Fitz Roy risks falling into private hands
The appeal by Argentinean mountaineer Rolando Garibotti to safeguard the future of the Fitz Roy massif.
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| Mnet has decided to publish the personal appeal by the Argentinean mountaineer Rolando Garibotti concerning the future of the northern section of the Fitz Roy massif which, unlike the land immediately to the south, was never designated National Park status. Rolando Garibotti is well-known for his numerous Patagonian ascents. His letter was sent to us by Antonella Cicogna, journalist and Press Office Director of the internationally renowned Film Festival di Trento, Italy. |
 The Fitz Roy massif - photo by Nicholas Hobley - Mnet |
Chalten, January 8th, 2000. To all: I apologise for the general character of this letter, but unluckily I have not had the time to write to each one of you personally. The following information is self-explanatory. From the general text I omitted a few important details, that are explained here so you can get a better understanding of the problem. I certainly hope everyone will be able to contribute to this cause, as I believe it is a simple enough matter that we will all agree. Only thanks to everybody’s collaboration will we be able to get this done. Once you have read the text attached to this letter you will be interested in reading the following explanation: The piece of land referred to in this letter was in fact assigned to two tourist operators from Chalten. This was not known by the local community until not long ago, and it was with great surprise that this news were received. The 13th of December 1999 an article on the subject appeared in the front page of Santa Cruz’s province main newspaper: "La Opinion Austral". This article caused a fairly big shakeup in the Provincial Government, which after a few contradictions denied publicly the allegations. However, the existence of such assignment was confirmed by the two beneficiaries and by close collaborators to the government. A few days later the local Chamber of Commerce sent a written request to the provincial Government to find out the actual status of that area, but until now there has been no response. In spite of the fact that the Government has denied the allegations that the mentioned land has been given to private hands, the future of this land still remains uncertain, and it seems necessary to act in a fast and expedient fashion to ensure its preservation". Thanks for taking the time to read through this and for helping in this matter, Best regards, Rolo Rolando Garibotti C.C.439 8400 Bariloche Rio Negro Argentina rgaribotti@aol.com  The Fitz Roy massif - photo by Nicholas Hobley - Mnet Fitz Roy possibly to become private The National Park Los Glaciares is located in the Santa Cruz Province in Southern Argentina, an area commonly know as Patagonia. It includes some of the biggest glaciers in all of the Americas, as well as extensive expanses of native forests and, in its Northern part, the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massifs. These mountains are known world wide for their beauty and for being some of the most difficult and challenging in the world. For unknown reasons when the park was delineated, its northern most border was placed across the summit of Cerro Fitz Roy, excluding from it some of the most beautiful peaks, valleys and glaciers in the area. Part of that land, which includes most of the Electrico Valley, was given many years ago to local inhabitants to use as pasture, but one significant portion (1400 hectares), that includes the northern peaks of the Fitz Roy massif was kept by the Province This provincial lot of 1400 hectares includes the North Face of Fitz Roy, Cerro Pollone, Aguja Pollone, Cerro Piergiorgio, Cerro Domo, Blanco, Cerro Rincon, Cerro Marconi Sur, Aguja Volonque Grand Gendarme del Pollone, Cerro Electrico Oeste, Aguja Guillaumet and Aguja Mermoz. It is important to keep in mind that this area is geographically and geological an integral part of the Fitz Roy massif, which along with the rest of the Los Glaciares National Park was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. In the pristine and untouched state that these peaks, valleys and forests are in now, they have great ecological and tourist importance. This area has sparked the desire of many generations to come closer to nature and experience its wild beauty. However, due to the fact that this lot is provincial land with no designated protection code, there is a serious possibility that it might be transferred to private hands, as it has happened with nearby areas in the past. Transferring this land to private ownership would be a threat to access for all and leaves the natural beauty unguarded from uncontrolled development. With the increasing volume of visitors and related services there is increased pressure on nature, and therefore we are faced which the huge task which is ensuring the conservation of this land for posterity. Our intention is to encourage the Governor and the Legislature of the Santa Cruz Province to transform this area into a Natural Monument, to ensure the preservation of such rich land, as well as the free and unrestricted access to all. We hope that the association you are affiliated with will be able to help us in this regard. We would kindly appreciate if you could write one letter to the Governor himself, and send us one copy to keep in our files ( send copy to: "Chalten Natural", C.C. 1545, 8400 Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina ). We are preparing a brief on the subject to be sent to each one of the Provincial deputies before the legislative period starts in early March. We would be grateful if, along with this letter, you could include a brief describing your organisation, as well as the number of members it has, its mission statement and etc, or your own personal experience with this area if you are writing it from a one man perspective. It would be also enriching if you would explain some of the reasons that lead you to support this initiative. Below is a suggested text on how the letter could read, but you are welcome to write more on the subject if you feel it appropriate. Also, please feel free to contact me if you need more information or have any questions on the subject. Unluckily it is a bit difficult to have email access from the town of Chalten, so I might not be able to get back to you immediately. Following the Spanish text is the English translation. Send the letter in the language you are more comfortable with (preferably Spanish or English). |
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Excelentisimo Sr. Gobernador de la Provincia de Santa Cruz Don Nestor Kirchner Gobernacion de la Provincia de Santa Cruz 9400 Rio Gallegos Santa Cruz S/D Nos dirijimos a Usted para informarle que esta institucion/organizacion/persona apoya la iniciativa de declarar Monumento Natural el lote fiscal Matricula 071 2906 en el mapa de mensura del area, el cual es parte integral de la unidad gemorfologica del masciso del Cerro Fitz Roy. A su vez le solicitamos que hasta tanto no se legisle al respecto, tenga a bien tomar los recaudos nescesarios para que no se produzcan cambios en este area. Adjunta a esta carta encontrara usted una corta descripcion de nuestra institucion, de sus socios, participantes y su mision. (take out if writing from a one man perspective). Desde ya muchas gracias por su atencion y por su preocupacion en la conservacion del recurso natural y turistico. |
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Excelentisimo Sr. Gobernador de la Provincia de Santa Cruz Don Nestor Kirchner Gobernacion de la Provincia de Santa Cruz 9400 Rio Gallegos Santa Cruz S/D Dear Sir, We are addressing ourselves to you to inform you that our institution (name of your institution, organization or person) supports the initiative of declaring as a Provincial Natural Monument the provincial lot (lote fiscal) Matricula 071 2906, which is part of the geographic and geologic formation of the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massif. We would also like to ask you to take the necessary steps to ensure that there are no changes in the status of this area until the Provincial Legislature has time to discuss the matter in depth and legislate in this regard. Attached to this letter you will find a brief describing this institution and the people it represents, along with our mission statement. (take out if writing from a one man perspective). We wish to thank you for your attention and for your concern in the preservation of the natural and tourist resources of the Santa Cruz Province. Best Regards, cc: Chalten Natural |
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