Word and pictures:
Jonny McCarthy
Alpha Romeo 4 are following fast on the heels of expedition 11C’s first ‘Alpha 4’ group in the development and conservation of the La Cangreja National Park.
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| No its not the local Turrialba football team... its Alpha Romeo 4! |
La Cangreja is a beautiful national park which owes its name to the striking 1,305 metre peak Cerro Cangreja (it looks like a giant crab!). Raleigh has undertaken a huge number of projects here and Alpha Romeo 4 were looking forward to marking their stamp on the area park! The park has suffered various problems from deforestation and poaching in the area.
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| Venturer Teri looks out over her new home for the next three weeks |
When we arrived we were greeted by Don Bolivar and four of the rangers that help protect La Cangreja. We were treated to a slide show of all the important work that Raleigh has achieved in the past, but also, a run down on all the poisonous snakes and spiders to keep our eyes out for! The rangers explained to us the work we would be expected to do, and showed us some of the previous work which had been done by Raleigh.
Work on the trail has been swift but rewarding. Many areas of the path need ditches and drainage systems to help preserve the paths. Seeing how quickly the paths can soon become overgrown and lost without regular attention is just amazing! We have also had the opportunity to help clean up the ‘Raleigh Trail’ which a previous expedition helped to build. The aim of the trail is to allow disabled access to the National Park, whilst still being able to enjoy the jungle environment and fabulous views from the viewing platform!
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| Cutting their way through the forest in style! |
Day 2 we began building our jungle camp. The thought of building ‘basher beds’ from bamboo, building our own kitchen, lounge and ‘long-drop’ (toilet) was all very exciting! Once we had set up all the important parts of the camp (the basher beds and waterproof coverings!) we broke the group up by allocating two people to stay back to help make improvement on our camp, whilst the rest of the group headed off to work. The first task in hand was to clear large areas of the National Parks network of trails. Poaching in the park is a major threat to the wildlife in La Cangreja, and the rangers have round the clock patrols to help ward off any unscrupulous poachers!
Before arriving, I never fully understood the importance an area like La Cangreja can have on the community. Thousands of people rely on the National Park to provide them with clean, safe drinking water. Previous generations of deforestation have caused the water flow of one river in the zone, the Rio Negro, to shrink three times in size from what it was just 30 years ago!
Alpha Romeo 4 is proud and honoured to be part of a great ‘Raleigh Legacy’ helping La Cangreja to flourish for a lifetime to come.
