Travel Program

Scheduled Travel

The Janet F. Tuttle '34 Alumnae and Student
Service Travel Program 2009

March 15-22, 2009

Please note: The deadline for applications is December 10, 2008.

Would you like to help with something worth protecting?

This trip is a focused opportunity for a group to work on one of the most important ecological reserves in Ecuador. Mindo has suffered severe deforestation during the past century and needs to develop tree nurseries with native species and to reforest with these species. Mindo is part of the protected 48,000-acre Mindo - Nambillo reserve. This group project will help preserve some of the few remaining tracts of tropical forest from extinction and will give alumnae and students a chance to enjoy the amazing biodiversity and wildlife of Ecuador. The conservation work will take you to orchard gardens, tree nurseries, and organic farms as well as into the heart of the jungle.

Project Summary

The Valley of Mindo is a cloud forest located only an hour and 45 minutes away from Quito on the lower flanks of the western Andes in the Province of Pichincha. Mindo has suffered severe deforestation during the past century and needs to develop tree nurseries with native species and to reforest with these species. Mindo is part of the protected 48,000 acres of the Mindo-Nambillo Reserve. The forest stretches over the slopes of Pichincha volcano, at altitudes from 1,400 to 4,700 meters (4,600 to 15,500 feet), and covers diverse ecosystems ranging from the high, treeless plateau or “paramo” through subtropical forest to tropical jungle. The steep slopes also give birth to a myriad of waterfalls, many of which have never been named. Cloud forests like Mindo have high humidity, cool temperatures, and an abundance of wildlife and plants, particularly ephiphytes, varieties that grow on other plants. Mindo is considered a heaven for bird watchers, but also it appeals to photographers and explorers for its outstanding panoramic views. Mindo is considered to be one of South America’s best bird-watching sites. It has been named by BirdLife International as the first Important Bird Area (IBA) in the Americas in 1997, due to its exceptional flora, fauna, and botanical abundance—unique in species, considered vital for the development of ecological tourism.

Every 200 meters or so drop in altitude means a change in the species of birds that live in Mindo.

Likely Work Activities

Create/maintain native trees nurseries: collect seeds, weeds, etc.
Collect seeds in cloud forest inside the reserve and try to germinate collected seeds in the nursery.
Reforestation: clean the land to be reforested, prepare areas for replanting, transplanting, cleaning prepared areas.
Organic farm: build a organic vegetable garden, clean it, maintain the garden.
Build feeders for birds.
Build and maintain an orchid garden
Ecotourism: mark and maintain trails, rehabilitate and remark old trails, mark the boundaries of the station.

Project Information

Project Duration: March 15-22, 2009
Location of project: In the valley of Mindo
Arrival Airport: Quito (airport code UIO)
Activities: Work activities are as above. Also included in the trip is a tour to the equator line and a rafting tour
Working Hours: Flexible; 6-8 hours per day

Signing up for the trip: The selection process for the trip is based on the information you give us via a short electronic form. In order to qualify for the selection process, please complete this form by December 10, 2008. We will try to inform applicants of our decision before the holidays, if possible, but definitely by January 9, 2009. Applicants selected to go on the trip will receive more detailed information along with forms that need to be filled out. If you have questions, please contact Maya D’Costa, director of campus programs and global initiatives at mdcosta@mtholyoke.edu or 413-538-2066.

Accommodations

Accommodations are on site and will be on a shared basis in a large cabin with six bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own bathroom.

Requirements

Minimum age is 18.
Travel Insurance. We will help arrange for this. The cost is approximately $55.
The cloudforest reserve of Mindo - Nambillo is situated on the western slopes of Pichincha volcano at an altitude of 1400m to 4000m, comprising steeper mountainous slopes. Good physical health is a must. You should also be able to walk long distances.

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