Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo
Defenders of Cerro Castillo National Park: Building a Story About the Huemul
Accompanied by a professional photographer and environmental educators, young people from Villa Cerro Castillo participated in the first field activity of this educational program developed by the community outreach area of the Rewilding Chile Foundation.
It was eleven in the morning, and in the Las Horquetas area, adjacent to Cerro Castillo National Park, the temperature of minus four degrees Celsius was palpable. But rather than a hindrance, it served as motivation to document the life, ecosystem, and threats to the huemul.
Thus, 18 students from Liceo Bicentenario Rural Cerro Castillo, young defenders of the national park, supported by the team of environmental educators from Mañke Chile, divided into groups to photograph various aspects of the huemul’s life in the field.
Vehicles speeding through the area, traces of invasive species like wild boars, and even a recently shed huemul antler were some of the situations the young people captured, which will become part of a story they will develop throughout the year.
“Last year was a process of raising awareness, learning about the environment to acquire certain skills that help them be in nature. This year there’s a deeper part that involves application. How can I do something concrete with all this information I have? And that’s where the children decided to take actions towards the conservation of the huemul and the park, and this is exactly what we will work on together throughout the year,” said Karen Sandoval, CEO of Mañke Chile.
The group was also accompanied by nature photographer Francisco Espíldora, who has worked to raise awareness about the fragile situation of the huemul population in the area through his lens.
In a workshop before this outing, the photographer introduced technical and practical aspects of documenting the huemul, providing new tools for the young defenders to use in their projects.
“The kids were able to focus, and come up with an idea, an intention, and that kept them super attentive, respectful, contemplating, observing, and trying to create a small narrative with what they were experiencing. It was very gratifying and beneficial. Their eagerness to contribute to the park, to the huemul’s habitat, as defenders, seeing them so happy and knowledgeable, well-documented,” said Espíldora.
Their motivation was such, that while making their recordings, the young people collected trash along Route 7, human waste left by those passing through the area, often needing proper caution.
In that area, the speed limit is 60 km per hour, but many vehicles do not comply, endangering the huemuls and those who come to see them.
"One of the threats that caught my attention the most was the vehicles. They go by too fast. For example, a car passed very close to us while we were taking photos of the huemuls. They got scared when it passed, and we even took photos of the moment because a huemul could cross."
Strengthening the bond between the park and its community is a primary objective of the Friends of Cerro Castillo National Park program by Fundación Rewilding Chile, an initiative now in its second year training young defenders in the locality.
“We see them with the same enthusiasm and interest in learning as the first time. They are young people who often use their free time to learn new aspects of the huemul’s life, their interactions with other species, and their park. They seem comfortable on these which motivates us a lot,” said Francisca Calderón, coordinator of the Friends of Cerro Castillo National Park program.
To learn more about the program and the activities, check the Instagram account @amigos_pn_cerrocastillo.