It’s hard to believe, but our sixth Patagonia program is almost underway!
Our field instructors, Jessica and Elizabeth, have been busy in southern Chile, preparing for the arrival of 8 students on our Patagonia Conservation Program. Our program coordinator, Matt, is there to assist with preparations, and will be in Chile for the first month of the program. They arrived to chilly weather, and after spending a few days in the city of Coyhaique, headed further south to the town of Cochrane, where Round River’s field house is located. From here, they are making preparations for the semester: meeting with project partners, servicing vehicles, fine-tuning research plans, catching up with contacts in town, and re-familiarizing themselves with the flora and fauna of the area.
Students arrive on Monday, September 22nd, and we couldn’t be more excited for a great project in Patagonia. They will spend the first half of the program in Bernardo O’Higgins National park, assisting CONAF with huemul deer monitoring in the remote Fiordo Bernardo area. The second half of the semester will be spent in Valle Chacabuco, assisting Conservacion Patagonica with biodiversity studies – namely bird surveys at alpine lakes and vizcacha surveys in rocky alpine areas.
Follow us here for more photos and updates!
Elizabeth and Matt enjoy lunch in the back of our field vehicle, on their way to Cochrane
Mountains along the highway from Coyhaique to Cochrane
Photos by Jessica Hightower