Patagonia vs. the dams: Travel companies offer a special trip to fight a destructive project

Picture this: two wild and scenic rivers rushing from the glaciers of the southern Andes, through dramatic canyons, ancient forests, and productive ranchlands, traveling through some of the most pristine landscapes on earth. Now picture those same rivers tamed by megadams, the surrounding landscapes marred by clearcuts, power lines, and new roads, the livelihoods of local people interrupted. That's what's at risk if the controversial HidroAysén project to dam the Baker and Pascua rivers in Chilean Patagonia is approved.

Located more than 1,200 miles south of the national capital, Santiago, Aysén is the most sparsely populated region in Chile. In addition to indigenous communities and local ranching families who have lived on this land for generations, the area surrounding Baker and Pascua rivers supports a thriving sustainable tourism industry based on river rafting, trekking, and sport fishing.

One of the principal tourism operators in Aysén, Patagonia Adventure Expeditions (PAEX) has been running rafting trips on the Baker River for over a decade and have established several new trekking routes in the region. PAEX founder Jonathan Leidig sees a tremendous potential for sustainable tourism to generate income for both local residents and Chile as a whole - a potential that would be seriously reduced by the construction of the dams.

According to Berkeley, California-based International Rivers, one of the many international and Chilean environmental groups that have formed an alliance against the project, the proposed two dams on the Baker River and three dams on the Pascua River would involve creating the world's largest clearcut in order to lay new transmission lines and build thousands of 220-foot-high transmission towers over a 1,500-mile-long corridor. The reservoirs created by the dams would flood an area of 23 square miles, including prime ranching and agricultural lands, as well as critically important wildlife habitats. The transmission lines would cross 64 communities and 14 legally protected conservation areas.

Not only would the dams destroy the pristine character and traditional lifestyle of the Baker-Pascua region, it would likely also negatively impact Chile's international reputation as an ecotourism and adventure destination.

Environmental groups call the dam project unnecessary, destructive, and shortsighted. Rather than building more dams, Chile needs to embrace more modern, forward-thinking energy alternatives, as noted in a 2008 New York Times editorial. Yet the HydroAysén dam controversy is more than just a Chilean issue. In fact, the project's backers include not only Chilean companies but also multinational corporations.

In an effort to increase awareness of the HidroAysén issue, PAEX has joined forced with Vaya Adventures, a Berkeley-based tour operator specializing in South America, to offer a special "Ice to Ocean Fundraising Adventure" trip to the threatened area. The trip, which runs from February 26 to March 12, 2010, will include trekking through glacial valleys at the edge of the Northern Patagonian Ice Cap, the source of the Baker River, as well as rafting the Baker River all the way to the ocean. Under the proposed project, the river would be dammed in two places, making such a rafting adventure impossible.

All net proceeds from the trip will go to the International Rivers Patagonia campaign. The trip costs $4,975, not including airfare. Participants who commit to raising $2,000 for the International Rivers campaign prior to departure will receive a $1,000 discount.

In addition to raising awareness and funds for the anti-dam campaign, Vaya Adventures hopes to highlight the region as a sustainable tourism destination. "The region is too special not to try to do something to protect it from needless harm," says Vaya Adventures founder Jim Lutz. "The potential long-term benefits to Chile from sustainable tourism in the area are immense."

For more on the International Rivers Patagonia campaign, visit the organization's website or check out this fact sheet. For more on the fundraising trip, including how to sign up, visit the Vaya Adventures website.

Photos courtesy of Vaya Adventures: An area of the Baker River that would be flooded by the dam (top); a proposed dam site on the Pascua River (bottom)