photographic documentation of these mammals. 10:00AM-8:00PM Trip to Puyo - Plant Biodiversity *Students will understand the relationship of Ecuadorian cultures to Biodiversity
- Day 6 .Free Day.
- Day 7 .· 5:00 AM depart for airport and Miami
.
*Program cost: $1850 includes
airfare from Miami, all lodging, breakfasts and dinners in Baños, the ground portion of the course in Baños,
and transportation to Baños.
.
- Deposits: A refundable deposit of $500 is now due from each participant; the balance is due no later than January 15, 2011. .Payments: Please make e-check transfer to our Wild Spots Checking Account, make payments through PayPal, or make payments using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express (see attached credit card form).
- Passports: You will need a valid passport. Visas are not required for U.S. citizens. .
- Medical: It is your responsibility to check with your doctor and/or local public health people for proper up-to-date information on any immunizations that may be needed.
- Do not drink the tap water; drink only bottled water and beverages. Do not eat food from the street. .
- Safety:
- Carry your passport and money in a passport pouch around your neck. Pickpockets are very skilled at ripping off tourists in Ecuador... protect yourself. Although quite safe, Baños is the gateway to the Amazon and a variety of people from all over the world migrate through this gateway.
- Never walk the streets alone; always travel in a small group of 2 or more. .
- Volcanic Eruptions: Tungurahua Volcano is in a constant state of eruption. Once every 2 or 3 years, there is a major eruption. In 1999 Baños was evacuated. Our evacuation plan is quite simple. Once the warning from the government is issued, all course participants should go immediately to their hotel room, pack, and meet in front of the hotel. A bus has been arranged to take the group back to Quito via Puyo (away from the volcanic activity). Generally the lead time for such an evacuation is four hours or more..
- Press: Ecuadorian officials love this program and its potential. They plan to have various press agencies, photographers. Please cooperate and provide intelligent answers to questions so that NSU and other supporting groups are represented in a positive way. .
- Money: Meals in Quito ($10), lunches in Baños ($3-8/day), and departure taxes from Ecuador (USD$40) + personal spending money. .
- What to bring: Two pair of tennis shoes (or old shoes), swim suits. Baños will be warm in the days (70-80_) and cool at nights (50-60_). You will also need a light jacket, raincoat or poncho. .Photo Equipment: a tripod is OK to bring, a good 200 or 300 mm telephone lens; all rooms have 110 electricity for charging batteries; the zoo has a wi fi connection;.What to bring for the zoo: Any taxonomic guide to Amazonia animals will be very helpful. Below is a list of needs for the zoo. Some of these items can be packed away in a suitcase.
.
Contact Dr. Barker for larger items you wish to bring and contribute to the zoo.
- freezer for keeping food & meat
- laboratory instruments
- medicines & vitamins
- technical books of management
- books, care, physiology of animals
- recapturing devices for animals that escape
- tranquilizers & sleeping agents
- prescription doses for animals
- scales for weight
- office equipment: typewriter, computer, video camera, still camera
- kitchen utensils
- Plumbing faucets for each cage
- uniforms for employees, shoes, work garments
- nylon nets for containing birds
- water purifier
- construction tools
- walkie talkies & cellular telephone
- television/digital/DVD programs on subjects
- books, vet med. literature, journals
- hand tools, i.e., screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, etc.
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Problems & hazards participants can experience:
- poor quality drinking water... drink only bottled water/beverages
- poisonous biotic materials: by ingesting or handling certain plant materials by being scratched by certain plant thorns or nettles by handling certain fungi by handling/molesting certain snakes
- mosquitoes
- pick pockets
- sexual harassment from local citizens
- poor quality food on the streets
- natural events, i.e., earthquakes, volcanic activity
- high altitude nausea, nose bleeds, headaches
- close proximity to wild animals, i.e., scratching, bites, fleas
- exceedingly steep and dangerous canyon walls
- wandering off alone
- drug availability and severe police/legal penalties
- possible political instability
- Living conditions on the zoo compound are very modest, but clean and comfortable
- Lost and/or stolen luggage.
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