Dr Patricio de Los Ríos, Professor at Universidad Católica de Temuco visited Katalapi Park to study the presence of Crustaceans within the park. As a result of this research, Dr de Los Ríos made a poster with the most abundant species within the park. Aegla abtao and larvae of juvenile plecoptera Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera (Diamphanopsis) were founf in creeks (indicators of clean water); Hyalella chiloensis, Diptera (Nematocera and Chironomidae) were found in creeks with slow running water and small ponds within the forest.Simocephalus, Chydorus sphaericus y Eucyclops serrulatus, which are indicators of mesotrophic waters, were found in Laguna Chapito. These studies agree with data from similar protected areas in the Chilean and Argentinean Patagonia. Similarly, the species found may be typical of Chiloe Island and adjacent continental areas.
Since these species are indicator of water quality, it may be concluded that streams in Katalapi are in very clean. Dr de Los Rios will continue this work with an annual course of qualitative and quantitative variations of the species found within the park.
A new take on "field trip entertainment", was enthusiastically embraced by juniors and teachers of Talagante´s Nehuén School (located near Santiago). The 6 day/ 5 night visit do Katalapi Park combined travel to some of the area´s touristic highlights, with activities in Katalapi aimed at exploration, discovery, and connection with learning. During final evaluations, they emphasized that this turned out be a field trip which escaped conventions and surpassed all expectations.
Katalapi Park Environmental Education and Research Center is located centrally to some of the most traditional tourist destinations for high school field trips: Puerto Montt, Angelmó, Puerto Varas, Frutillar, Chiloé and Alerce Andino National Park. However, the objectives set for Nehuén School´s field trip aimed at creating an experience that went above and beyond conventional tourism.
“We minimized lectures, played a lot, and gave the youngsters challenges”, says Ana María Vliegenthart, the Park´s Education Director, “for example, we gave them a map and clues to discover the forest and its biodiversity, letting them come to the conclusion that they have seen true treasures. Seeing how the participants grow in enthusiasm as they discover a new universe, to share in their energy, that is priceless. We are the most thankful fof all for having had these wonderful kids with us.”
In addition to serving as a setting for activities aimed at creating a connection with nature , our Environmental Research and Education Center also served as a home base for getting to know the area´s tourist attractions. Katalapi Park has already hosted college field trips in the past, and with Nehuén School´s visit, now expands its operations to High Schools field trips, as long as they share the Center´s focus on learning and personal growth, which contrast with more traditional field trips which may focus more on conventional tourism or a collective party experience. In Katalapi´s case, we give a whole new meaning to the concept of “entertainment”. Katalapi Park also offeres programs in English for foreign institutions.
We finish by sharing some of the testimonies of this special group of students:
· “I believe that Katalapi´s forest was the “channel” that connected me to nature, it was a sort of teacher that shared its wisdom with me… one more companion, a magical place”.
· “The south was a powerful energizer that stimulated all my senses, I feel I don´t want to go. The atmosphere created, each detail, the welcoming details of the place… you can´t capture it in a picture, it is all treasured in my memory. Thank You.”
· “My study field trip was flowing with the wind, dissolving into the sea, flowering with the earth, and puryfing myself with fire… I will soon leave and I feel paused, in harmony of strength and peace. "
The tradicional International Colloquium on Plant Ecophysiology will take place for the eighth time at Katalapi Park (Región de Los lagos, Chile)., Recognized scientists from around the world will participate in the Colloquium between January 20-22, 2013. Among these scientists are Professors Marilyn Ball (Australia), Hans Lambers (Australia), Charles L. Guy (USA); Rafael Oliveira (Brazil), Sune Linder (Sweden). The program includes lectures by invited scientists, short communications by attendants, round table discussions, and social events. The deadline for submitting the titles of shor communications is November 30, 2012. Instructions for registration and titles submissions can be downloaded from this web page (see below). For more information, please, contact Dr Luis Corcuera by email (firstname.lastname@example.org) or by telephone 041-2203586 (Office) or 92490228 (mobile phone).
An International Graduate Course on Plant Stress Ecophysiology will be offered in Parque Katalapi from January 10-19, 2013. This course is aimed at Graduate students and professionals interested in stress ecophysiology from Chile and abroad. The program includes a detailed revision of environmental stress concepts in plants, analyzes of specific types of stress, physiological, and molecular responses of plants to stress conditions. Adaptation and acclimation of plants to adverse conditions will be a central aspect of the course. Finally, all this knowledge will be discussed in the contex of global warming and associated climatic changes.
The course is organized by Drs Luis Corcuera, Leon Bravo, Rafael Coopman of Universidad de Concepción, Universidad de La Frontera, and Universidad Austral de Chile, respectively. In addition there will be invited lecturers from Chile and abroad: Marilyn Ball (Australia), Lohengrin Cavieres (Chile), Ignacio García-Plazaola (Spain), Hans Lambers (Australia), Rafael Oliveira (Brazil), and Manuel Pinto (Chile)
The application deadline is October 31, 2012. No fellowships are available from the organizers. Course information, registration costs, and application procedures can be downloaded from this web page. For additional information, contact Dr Leon A . Bravo at email@example.com ; Phone 56- 45-592821
The prestigious journal Annals of Botany (Page 1 of 20; doi:10.1093/aob/mcs130) has just published a paper that compares Proteaceae from Australia with those of Chile. This research was lead by Professor Hans Lambers, from the University of Western Australia, with the participation of Professor Alejandra Zúñiga from Universidad Austral de Chile. Proteaceae from Australia removilize phosphorus from senescent leaves, while Proteaceae from Chile produce litter rich in phosphorus. For this reason, Proteaceae from younger soils, such as in Southern Chile, could act as ecosystemic engineers, supplying phosphorus to those plants that lack specialized root structures for removing P compounds tightly bound to acid soils. Part of this work was performed at Katalapi Park